Women's Basketball | 2/23/2022 4:00:00 PM

AVE MARIA, Fla. - Ave Maria University freshman guard Lavariah Armstead was honored as a First Team All-Sun Conference selection, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon. The North Carolina native earned the recognition as one of the top ten players in the conference for the 2021-2022. The league All-Conference teams are selected by a vote of the conference's head coaches, with coaches unable to vote for their own players.

Armstead is Ave Maria's first First Team All-Conference player since the 2019-2020 season, when Sarah Miller earned the third of her awards en route to Honorable Mention All-America accolades. Armstead is also first Gyrene guard honored among the top ten players in the The Sun Conference since the 2016-2017, when Lauren Gillingham earned recognition.

In her first season on campus, Armstead was Ave Maria's leading scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game in her first season of college basketball. As part of AMU's fab five of freshman starters, the guard grabbed over 100 rebounds, finished second on the roster with 55 assists, and had 44 steals, also second most on the roster. She also spent more time on the floor than any other Gyrene, totalling 810 minutes of game action, and was one of five Gyrenes to play in all 27 games to date.

To start the season, Armstead scored at least ten points in 17 of Ave Maria's first 18 games. She scored a career-high 23 points in the Gyrenes' road win over Coastal Georgia in November, and scored 21 points with six rebounda and four steals in her collegiate debut against Florida National. She was in double-double territory in each of AMU's final two regular season games, averaging 11.5 points and 7.5 rebound against Warner and Keiser.

The North Carolina native currently ranks second in The Sun Conference in points scored, putting in 343 points with at least one more game to play this season. She also ranks second in The Sun Conference in made field goals, and is one of only two players to make more than 125 shots this season. Her points per game total (12.7) ranks seventh in the SUN, and her free throw percentage is also in the top ten in the conference among eligible players.

Southeastern led all teams with six all-conference honorees, including first-team selections Angela Perry, and Leilah Vigil. Webber International had three all-conference honorees led by first-teamers Jaida Burgess, Leandra Franklin, and Eletra Graham. Jasmine Edwards and Chanelle McDonald from Warner were named to the first team along with Armstead, Florida Memorial's Aliyah-Deen Ahmad, and St. Thomas' Kasey Gagan. 

For the first time since the 2015 season, the Gyrenes are headed to the final site of The Sun Conference Tournament, and will take on the host Southeastern University Fire Friday at 5:00 p.m in Lakeland. The Fire, the number one team in the nation in the most recent NAIA Coaches' Poll, narrowly escaped the Gyrenes in their last meeting, winning 55-51 at Donahue Gym on January 20.