Report and graphic contributed by Milligan College

Senior Allison Jones and freshman Sarah Robinson earned spots on the Appalachian Athletic Conference first team; Robinson was named the AAC Freshman of the Year as well as to the AAC All-Freshmen and All-Defensive teams; Rich Aubrey earned the AAC Coach of the Year; and the No. 23 Milligan College women’s basketball team put six Buffs on the AAC All-Academic team.

Kelly Barnett, Jordan Gose, Breah Keim, Hannah Morgan, Lindsee Price and Hayley Wyrick were the All-Academic honorees, and Casey Jones represented Milligan on the Champions of Character team.

A. Jones brought in the fourth AAC recognition of her career after earning all-freshman three seasons ago and being named all-conference second team and all-tournament team last year. This year, Jones reached the 1,000 career-point mark in a Nov. 2 victory over St. Catharine College. Despite reaching the millennial mark in what was only Milligan’s second game of the season, she was the second Buffalo on the women’s side to reach the mark this year as Hayley Wyrick did so in the season opener.

A. Jones also set a career high with 34 points in an important victory over No. 23 Bryan College on Feb. 21, breaking her previous career best by only one point, and also had a career high of 12 rebounds on Feb. 8 against Tennessee Wesleyan College. Her 34 points tied the AAC lead this year. Jones led the Buffs with 22 double-digit scoring games in 29 tries, and was seventh in the AAC in scoring average at 13.8 points per game and fifth in field goal percentage at 43 percent. Lastly, Jones was first on the team and sixth in the conference at 399 points, and was first on the team and fifth in the conference with 47 steals.

Robinson became the first women’s basketball Buff to win AAC Freshman of the Year since Jaimee Hill in 2010. She was the first Milligan women’s basketball freshman of the year to also be named to an all-conference team in the same year since Heather Mandela, who was freshman of the year and all-conference second team in 2008. Robinson also joinedChelsey Weddle (2012), Jones (2013) and Wyrick (2014) as Buffs’ to be named to the all-freshmen team, becoming the 10th Milligan women’s basketball player to earn the honor in 11 seasons as at least one Buff has been named to the all-freshmen team in all but one year since 2005-06.

Robinson netted a career-high 31 points on Jan. 24 in a win at Columbia College, and recorded a career-high and team-high this season of 15 rebounds three times. While Jones recorded two double-doubles as a senior, Robinson did so 13 times in her first season, the second highest number in the AAC.

Robinson also drew attention in the national picture, finishing her first regular season ranked 21st in all of NAIA Division II in total rebounds (264), 23rd in rebounds per game (9.1), 26th in defensive rebounds per game (6.1), 27th in assist/turnover ratio (2.0), and 47th in offensive rebounds per game (3.0). In addition to leading Milligan in every rebounding category, she was also top four in the AAC in each rebounding stat.

At the conference level, Robinson was 11th in scoring average at 12.6, seventh in free throw percentage at 77.2 percent and second in blocks per game at 1.0. Robinson was eighth in the conference and second on the team with 364 points, second in the conference and first on the team with 29 blocks, and she led the Buffs with an impressive 52.4-percent mark from the field.

Behind Jones, Robinson was second on the team in double-digit games with 20, but she led Milligan in double-digit rebound performances and multiblock games with 14 and eight, respectively. Jones led the Buffs with seven games of eight or more made field goals, but was tied with Robinson for the most made field goals in the game this season with 13.

For Aubrey, the coach of the year distinction was his sixth AAC Coach of the Year award in 11 seasons and first since 2013 when he led Milligan to the NAIA Division II National Championship. Aubrey was also named the National Coach of Character that season.

This year’s regular-season conference championship represents the eighth regular-season crown for the Buffs’ under Aubrey, and will also be their sixth trip to the national championship. Overall, this is Coach Aubrey’s 10th conference coach of the year recognition in his 24 seasons at Milligan.

To be eligible for the academic award, each individual must maintain a grade-point average of 3.25 or higher and must have sophomore or higher academic standing.