DALLAS – No. 24 Rice and Middle Tennessee split four Conference USA superlative awards as announced by the league on Tuesday. The C-USA Regular-Season Champion Owls garnered Defensive Player of the Year in redshirt sophomore Nancy Mulkey, while senior Lauren Grigsby received Sixth Player of the Year. Middle Tennessee breakout Taylor Sutton claimed Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year was awarded to redshirt senior A’Queen Hayes following an all-conference performance at Eastern Kentucky last season. Awards were voted upon by C-USA head coaches and a media representative from each institution.
 
Freshman of the Year
Taylor Sutton, Middle Tennessee
 
Defensive Player of the Year
Nancy Mulkey, Rice
 
Newcomer of the Year
A’Queen Hayes, Middle Tennessee
 
Sixth Player of the Year
Lauren Grigsby, Rice
 
Sutton was quick to make a name for herself in her debut season as a Lady Raider. The newcomer took home four C-USA Freshman of the Week honors and was crowned USBWA National Freshman of the Week back in December. The Atlanta native has manufactured 15 double-figure scoring games with multiple 3-pointers hit in 15 contests. Sutton made 27-consecutive starts before the program’s Senior Night and currently ranks as the third-leading scorer with 10.5 points per game.
 
Mulkey cemented herself as one of the nation’s most elite centers in her first season with Rice. Despite missing the first eight games due to injury, the sophomore played catch up and now leads all C-USA players and ranks 17^th in the country with 72 blocks, which also rank fourth among the school’s single-season records. Her 3.60 average blocks nearly qualify as the second-best shot blocking clip in the country. Mulkey has already established herself in Owl history as the single-game blocking record holder (9), and is the nation’s only player to record eight or more blocks in three games this season. She is also impactful on the offensive side of the ball and is on pace to shatter the single-season field goal percentage record while leading C-USA at a 59 percent mark. The Cypress, Texas, product claimed a C-USA Player of the Week award in January and has since powered the Owls to the NCAA’s sixth-best scoring defense (52.9).

The program’s first graduate transfer, Hayes provided a dynamic spark in her first and last year with Middle Tennessee. She is currently the only C-USA player to top her team in scoring (15.2), rebounding (7.4) and assists (3.1), while ranking among the top 10 in seven C-USA statistical categories. Hayes, who previously registered minutes at Eastern Kentucky and Ole Miss, scored in double figures in 23 of 29 games played. She also muscled seven double-doubles in 26 starts.
 
Grigsby’s leadership as a senior and supporting role off the bench has propelled Rice forward in its fight to make history. In 28 games played, the guard ranks in the team’s top five in nearly every impactful category on both sides of the ball. She especially shines from beyond the arc and ranks second on the squad with 1.3 made threes a game at a 43 percent clip. Grigsby is averaging 7.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists heading into the postseason.
 
The C-USA Player and Coach of the Year, presented by Ready Nutrition will be unveiled at 10 a.m. CT Wednesday. The 2019 Air Force Reserve C-USA Basketball Championships presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, tip off on Wednesday, March 13th. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit ConferenceUSA.com.