NORFOLK, Va. – Iggy Allen, Ajah Wayne and Amari Young of the Old Dominion women's basketball team were selected to the Conference USA Preseason All-Conference Team, C-USA announced on Wednesday afternoon. In addition, the Monarchs garnered six first-place votes and were picked to finish second in the preseason poll.
ODU finished just 12 points behind preseason favorite Charlotte, and both programs received six of the 14 first-place votes. The Monarchs turned in a 13-11 overall record last season, their first under head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones, and went 7-9 in C-USA. Old Dominion finished the season by winning seven of its last nine games, including a road win at eventual champion Middle Tennessee and three wins in three nights at the C-USA Tournament to reach the semifinals as a No. 6 seed.
The Monarchs return four of their five starters from last season and former C-USA Sixth Player of the Year Aziah Hudson. In total, ODU returns 69 percent of its minutes played from a season ago as well as 68 percent of its scoring, 67 percent of its assists and 79 percent of its total rebounds.
Iggy Allen | Gr. | G | Pompano Beach, Fla.
C-USA's Newcomer of the Year a season ago, Allen joined the Monarchs from Florida Atlantic. While at FAU, she set program Division I-era records for scoring (22.2 points per game) and rebounding (10.9) while also leading the Owls in minutes (33.5), 3-point percentage (.388) and steals (2.2). A member of the all-conference first team and the C-USA All-Defensive Team, Allen ranked second in C-USA in scoring, third in rebounding and fourth in steals in addition to being inside the top-25 nationally in scoring, defensive rebounds and total rebounds. Allen finished all of her 22 games last season in double figures for scoring and had four 30-point outings, including a career-best 35 in a game at WKU.
Ajah Wayne | Sr. | G/F | Birmingham, Ala.
Wayne is making a second-consecutive appearance on the preseason all-conference team. She played in 18 games last season while averaging 15.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, both second-best on the team. Wayne was a member of the VaSID All-State Second Team and the Conference USA All-Tournament Team after averaging 22.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game in four tournament games. The Birmingham, Alabama native shot 53 percent from the field, which was third highest in the league, and led C-USA with 3.8 offensive boards per game. Wayne finished the year with nine double-doubles, including 18 points and 12 rebounds in ODU's road upset win of Middle Tennessee and 25 points and 17 boards against Rice in the C-USA semifinals.
Amari Young | Sr. | F | North Augusta, S.C.
A two-time member of the All-C-USA Second Team and All-Defensive Team, Young joins Wayne on the preseason all-conference team for the second season in a row. She averaged a double-double last season with 13.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per contest. Young ranked second in the conference and 18th nationally in rebounding, was fifth in C-USA with 2.05 steals per game and was top-10 in the conference in field goal percentage (.451, seventh) and blocks per game (1.00, eighth). The native of North Augusta, South Carolina had nine double-doubles last season, including a pair of games where she finished with 24 rebounds. Young ended the season with 31 points and 10 boards against Rice in the C-USA semifinals.
The Monarchs boasted the most selections on the eight-member preseason team and were one of two programs (Charlotte) with multiple honorees. The 49ers' Octavia Jett-Wilson and North Texas' Quincy Noble shared Preseason Player of the Year honors.
Old Dominion hosts Christopher Newport on Nov. 1 for a 6:30 p.m. exhibition inside Chartway Arena. The Monarchs then begin the regular season at home against South Carolina State on Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m.
Season Tickets Available Now
Men's and women's basketball season tickets for the upcoming 2021-22 season are available now at ynottix.com.
Men's basketball season tickets cost $215 and include tickets for the Monarchs' exhibition on Nov. 6 and all 14 of ODU's regular season home games. Women's basketball season tickets cost $115 for adults and $250 for courtside seating and include tickets to all 15 of the Monarchs' home games. Special pricing is available for senior citizens, ODU faculty and staff, and members of the military. Call the ODU Ticket Office at 757-683-4444 to receive special pricing. New this season, fans can select season tickets for men's games in section 108 for the promotional price of $110. For women's games, fans can select season tickets from sections 107, 108, and 109 for the price of $75.
Season tickets represent a savings of more than $50 for men's games and $45 for women's games, over single-game tickets. Single-game tickets for regular season men's and women's basketball games will go on sale later in the. Single-game ticket prices start at $18 for men's games and $11 for women's games, with special pricing for senior citizens, ODU faculty and staff, youth (12 and younger) and members of the military. ODU students can register for student tickets for free to any ODU men's and women's home game.
Conference USA Women's Basketball Preseason Poll (first place votes)
1. Charlotte (6) – 185 pts
2. Old Dominion (6) – 173 pts
T3. Middle Tennessee (2) – 150 pts
T3. North Texas – 150 pts
T3. UTEP – 150 pts
6. LA Tech – 106 pts
7. FIU – 104 pts
8. Rice – 94 pts
9. Marshall – 85 pts
10. Florida Atlantic – 69 pts
11. UAB – 64 pts
12. WKU – 62 pts
13. Southern Miss – 56 pts
14. UTSA – 19 pts
Conference USA Preseason All-Conference Team
*Quincy Noble, North Texas, R-Jr., G
*Octavia Jett-Wilson, Charlotte, Gr., G
Iggy Allen, Old Dominion, Gr., G
Katia Gallegos, UTEP, So., G
Savannah Wheeler, Marshall, So, G
Amari Young, Old Dominion, Sr., F
Jada McMillian, Charlotte, Sr., G
Ajah Wayne, Old Dominion, Sr., G/F
*Preseason Co-Player of the Year
Allen, Wayne, Young Named Preseason All-Conference; Monarchs Picked Second in C-USA
