ANNIE BOURNE OF SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, a senior from Dallas, Texas, is the second student-athlete from Southwestern in the last three years to earn SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors as former teammate Chelsea Leader won a share of the award in 2012-13. Bourne will finish her career as the SCAC's all-time leading rebounder as she has 1,135 caroms entering this weekend's conference tournament. Her current season average of 12.5 rebounds per game leads the conference and ranks 16th in all of Division III and her 313 total rebounds are the third-most in a single-season in league history. She is also sixth in the conference in blocks with 19. Bourne's inside presence helped the Pirates lead the league in rebounding margin (+3.2), including an amazing +7.1 differential in conference games. A player has grabbed 21+ rebounds 22 different times in the history of SCAC women's basketball and Bourne has four of those performances.

Bourne prevailed in a very tight vote for SCAC Defensive POTY as she received three first-place votes. Senior forward Jenna Longo of Austin College and senior post Chelsey Stolle of Texas Lutheran each received two votes and junior forward Bryony Harris of Trinity received the remaining first-place vote.