MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) has announced its major award winners and all-conference team for the 2024-2025 women's basketball season.
St. Norbert College junior forward
Taylor Thiry was named NACC Player of the Year, while Edgewood College senior forward
Vivian Guerrero repeated as NACC Defensive Player of the Year and Aurora University guard
Krystyna Manzanarez was named NACC Freshman of the Year. Additionally, the St. Norbert coaching staff was recognized as the NACC Coaching Staff of the Year.
All awards were determined by a vote of the league's head coaches.
NACC Player of the Year - Taylor Thiry, Jr., F, St. Norbert College
Thiry played in 26 of St. Norbert's 27 games this season, averaging 15.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while leading the Green Knights to a 22-5 record and a share of the 2024-2025 NACC title with a 15-1 mark.
Thiry ranks third nationally in field goal percentage (.630). She also leads all NACC players in field goals (167) and points (412) and ranks second in scoring average (15.8 ppg) and sixth in free throw percentage (.768).
Thiry scored in double figures in 24 of her 26 games played, scoring a season-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the NACC Tournament final against Wisconsin Lutheran. She also reached double figures in rebounds on five occasions, posting a season-high 15 in a one-point overtime loss to Carthage in mid-November.
Thiry is the second Green Knight to be named NACC Player of the Year (
Olivia DeCleene, 2023).
NACC Defensive Player of the Year - Vivian Guerrero, Sr., F, Edgewood College
Guerrero played in all 26 of Edgewood's games this season, averaging 11.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game while leading the Eagles to a 14-12 mark and a berth in the NACC Tournament.
Guerrero posted league-high marks in rebounds (251), defensive rebounds per game (7.9), total rebounds per game (9.7), blocks (44), blocks per game (1.69), and double-doubles (11).
She posted double figures in scoring 18 times and in rebounding 12 times and pulled down nine rebounds on five other occasions. Guerrero posted a season-high 21 points in a win over Lakeland in mid-January where she also pulled down 14 rebounds. She also had multiple blocks in 13 contests, swatting away a NACC season-high six shots in a win at Concordia Chicago in late January.
Guerrero is the third student-athlete to earn multiple NACC Defensive Player of the Year honors, joining Wisconsin Lutheran's
Kristen Schulz (2014, 2015) and Concordia Chicago's
Courtney Lofink (2017, 2018). It is also the third honor for an Edgewood student-athlete.
Bria Lemirande was named the 2021 NACC South Division Player of the Year.
NACC Freshman of the Year - Krystyna Manzanarez, G, Aurora University
Manzanarez played in all 25 games for Aurora this season, averaging 13.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while helping lead Aurora to a 17-8 mark and the No. 4 seed in the NACC Tournament. She ranked third amongst NACC players in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.27) and fourth in field goal percentage (.437).
Manzanarez scored in double figures 19 times, scoring a season-high 23 points against both Beloit in mid-November and Benedictine in a NACC Tournament quarterfinal game. She came close to a pair of double-doubles, pulling down nine rebounds against Concordia Chicago in mid-February and Wisconsin Lutheran in early December.
Manzanarez is the third Aurora student-athlete to be named NACC Freshman of the Year (
Becky Gifford, 2010;
Julie Galauner, 2017).
NACC Coaching Staff of the Year - St. Norbert College (Amanda Leonhard-Perry, head coach)
Under the direction of fifth-year head coach
Amanda Leonhard-Perry, the Green Knights posted a 22-5 mark overall, tied for their second NACC title in three years with a 15-1 record in league play, and advanced to the championship game of the 2025 NACC Women's Basketball Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
St. Norbert was one of the top shooting teams in NCAA Division III this season, ranking third nationally in field goal percentage (.477). The Green Knights also led all NACC programs in scoring (1,863), scoring margin (+14.6 ppg), 3-point percentage (.342), free throw percentage (.737), field goal percentage defense (.347), assists per game (16.7), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.07), and ranked second in rebounding margin (+6.4), defensive rebounds per game (27.3), scoring defense (54.4), scoring offense (69.0), and turnovers per game (15.6).
Leonhard-Perry is assisted by
Jeff Charney,
Hannah Ciesielczyk,
Natalie Cerrato, and
Olivia Pedersen.
All-Conference Teams Announced
Thirteen of 14 NACC programs were represented on this year's all-conference teams. MSOE, St. Norbert, and Wisconsin Lutheran each had three student-athletes recognized, landing two apiece on the first team and one on the second team. Aurora and Edgewood both had two players picked, each having their honorees split between the first and second teams. Alverno, Benedictine, Concordia Chicago, Concordia Wisconsin, Illinois Tech, Lakeland, Marian, and Rockford all had one all-league selection, with CUW and Rockford landing their pick on the first team.
| 2024-2025 All-NACC Women's Basketball Team |
| Player of the Year - Taylor Thiry, St. Norbert College |
| Defensive Player of the Year - Vivian Guerrero, Edgewood College |
| Freshman of the Year - Krystyna Manzanarez, Aurora University |
| Coaching Staff of the Year - St. Norbert College (Amanda Leonhard-Perry, head coach) |
|
| First Team |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Krystyna Manzanarez |
Aurora |
Fr. |
G |
Grand Junction, Colo. |
| Aubrey DeBauch |
Concordia Wisconsin |
Sr. |
F |
Gillett, Wis. |
| Vivian Guerrero |
Edgewood |
Sr. |
F |
Lake Mills, Wis. |
| Mahima Chokshi |
MSOE |
Jr. |
G |
Park Ridge, Ill. |
| Lana Kerley |
MSOE |
Fr. |
G/F |
Frankfort, Ill. |
| D'Asia Washington |
Rockford |
Sr. |
F |
Oklahoma City, Okla. |
| Taylor Thiry |
St. Norbert |
Jr. |
F |
Casco, Wis. |
| Emma Morrisey |
St. Norbert |
Sr. |
G |
Hoffman Estates, Ill. |
| Jayden Hill |
Wisconsin Lutheran |
Jr. |
G/F |
Kenosha, Wis. |
| Margie Stevens |
Wisconsin Lutheran |
So. |
F |
Oneida, Wis. |
| Second Team |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Shiauna Nixon-Boyd |
Alverno |
Jr. |
G |
Milwaukee, Wis. |
| Riley Doggett |
Aurora |
So. |
G |
Oswego, Ill. |
| Allison Jarvis |
Benedictine |
Fr. |
G |
Woodridge, Ill. |
| Khaliah Reid |
Concordia Chicago |
So. |
G |
Naperville, Ill. |
| Kallie Norby |
Edgewood |
Gr. |
F |
Hales Corners, Wis. |
| Julia Bucci |
Illinois Tech |
Sr. |
G |
Greenville, S.C. |
| Halle Boldt |
Lakeland |
Sr. |
F/C |
Sheboygan, Wis. |
| Lexi Brakebush |
Marian |
Sr. |
G |
Oxford, Wis. |
| Dani Mendez |
MSOE |
So. |
F |
Noblesville, Ind. |
| Casey Jepson |
St. Norbert |
Sr. |
G |
De Pere, Wis. |
| Janiyah Goner |
Wisconsin Lutheran |
Sr. |
G |
Milwaukee, Wis. |
| Honorable Mention |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Kylie Fischbach |
Aurora |
Sr. |
F |
Rock Falls, Ill. |
| Hailey Bachmann |
Benedictine |
Fr. |
F |
Hales Corners, Wis. |
| Makenzie Carroll |
Benedictine |
Jr. |
G |
Indianapolis, Ind. |
| Alexis Schueler |
Benedictine |
Fr. |
G |
Maple Park, Ill. |
| Melissa Gomez |
Dominican |
Gr. |
G |
Des Plaines, Ill. |
| Chloe Churilla |
Illinois Tech |
Jr. |
F |
Highland, Ind. |
| A.T. Bartlett |
Lakeland |
Jr. |
G |
Farmington Hills, Mich. |