GREENWOOD, Ind. – Northwestern College women’s basketball student-athlete Molly Schany was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Second Team Academic All-America honoree by College Sports Communicators (CSC), the organization announced this morning. The junior is one of 10 NAIA women’s basketball athletes on the NAIA All-America teams.
“Congratulations to Molly on this tremendous honor. Molly pursues excellence every day in all that she does,” notes head women’s basketball coach Kristin Rotert. “Her discipline and work ethic set her apart and help her achieve success both on and off the court. We are happy she is a Red Raider and proud to have her representing Northwestern College!”
Molly Schany (Jr., Emmetsburg, Iowa/Exercise Science) started all 30 games and averaged just under 30 minutes a contest (29.8) this season for the Red Raiders in her junior campaign. Once again, she was one of the leading scorers for the Red Raiders this season, being one of three Red Raiders to average double digit points per game. Her 14.4 points per game sat second on the team and ranked seventh in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Her 52.0% shooting mark led the team of those averaging 20+ minutes per game and sat seventh in the GPAC.
On the boards, the Emmetsburg, Iowa native was a force to be reckoned with as she pulled down a team-best 7.0 rebounds per contest, which sat in a two-way tie for third in the GPAC. Of her 211 rebounds this season, she pulled down a league-leading 79 offensive rebounds for Northwestern, making nearly 40% of her rebounds have been offensive. She also defended the rim with a top-10 finish in the GPAC with 19 blocks this season, sitting second on the team.
Additionally, she was the only Raider to notch 200+ rebounds this season, doing so for the second-straight season. She was also one of four Raiders to have 100+ rebounds on the season.
In the classroom, Schany is an Exercise Science major and is an active member of the Society of Pre-Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Students (SPPOTS) on campus. When not studying or in the gym, you can find Schany tutoring fellow Raiders in the subjects of biology and chemistry. Finally, she also works on campus as a Teacher Assistant (TA).
Back in February, head coach Kristin Rotert garnered her first CSC Academic All-District honorees in Schany and Emilee Danner. Schany becomes the first CSC Academic All-American for Rotert in her time leading the program, and the fifth overall in program history.
For Northwestern, it brings the Academic All-American selection total up to 70 in school history, dating back to the school’s first honoree in 1980. As of July 2022, NWC sits fifth in the NAIA in total Academic All-America selections.
Of the 10 member – First and Second – Academic All-America NAIA women’s basketball teams, five student-athletes maintain an impeccable 4.0 GPA in their academic work, including Schany. The entire NAIA team carries an average GPA of 3.94 this year. The NAIA Academic All-America of the Year honoree is Grace Beyer of the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis. The senior maintains a 3.93 as a pharmacy major and is earning the top NAIA honor for the second time in her career.
