NIACC's Hillman is league's defensive player of year
March 11, 2024

NIACC's Hillman is league's defensive player of year

  • Hillman, Miller earn 1st-team all-region honors
  • Anderson selected to 2nd team
  • Schroeder is 3rd-team pick

MASON CITY - NIACC's Madison Hillman has been selected as the ICCAC Division II defensive player of the year.

It is the second straight season that a NIACC women's basketball player has been named the league's top defensive player. NIACC point guard Audrey Martinez-Stewart was the league's defensive player of the year in the 2022-23 season.

Hillman, who was also a first-team all-region selection, led the ICCAC with 73 blocked shots. Hillman, a 6-foot-2 forward from St. Ansgar, led the Trojans in scoring (13.6 per game, 12th in the ICCAC) and rebounding (8.4 per game, 5th in ICCAC).

Hillman, who earned ICCAC player of the week honors four times, scored 408 points in the 2023-24 season, which ranks 36th on the school's single-season scoring list. Hillman collected 252 rebounds, which ranks 15th on the school's single-season rebounding list.

NIACC's Tori Miller, a 5-10 freshman from Goodhue, Minn., also earned first-team all-region honors. Miller, who was selected as the ICCAC player of the week three times, averaged 11.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest and also led the Trojans with 121 assists (5th in the ICCAC and 16th on the school's single-season assist list).

NIACC sophomore Keiara Anderson, a 5-10 sophomore from St. Cloud, Minn., was a second-team all-region selection and freshman Alexis Schroeder, a 5-4 guard from Caledonia, Minn., was a third-team all-region pick.

Anderson averaged 8.5 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game. Anderson also contributed 72 assists and 60 steals.

Schroeder averaged 9.4 points and 2.4 assists per game. Schroeder also led the Trojans with 66 3-point goals, which ranks 16th on NIACC's single-season 3-point list and was fifth in the ICCAC. Schroeder also had 74 assists and 52 steals.