Three FHSU women's basketball players named to MIAA All-League Team

HAYS, Kansas — The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) released its list of all-conference selections on Monday. Fort Hays State had three players earn All-MIAA honors, led by second-team selection Katelyn Edwards and third-team pick Kate Lehman. Crista Bechard was an honorable mention selection while Lehman was also named to the conference's all-defensive team.

Edwards earned the nod in her first year with the Lady Tigers after transferring from the University of South Dakota. The Crete, Neb., native led Fort Hays State in both scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg) and ranked among the MIAA leaders in both categories. Edwards recorded a team-high nine double-double's as well and scored 10 or more points in 25 of 28 games this year. She becomes the first second-team All-MIAA selection for FHSU since they joined the conference for the 2006-07 season.

Lehman burst onto the scene in her freshman campaign, blocking a single-season school record and NCAA Division II-leading 93 shots. Lehman's average of 3.3 blocks per game ranks her second in the country and was more than six other MIAA teams averaged. She has also recorded eight double-doubles on the year, with all of them coming within the last 15 games. The Newton, Kan., native earns the first third-team All-MIAA selection for FHSU in the MIAA and she is the third player to be named to the MIAA All-Defensive Team, joining Erica Biel (2008-09) and Kaniesha Pettaway (2010-11).

Bechard was named an honorable mention All-MIAA selection for the second consecutive season. The senior from Holton, Kan., was FHSU's fourth-leading scorer, averaging 8.2 points per game, and she led the team with 76 assists. She also had an assist/turnover ratio of 2.0 which is one of the best in the country. Bechard has started all 54 games in her two years with the Lady Tigers and becomes the seventh All-MIAA  honorable mention selection for FHSU in the past six years.