JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Four All-Americans, Shari Buford, Kayla Marosites, Haris Price and Mika Wester, led the way for Carson-Newman women's basketball's all-decade team from the 2010s released Monday by the Carson-Newman Athletic Communications Office.
Carson-Newman posted four 20-win seasons and four trips to the NCAA Tournament highlighted by 2017-18 South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament championship unit that matched the school record for wins, advanced to the program's first Elite Eight, scored 100 points 11 times reaching No. 3 in the national polls and finishing as the highest rated team in conference history ranking fifth in the final WBCA poll.
The 10 members of the 2010s all-decade team comprise 10 of the top 19 highest scorers in program history and nearly a third of the 27 all-time 1,000-point scorers. Four of the six all-time postseason wins for the Lady Eagles came over the 10-year stretch.
Joining the All-Americans on the top unit was 2011-12 second-team all-region selection Zoriah Williams. The group of five scored 6,772 points and has three of the top seven rebounders on the school's ledger.
Buford was a four-time all-conference selection in her career capping her career at the start of the decade with third-team All-American honors in a season where she posted 13 points, 10 rebounds and a total of 90 shot blocks. She ranks second on the school's rebounding list with 1,058 and third in scoring with 1,496.
Marosites produced one of the most illustrious careers in the history of the program racking up 27 career awards capping her career with a consensus All-American season that saw her rank in the top 20 nationally in six categories. The Elizabethton, Tenn. native is one of five players in school history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds piling up 58 double-doubles over three years.
Price was a two-time All-American, one of four in the history of the program and the first in over 30 seasons. The 2017-18 SAC Player of the Year became the third athlete to wear the Orange and Blue and get the honor in a season where she was named first-team All-American. The Gatlinburg, Tenn. native ended her career seventh on the scoring list with 1,382 and 1,703 in her college career. She finished tied for fifth on the three-pointers list with 131 and eighth in assists with 342.
Wester, a 2017-18 All-American, won MVP honors in the SAC Tournament and at the NCAA Regional Tournament leading Carson-Newman to a total of three championships. The southpaw netted 17 career accolades in three years scoring in double figures in 67 of the 74 games she played. Wester holds the school record for free-throw percentage in a season converting on 90 as a junior.
Williams was thrice named an all-conference selection capping her career with an all-region selection in 2012 in a year where she dropped 16 points and grabbed north of nine boards per night. She finished her time at Mossy Creek 12th in scoring sixth in rebounding.
The second team features elite three-point marksmanship with C-N's all-time leader in the category, Tatum Burstrom with 254, and Kailyn Brooks who finished her senior year with a single-season mark of 83 and career with 203, good for third.
A pair of two-time all-league selections, Ashley Kyle and Mandy Mendenhall, join the fray. Kyle finished fourth in program history with 486 assists while Mendenhall scored 1,217 points and drilled 119 triples.
Rounding out the roster of the 2010s is one of the best all-around players, Briana Smith. The Nashville, Tenn. native improved every season to finish 12th on the school's scoring list with 1,274 points and was the team's top defender on the Elite Eight roster.
First Team
Shari Buford (2010): 4x All-SAC, 2010 Third-Team All-American, 1,496 points (3rd), 1,058 rebounds (2nd)
Kayla Marosites (2017-20): Consensus All-American, 1,387 points (7th), 1,072 rebounds (2nd), 157 three-pointers (5th)
Haris Price (2016-19): 2x All-American, 2018 First-Team All-American, 1,377 points (8th), 131 three-pointers (5th), 342 assists (8th)
Mika Wester (2016-18): 2017-18 All-American, 2018 SAC Tournament and NCAA Southeast Regional MVP, 1,326 points (10th), 17.9 points per game
Zoriah Williams (2010-12): 3x All-SAC, 2012 Second-Team All-Region, 1,186 points (18th), 842 rebounds (7th)
Second Team
Kailyn Brooks (2013-17): 2016-17 Second-Team All-SAC, Single-Season record for three-pointers in a season (83 in 2016-17), 1,198 points (17th), 203 three-pointers (3rd)
Tatum Burstrom (2012-16): 3x All-SAC, 1,234 points (14th), 254 three-pointers (1st)
Ashley Kyle (2010): 2x All-SAC, 1,136 points (19th), 486 assists (4th)
Mandy Mendenhall (2010-11): 2x All-SAC, 1,217 points (16th), 119 three-pointers (9th)
Briana Smith (2015-19): 2017-18 Honorable Mention All-SAC, 1,274 points (12th)
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