Cook, Batista earn WAC postseason honors

DENVER, Colo. – Faith Cook and Madelyn Batista each earned postseason honors from the WAC on Monday in an announcement from league officials.

The teams were voted on by the league's 13 head coaches with Cook landing on the first team and Batista on the all-defensive team. California Baptist's Caitlyn Harper was named the league's Player of the Year while Stephen F. Austin's Mark Kellogg was honored as the Coach of the Year after leading the Ladyjacks to the outright WAC title.

The Defensive Player of the Year award went to California Baptist's Ane Olaeta while Seattle U's Bree Calhoun was named the Sixth Woman of the Year and Abilene Christian's Jamie Bonnarens was named the Newcomer of the Year.

For Cook, it is the third straight season she has earned a postseason honor after she was the 2020 Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year and a third team all-SLC choice last season.

She has been one of the top scorer's in the WAC this season, ranking fourth in the league with an average of 15.0 points per game for the year, and 14.6 per game in WAC play. That included reaching double figures 12 times against WAC opponents, topped by a 32-poit outburst in a win over California Baptist that ignited a 7-game win streak that surged the Kats to wins in nine of their last 12 games to close the season.

Cook reached 1,000 career points as a Bearkat with 15 points at ACU on February 17 and has also been one of the top marksmen in the WAC from the foul line this year, ranking fifth in the league with an 83.7 percent free-throw percentage.

As for Batista, she was one of five players selected to the all-defensive team after seeing her numbers reach career highs across the board in her third year in the program. The Orlando, Fla., native enters this week's WAC Tournament averaging 11.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, picking up eight double-doubles for the year.

She put in a career-high 23 points in a win over Arlington Baptist and had a stretch of three straight conference games with 18 points, including an 18-point, 16-rebound performance in the win over California Baptist. The 16 rebounds was a career high, one she equaled two games later in the win at Dixie State.

Additionally, Batista delivered 22 blocks, but also ranked sixth in the WAC with 53 total steals, an average of 1.89 per game.

Cook, Batista the the rest of the Bearkats will open up the WAC Tournament on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. CT as the No. 6 seed. They will face the winner of No. 7 Lamar and No. 10 New Mexico State at that time at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

The game is set to air on ESPN+ and can be heard live on GoBearkats.com or the GoBearkats app.

Cook, Batista earn WAC postseason honors

Players Mentioned

Madelyn Batista

Faith Cook

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