Welch named Horizon League Player of the Year, Vogelpohl named to All-Defensive Team

Wright State senior guard Chelsea Welch was named the Horizon League Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and first team and junior guard Emily Vogelpohl was selected to the All-Defensive Team as the conference officials announced its post-season awards on Wednesday.

Welch (Kettering, OH/Fairmont) led the Horizon League in scoring the entire season, currently carrying a 21.5 points per game average as well as 5.3 rebounds (15th), 4.5 assists (3rd), 2.2 steals (6th), 35.6 minutes (2nd), 2.3 assist/turnover ratio (1st), 81.6% free throw percentage (3rd) and 42.5% field goal percentage (8th).  She scored in double figures in all 30 games with her career-high 36 points coming at #23 Missouri early in the season with 18 games of 20-plus points.  Welch averaged 21.6 points during Horizon League games, including 30 points and 11 boards against Oakland at home.

Welch, a first-team performer last year, is the fourth Raider to be named Player of the Year since 2014 as Kim Demmings received the honor in 2014 and 2016 and Tay’ler Mingo was selected in 2015.  Welch scored her 1,000th Wright State point this season and currently ranks ninth all time with 1,276 points as a Raider.

“Chelsea has been a consistent force for us on both ends of the floor this year,” Wright State head coach Katrina Merriweather said.  “She is an amazing competitor who takes pride in delivering for her team.  We are happy that her hard work has been acknowledged by the voters.”

Vogelpohl (Cincinnati, OH/McAuley), has grabbed 76 steals in 30 games to rank second in the Horizon League with a 2.5 average and 11th in rebounding at 6.6 per game.  She has also averaged 11.0 points per game and 34.2 minutes.  She has six double-figure rebounding games, including 14 at Oakland.  She had games with seven steals against Milwaukee and six at Cleveland State and at Milwaukee.  Vogelpohl has 56 of her 76 steals against League teams.

Vogelpohl also scored her 1,000th career point this season and now ranks 19th all time with 1041 career points.  Vogelpohl is the 14th Raider to be named to the All-Defensive Team since 1996.

“Emily plays with an extreme amount of heart and hustle,” Merriweather said.  “We are elated that others have recognized the impact she has for our own team on the defensive end. This honor is very well deserved.”

“I am confident that I speak for both of them when I say neither of them would have received this recognition without the support of their teammates.  We are all very proud of their accomplishment.”

The Raiders, 21-9 and 12-6, will open the Little Caesars Horizon League Championship in Detroit Sunday as the number three seed against Cleveland State at Noon.

Player of the Year: Chelsea Welch, Wright State

Coach of the Year: Austin Parkinson, IUPUI

Freshman of the Year: Macee Williams, IUPUI

Sixth Player of the Year: Taylor Jones, Oakland

Defensive Player of the Year: Jen Wellnitz, Green Bay

All-League First Team (alphabetical by school)

Ashanti Abshaw, Cleveland State

Khayla Livingston, Cleveland State

Jessica Lindstrom, Green Bay

Danielle Lawrence, IUPUI

Chelsea Welch, Wright State

All-League Second Team (alphabetical by school)

Allie LeClaire, Green Bay

Macee Williams, IUPUI

Steph Kostowicz, Milwaukee

Jenny Lindner, Milwaukee

Indiya Benjamin, Youngstown State

All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school)

Lexey Tobel, Detroit Mercy

Karly Murphy, Green Bay

Macee Williams, IUPUI

Kailey Coffey, Northern Kentucky

Chelsea Olson, Youngstown State

All-Defensive Team (alphabetical by school)

Shadae Bosley, Cleveland State

Jessica Lindstrom, Green Bay

Jen Wellnitz, Green Bay

Jenna Gunn, IUPUI

Emily Vogelpohl, Wright State