Last season, Purdue Fort Wayne was a good team that was perhaps a star player away from being a dominant team. The Mastodons found that star through the transfer portal: former Michigan State and Western Michigan guard Lauren Ross, HoriZone Roundtable’s selection as the 2024-25 Horizon League Player of the Year.
Ross, simply put, was one of the best shooters in the entire country. Her 93.8 percent mark from the free throw line and her 46.3 percent accuracy from three-point range were both among the top 20 players in Division I. Deep into the season, she even flirted with becoming the first women’s player in history to compile a 50-50-90 season (with the numbers representing field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage). However, the rest of Ross’ game is probably underrated. In addition to her 14.7 points per game in HL play, she also averaged 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals, leading the Dons to within an overtime period of their first-ever conference title.
Others who had a significant impact on PFW’s success included Maria Marchesano, who earned a long-overdue Coach of the Year nod for her work building the Mastodons into one of the nation’s best mid-major programs, while Sydney Freeman was our Newcomer of the Year (and an all-conference third-team pick) after giving birth to her son, Kylo, and spending a year away from basketball, then making an unexpected and triumphant return with her hometown DI school. Jordan Reid, an athletic and electric sparkplug, was our Sixth Player of the Year.
Green Bay, which edged out PFW on Saturday for the 23rd Horizon League regular season championship in program history, was also strongly represented in our awards, as Natalie McNeal, Bailey Butler, and Maddy Schreiber all appear within the three all-conference teams, with Butler picking up a spot on the all-defensive team as well. All three players are great examples of why the Phoenix has been on top of the HL so frequently, with efficient scoring complimented by elite defense and an instinctive understanding of the game.
Third-place Cleveland State was the only program with two first-team selections, including Mickayla Perdue, a high-end scorer who was our runner-up for Player of the Year, and Jordana Reisma, who had a fantastic junior season to become the conference’s best post player. Sara Guerreiro, who was fourth in the HL in rebounding and third in assists while also averaging more than ten points per game and frequently playing three different positions, made both the second all-conference team and the all-defensive team.
Other programs with multiple selections included Detroit Mercy, buoyed by an all-conference backcourt of Aaliyah McQueen and Emaia O’Brien, as well as all-freshman team selection Kailey Starks. Youngstown State boasts our Freshman of the Year choice, breakout post star Sophia Gregory, as well as third-team pick Jewel Watkins. Northern Kentucky, which had a surprisingly-strong first season under new coach Jeff Hans, had one of the Horizon League’s best rookies, Kamora Morgan. Third-teamer Halle Idowu enjoyed her own sort of emergence for the Norse, delivering a fifth-year campaign well exceeding anything she did in her first four at Toledo and Northeastern. Perpetual award selection Katie Davidson took her usual second-team spot for IU Indianapolis, while teammate Azyah Newson-Cole carved out a place on the all-rookie team.
Wright State’s Amaya Staton was our unanimous pick for Defensive Player of the Year after leading the HL in both rebounding and blocked shots, while falling just short of a conference season-long double-double.
2024-25 HoriZone Roundtable Postseason Awards
Player of the Year: Lauren Ross, Purdue Fort Wayne
Coach of the Year: Maria Marchesano, Purdue Fort Wayne
Freshman of the Year: Sophia Gregory, Youngstown State
Newcomer of the Year: Sydney Freeman, Purdue Fort Wayne
Defensive Player of the Year: Amaya Staton, Wright State
Sixth Player of the Year: Jordan Reid, Purdue Fort Wayne
All-League First Team
| Player | School |
| Lauren Ross | Purdue Fort Wayne |
| Mickayla Perdue | Cleveland State |
| Maddy Skorupski | Oakland |
| Jordana Reisma | Cleveland State |
| Natalie McNeal | Green Bay |
All-League Second Team
| Player | School |
| Amaya Staton | Wright State |
| Katie Davidson | IU Indianapolis |
| Sara Guerreiro | Cleveland State |
| Bailey Butler | Green Bay |
| Aaliyah McQueen | Detroit Mercy |
All-League Third Team
| Player | School |
| Sydney Freeman | Purdue Fort Wayne |
| Halle Idowu | Northern Kentucky |
| Jewel Watkins | Youngstown State |
| Emaia O’Brien | Detroit Mercy |
| Maddy Schreiber | Green Bay |
All-Defensive Team
| Player | School |
| Amaya Staton | Wright State |
| Sara Guerreiro | Cleveland State |
| Bailey Butler | Green Bay |
| Maddy Skorupski | Oakland |
| Aaliyah McQueen | Detroit Mercy |
All-Freshman Team
| Player | Team |
| Sophia Gregory | Youngstown State |
| Kamora Morgan | Northern Kentucky |
| Kailey Starks | Detroit Mercy |
| Azyah Newson-Cole | IU Indianapolis |
| Payton Rechlicz | Milwaukee |
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