Indianapolis, Ind. - The Lewis University women's basketball team took home some extra hardware before the start of the postseason as Ally Cesarini (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was tabbed to the All-GLVC Second Team and All-GLVC Defensive Team. She was not the only member of the Flyers to earn the honor as Yahaira Bueno (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) was tabbed to the All-GLVC Second Team and Mallory Ramage (Mattoon, Ill./Loyola Chicago) was named to the first team, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon.

The first GLVC Defensive Player of the Year in program history, Cesarini finished the season averaging 11.4 points, 2.4 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.4 steals per game. Her 3,4 steals per game rank 13th nationally in Division II while she also ranked 25th in the GLVC for blocks per game as well. Her 95 total steals, 165 rebounds, and overall defensive efforts landed her the GLVC Defensive Player of the Year award, the first in Lewis' women's basketball program history. An All-GLVC Second Team mention as well, she is one of three players to record a double double for the Flyers this year, leading the team with four. Her scoring high this season, 25 points against Upper Iowa on January 10th, came from the same game that saw her record 11 field goals made and 17 attempted. Her 14 rebound game against UIS on February 19th, and her seven steals game against Southwest Baptist on January 24th, were the highest recorded in a single game for the Flyers this season.

Ramage finished on the All-GLVC First Team after averaging 14.6 points per game across 28 games. Her 14.6 points per game lead Lewis and rank eighth in the GLVC while her 1.5 3-pointers per game are top-20 in the conference. She also totaled 108 rebounds, 45 assists and 23 steals that aided in landing her the postseason honor. Ramage scored double digits in 20 out of 28 games, with her highest scoring game being 27 points against Southwest Baptist on January 24th. She also kept a 15-game double digit scoring streak that lasted from January 10th through the end of the season. It is the first All-GLVC honor for Ramage as well.
 
Bueno collected her second career postseason award, coming off a freshman season that saw her get named to the all-freshman team. The Bolingbrook native was named to the All-GLVC Second Team after averaging 12 points a game, getting 113 assists, 40 steals and 84 rebounds across the 28 games. Her highest scoring game was 24 points against Maryville University at the start of the new year. She also got a 14 point and 10 assist double double on February 5th against Lincoln University, making her one of three players to record a double double for the Flyers. Her 11 assists against Rockhurst on January 22nd were the highest recorded in a single game for the Flyers this season.

Additionally, Kree Nunnally (Crystal Lake, Ill./Example Academy) earned the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award. The James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Awards are given each year to the institutions and student-athletes who actively demonstrate exemplary sportsmanship, character, and conduct during competition throughout the year. The James R. Spalding Individual Sportsmanship Award winners are selected from each institution's season-long list of nominees compiled by each sport's head coaches.
 
Missouri-St. Louis nabbed the other three major awards as Mara Rieder was named the GLVC Player of the Year, Jayden Kuper landed freshman of the year accolades and Katie Vaughn collected GLVC Coach of the Year honors. 

The Flyers are back in action on Friday at noon in the first round of the GLVC Women's Basketball Championship, held in St. Louis, against McKendree.