The Auburn women's basketball team, regular season SEC champions, celebrated three more accomplishments before heading into last weekend's SEC Tournament, where Vanderbilt topped them in the finals.
Coach Nell Fortner was named SEC coach of the year, DeWanna Bonner was named SEC player of the year and Whitney Boddie was named to the first team All-SEC, all announced March 3.
"That is such a team award and I am just surrounded by an outstanding staff and this team has worked so hard this year and bought into everything that we were wanting to accomplish and how to accomplish it," Fortner said, in an article on the official Web site of Auburn Athletics. "It is a true team award and I am just proud of everybody that has been a part of this year."
Fortner finished her fifth regular season as coach of the Tigers Sunday and has seen much improvement in the program including the regular season's SEC title, which is the program's first since 1989.
"Needless to say, I am just thrilled for this team and this program to win an SEC Championship," Fortner said. "It is absolutely what our goal has been since we took this job."
Bonner, who was also named to the SEC All-Defensive team and the first team All-SEC, finishes her career with the Tigers as a candidate for National Player of the Year.
"I am really proud of her and the type of year that she has had. It is great to see where she came from as a freshman and to finish her career with such a great senior year," Fortner said. "It is very rewarding for her as a player and for me as a coach. I am just excited for her. She is an outstanding player, and I am looking forward to her making a strong run through the NCAA tournament."
Bonner finished the regular season averaging 20.9 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 10th in the country.
Teammate and fellow senior Boddie joins Bonner on the first team All-SEC.
This is the first time in her career Boddie has been named to the team.
She finished the regular season with an average of 8.1 assists per game, which led the nation.
"Whitney Boddie is such a good point guard, and I am so pleased that she could come back her senior year and show what a great player she is," Fortner said. "She means a whole lot to the success of this team, and I am really glad that she was able to have the year that she has had."
The Vanderbilt Commodores handed the Tigers one of its two regular season losses and added the third overall loss Sunday at the SEC Tournament in North Little Rock, Ark.
"We haven't lost very much this year, obviously," Fortner said to the O-A News. "But it is disappointing, and when the prize is as big as the one was today, it's even more disappointing."
The Tigers were knocked out of the SEC tournament in the championship game by Vanderbilt Sunday night.
The Tigers will play next in the NCAA Tournament. The bracket for the tournament will be released Monday.
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