SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Summit League announced its 2018-19 women's basketball all-league teams on Thursday as Denver's Madison Nelson, Lauren Loven and Samantha Romanowski were recognized by the league. Head coach Jim Turgeon's squad finished the 2018-19 regular season 17-12 overall and 10-6 in league play, marking DU's first winning league record since joining the Summit League in 2013-14.

"In the past two years our entire team has worked very hard to develop our basketball program," Turgeon said. "These three young ladies have improved their skill level tremendously and are very deserving of these awards."

Nelson was named second-team all-league while Loven and Romanowski received honorable-mention accolades. This is the first time since the 2013-14 season that Denver has had three individuals named to all-conference/all-league teams.

A junior from Dover, Minn., Nelson became the first Summit League women's basketball student-athlete to record double-digit double-doubles (10) in a season since the 2015-16 season. She also led the league in rebounding with a 9.0 rpg. average and was third in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game. Nelson was named Summit League Player of the Week twice this season, on November 26^th and March 4^th. Her best game of the season came in the final game of the year when she tied a career-high with 28 points while adding 10 rebounds and two steals in the win over Omaha. Nelson also ranks 36^th in the nation for free throws made (128 made) and 55^th in total rebounds (262 total).

Romanowksi, a senior guard from Mountlake Terrace, Wash., had her best season as a Pioneer. She led the Summit League in assists per game, averaging 5.9 dimes per game which is two more than any other player in the league. Romanowski also ended the regular season with national rankings of 14th in assists per game, 11^th in total assists and 87^th in total minutes played. During her senior year she recorded 10-plus assists on three different occasions while falling just one dime short of the DU single-game record (14) against Lamar (13) and South Dakota (13). Romanowski's breakout game came when she scored a career-high 33 points on a perfect 8-of-8 from 3 at Nebraska earlier this season. She also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career earlier this season in Denver's game at Oral Roberts.

A junior 3-point specialist from Scottsdale, Ariz., Loven ranked inside the top-5 in the nation in all major 3-point shooting categories throughout the 2018-19 season. She averaged 14.5 points per game while hitting a league-high 3.55 3s per game, which ranked fifth in the nation. Loven shot a torrid 46.4 percent from beyond the arc en route to setting new school and league records with 103 made 3s (fourth in the NCAA) in the season. Her best game of the year came in DU's upset win over South Dakota when she scored a career-high 32 points while hitting six 3-pointers and six free throws. Loven currently has 970 career points and is likely to eclipse the 1,000-point mark for her career in the Pioneers' remaining games or early next season.  

2019 Summit League Women's Basketball Awards

 First Team
Allison Arens, South Dakota
Lakota Beatty, Oral Roberts
Ciara Duffy, South Dakota
Madison Guebert, South Dakota State
Lexi Klabo, North Dakota
Macy Miller, South Dakota State

Second Team
Taylor Higginbotham, Western Illinois
Olivia Kaufmann, Western Illinois
Tagyn Larson, South Dakota State
Maya Mayberry, Oral Roberts
Madison Nelson, Denver

Honorable Mention
Chloe Lamb, South Dakota
Lauren Loven, Denver
Samantha Romanowski, Denver
Myah Selland, South Dakota State
Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota

All-Newcomer Team
Paiton Burckhard, South Dakota State
Mariah Murdie, Omaha
Danni Nichols, Western Illinois
Sh'Toya Sanders, Purdue Fort Wayne
Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota

Player of the Year

Macy Miller, South Dakota State

Defensive Player of the Year

Allison Arens, South Dakota

Sixth Woman of the Year

Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota

Freshman of the Year

Danni Nichols, Western Illinois

Newcomer of the Year

Hannah Sjerven, South Dakota

Coach of the Year

Dawn Plitzuweit, South Dakota

Next Up: Denver, the three seed, will begin the Summit League tournament on Sunday with a matchup against North Dakota at 1:30 pm MT. 

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