ANGOLA, IND. -- For the second consecutive season, junior Brandi Dawson (Garrett, Ind./Garrett) and senior Hayley Martin (Auburn, Ind./DeKalb) earned Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association "Most Valuable Player" and "Defensive Player of the Year" awards to highlight the Trine University women's basketball selections.
The duo captured both awards last season with Dawson repeating as the MIAA "Most Valuable Player" and Hayley Martin the MIAA "Defensive Player of the Year" this winter. Both players also repeat as first-team All-MIAA recipients and have played pivotal roles in helping the Thunder to a second straight 20-win season and a second consecutive MIAA Regular-Season Championship.
Dawson has played in all 25 games so far this season and has started all but one game. She is currently leading the team, and ranks second in the MIAA, in scoring averaging 14.1 points per game while shooting an impressive 61.2 percent (145-of-237) from the field. Earlier this season, Dawson became the 13th player in Trine women's basketball history to score 1,000 or more career points and has 1,085 points to date. She also leads the team in free-throws made (61), attempts (82) as well as in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game.
Dawson has scored in double figures in all but three games this season with five games of 20 or more points, including a season-high 29-point effort in the season-opener against Defiance in November. In addition, Dawson is currently second on the team in blocked shots (14) and is amongst the team leaders in assists (33) and steals (26).
After missing the first three games of the season, Hayley Martin has started every game and is second on the team in scoring with 10.4 ppg. She is currently shooting 43.4 percent (89-of-205) overall and is second on the team in rebounding at 6.2 rpg. She has posted three double-doubles this season and has scored in double figures in 10 games with a season-high 21-point effort against the University of Wisconsin-Stout in late December. Also this season, she joined Dawson and became the 14th player in program history to record 1,000 or more points. Coming into MIAA Tournament play, she has totaled 1,050 points.
Defensively, Hayley Martin leads the team, and is second in the conference, in blocked shots with 44. In addition, she is amongst the team leaders in steals with 14.
Trine will be the number two seed in the MIAA Tournament that begins on Friday, Feb. 23. Hope (Mich.) College will serve as host as the top-seeded team. The Thunder will take on third-seed Albion (Mich.) College on Friday in Holland, Mich. with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m.