IRVING, Texas -- Jennie Simms has been named the 2016-17 Conference USA Women's Basketball Player of the Year, the league office announced on Monday.
Simms becomes the first ODU women's basketball player to be named conference player of the year since Lucienne Berthieu received the honor in 2002.
The 6-0 senior guard from Accokeek, Maryland, is the nation's second-leading scorer at 25.7 points per game and is one of only two players in the country averaging 20+ points, 8+ rebounds and 4+ assists. In league play, Simms ranks in the top 15 in C-USA in scoring (1st, 25.7ppg), rebounding (8th, 7.3rpg), assists (4th, 5.1apg), steals (13th, 1.6spg) and blocks (13th, 0.8bpg).
Simms has scored 30 or more points 11 times this season, including two games of 40 or more. Her season-high of 43 points against Marshall is a Ted Constant Center women's record and is the highest single-game scoring total in the conference this season.
Throughout her illustrious three-year career at Old Dominion, Simms has etched her name into the Lady Monarch record book in several categories. This season, Simms became the sixth player in program history to join the 2,000 career point club and just the third to score 2,000 in their first three seasons at ODU. With 2,089 career points, Simms is currently sixth on the ODU all-time scoring list and is 24 points away from passing Celeste Hill for the fifth.
Simms' season scoring average of 25.7 is on track to break Anne Donovan's ODU record, which has stood for over 35 years, of 25.1 set in 1980-81, while her career scoring average of 20.4 would also break Donovan's record of 20.0. The senior co-captain has also set school records for career 30+ scoring games with 16 and 40+ games with three.
Last year, Simms became just the sixth Lady Monarch to score 1,000 points in her first two seasons and also set ODU records for free throws made (178) and attempted (249). However, with three more free throws made this season, Simms would break her own record.
The player of the year honor is just the latest on a long list of accolades for Simms. She was named to the USBWA National Player of the Year Midseason Watch List, while also being tabbed C-USA Player of the Week four different times this season and the USBWA National Player of the Week on Feb. 6. She also picked up her third consecutive All-C-USA First Team honor yesterday.
Simms and the Lady Monarchs head to the C-USA Tournament this week in Birmingham, Alabama. ODU, the No. 6 seed, takes on No. 11 UTEP on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on Campus Insiders.
2016-17 Conference USA Superlative Awards
Player of the Year: Jennie Simms, Old Dominion
Freshman of the Year: Rachael Childress, UAB
Defensive Player of the Year: Brittanny Dinkins, Southern Miss
Newcomer of the Year: Loryn Goodwin, UTSA
Sixth Player of the Year: Gabby Lyon, Middle Tennessee
Coach of the Year: Joye Lee-McNelis, Southern Miss