Northern New Mexico Women’s Basketball Garners Three Postseason Awards for 2024-25 Season

Members of the Northern New Mexico College women's basketball team have earned three postseason awards ahead of this weekend's 2024-25 Continental Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.

The Eagles' senior Ethena Silva was named Player of the Year, while senior Miranda Salazar shared the Defensive Player of the Year award and Samantha Stukes was Coach of the Year.

In other honors, Washington Adventist University senior Bethany Fowler was co-Defensive Player of the Year and Florida National University senior Charlette Leurs earned the Newcomer of the Year award.

Silva led NNMC by scoring 11.1 points per game, along with grabbing 5.3 rebounds per contest and recording 28 blocked shots and 35 steals. She started all 24 games she appeared in during the 2024-25 campaign.

Salazar is a two-time CAC Defensive Player of the Year award recipient. The guard leads the team in rebounding at 5.5 boards per contest, while adding 82 steals and 103 assists. She started 24 games and averaged 7.2 points a game.

Stukes guided the Eagles to an 18-10 record and top seed in the six-team CAC postseason tournament field.

Fowler recorded 70 steals and 20 blocked shots while averaging 5.1 rebounds per outing in 22 games for the Shock this winter.

Leurs made her presence known for the Conquistadors in the second half of the season to end the regular season by averaging 20.2 points and grabbing a nation's best 16.1 rebounds per outing. She also recorded 26 steals and 24 blocked shots in her 13 appearances.

The six-team 2025 CAC Women's Basketball Championship begins Thursday, February 27, and continues until a champion is crowned Sunday, March 2, starting at 4 p.m., at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.

2024-25 Continental Athletic Conference Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams

Player of the Year: Ethena Silva, Northern New Mexico College

Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Miranda Salazar, Northern New Mexico College

Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Bethany Fowler, Washington Adventist University

Newcomer Player of the Year: Charlette Leurs, Florida National University

Coach of the Year: Samantha Stukes, Northern New Mexico College

First Team

Janelisse Marty Marrero, Florida National University

Myona Dauphinais, Haskell Indian Nations University

Miranda Salazar, Northern New Mexico College

Ethena Silva, Northern New Mexico College

Amani Ball, Washington Adventist University

Isabela Lujan-Gonzales, Washington Adventist University

Second Team

Le'Asia Matthews, Carolina University

Felesia Ondongo, Carolina University

Charlette Leurs, Florida National University

Tierzah Penn, Haskell Indian Nations University

JaiDah Liebert, Spartanburg Methodist College

Destiny Middleton, Spartanburg Methodist College

Bethany Fowler, Washington Adventist University

Champion of Character

Bianca Gonzalez, Carolina University

Fabiana Nievies, Florida National University

Wakiyan Irving, Haskell Indian Nations University

Rhianna Padilla-Gallegos, Northern New Mexico College

Zy Bell, Spartanburg Methodist College

Isabella Lujan-Gonzales, Washington Adventist University