ST. LOUIS (USBWA) David Meurer of Denison University (Granville, Ohio) and Caroline Naumann of Lynchburg College (Lynchburg, Va.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the week ending Feb. 28.
Meurer, a 5-10 junior guard from Granville, Ohio, earned Most Valuable Player honors after leading Denison to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament Championship and its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. He scored 18 of his team-high 28 points in the second half and overtime, part of a comeback for the Big Red (17-11) that overturned a 16-point deficit in the final 17 minutes of regulation in a 92-81 overtime victory in the championship game against Wooster (21-7) on Saturday. Meurer also had five assists, five steals, a block, and a rebound in that contest. He averaged 22.0 points, 3.6 assists, 3.0 steals, and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 60 percent (21-of-35) from the field and 84.2 percent (16-of-19) from the foul line while coming off the bench in all three Denison victories. Meurer had 24 points and four rebounds in an 81-75 win over Wittenberg (14-12) in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, then totaled 14 points, five assists and four rebounds in a 95-85 semifinal win at No. 10 (D3hoops.com) Ohio Wesleyan (23-4) on Friday.
Naumann, a 6-0 sophomore forward from Mechanicsville, Va., led Lynchburg to its first-ever Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after recording a double-double in each of the Hornets' (24-4) three victories. For the week, she averaged 16.0 points and 14.3 rebounds while shooting 57.6 percent (19-of-33) from the field and 88.9 percent (8-for-9) from the foul line as Lynchburg advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. In the quarterfinals on Thursday, Naumann totaled 17 points and 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes in a 73-51 win over Virginia Wesleyan (9-17). In Saturdays semifinal, she had 16 points and 14 rebounds in 27 minutes of Lynchburg·s 73-51 victory over Washington & Lee (17-10). Neumann then collected a career-high 18 rebounds to go with 15 points in the Hornets' 62-55 Championship Game win over Guilford (21-4) on Sunday.
Each Tuesday, the USBWA has selected men's and women's Division III National Players of the Week. This is the second season that USBWA recognized national players of the week from Division III. These are the final selections of the 2015-16 season.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.
2015-16 USBWA Division III National Players of the Week
Week ending Dec. 6: Jordan Rezendes, UMass Dartmouth and Lisa Murphy, Carnegie Mellon
· Week ending Dec. 13: Connor Green, Amherst and TiChina Mitchell, La Roche
· Week ending Dec. 20: David Linane, John Carroll and Alexix Roman, Scranton
· Week ending Jan. 3: Tom Palleschi, Tufts and Jordan Holmes, Denison
· Week ending Jan. 10: Tyheim Monroe, Cabrini and Michela North, Tufts
· Week ending Jan. 17: Jamie Nikitas, Lawrence University and Katelyn Spahar, John Carroll
· Week ending Jan. 24: Lucas Johnson, Benedictine and Jillian Gilman, Daniel Webster
· Week ending Jan. 31: Jordan Rezendes, UMass Dartmouth and Kelsey Tietje, Defiance
· Week ending Feb. 7: Ty Sabin, Ripon and Holly Denfeld, Milwaukee School of Engineering
· Week ending Feb. 14: Josh Berard, University of the Ozarks and Sydney Moss, Thomas More
· Week ending Feb. 21: Luke Lattner, DePauw and Lisa Murphy, Carngie Mellon
· Week ending Feb. 28: David Meurer, Denison and Caroline Naumann, Lynchburg