SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Appalachian State University women's basketball players Anna Freeman and Maryah Sydnor earned Southern Conference Player and Freshman of the Year honors, respectively, from the league's media members on Thursday.

In addition to the awards, Freeman was named as a first-team all-SoCon selection while Sydnor was selected as a member of the all-freshman team. Courtney Freeman earned second-team all-conference accolades for her strong performance this season.

A. Freeman's honor gives the Mountaineers back-to-back player of the year nods after former Appalachian great Sam Ramirez earned the nod from the SoCon coaches last season.

Freeman, who leads the SoCon in scoring at 15.4 points per game, surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for her career earlier this season and set the ASU record for career blocks (196) on Monday. She was a second-team all-SoCon selection last season.

She also leads the conference in free-throw percentage (.880) and steals (3.7 s/g) while ranking second in blocks (2.1 b/g). Freeman ranks sixth nationally in steals and 17th in free-throw percentage. She has posted 24 games with at least 10 points and has scored 15 or more points in 14 games.

Sydnor, who started 15 games as a freshman, finished the regular season averaging 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. She score 10 or more points on 14 occasions throughout the season, including 11 of the teams final 13 games.

She scored a career-high 20 points against ETSU in the home-opener and matched that total in back-to-back games against Samford and Furman in late January. Sydnor notched her first career double-double at Davidson on Feb. 18 (17 pts, 11 reb) and ended the year ranked second among all SoCon freshmen in scoring.

Sydnor is the fifth ASU player to be named as the league's Freshman of the year and the first since Kiki Conyers earned the award during the 2002-003 campaign.

C. Freeman ranks second on the team and 10th in the SoCon in scoring (11.7 ppg), seventh in offensive rebounds (2.3 rpg) and 15th in total rebounds (5.4 rpg).

She has scored in double-figures 16 times this season, including a career-high 23 in a win over UNCG on Jan. 9. Freeman also posted a double-double (15 pts, 10 reb) in the season-opener against ACC foe Virginia and fell just shy of another double-double at nationally-ranked Georgia on Dec. 22.

2012 SoCon Women’s Basketball Awards

Media All-Conference Team

First Team
Anna Freeman, Appalachian State
Sophia Aleksandravicius, Davidson
Laura Murray, Davidson
Ali Ford, Elon
Whitney Hood, Chattanooga

Second Team
Courtney Freeman, Appalachian State
Kelsey Evans, Elon
Raegan Thompson, Furman
Paige Anderson, Samford
Kaila’Shea Menendez, Western Carolina

Media All-Freshmen Team
Maryah Sydnor, Appalachian State
Sam Coffer, Elon
Brittany Hodges, Furman
Anna Claire Knight, Georgia Southern
Taylor Reece, Samford

Media Player of the Year
Anna Freeman, Appalachian State

Media Freshman of the Year
Maryah Sydnor, Appalachian State

Media Coach of the Year
Michele Savage, Davidson