INDIANAPOLIS – After being ranked by the league coaches to finish tied for sixth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has captured the outright division crown and completed a near sweep of all major postseason awards, it was announced Tuesday by the conference office.  GLVC Coach of the Year Luke Reigel was honored by his peers, primarily for his mentoring of GLVC Player of the Year Jeremy Saffold and co-Freshman of the Year Andy Mazurczak.  Kentucky Wesleyan newcomer Lucas Barker prevented the clean sweep by the Rangers as he picked up the other half of the Freshman of the Year award.  In addition, 25 student-athletes were honored as All-Conference honorees, while 13 representatives were named to the conference’s All-Defensive Team due to ties. 
 
Saffold was honored as the league’s top player following a senior year that saw him finish the regular season with a conference-best 19.0 points per game in 26 outings.  The Hazel Crest, Ill., native also ranked 12th in the league in blocked shots (0.81) and 14th in rebounding (5.5).  He scored a pair of 30-point games, including a league-high 34 points back in November, and netted 14 outings of 20 points or more, which is tops in the GLVC this season.  Saffold helped the resurgence of the Rangers and kept them at the top of the East Division standings for the majority of the year.  Throughout the regular season, and often as an unranked team, the Saffold-led Rangers devoured nationally-ranked opponents, including seven top-25 teams that held rankings of Nos. 3, 10, 10, 13, 14, 15 and 23.  Saffold is the first-ever Ranger to be named GLVC Player of the Year.  
 
Mazurczak shares Freshman of the Year with KWC’s Barker, marking the first time in the history of the conference that the newcomer award has been shared.  A native of Norridge, Ill., Mazurczak is the second Ranger to win Freshman of the Year as Jordan March was the first UWP honoree back in 2010-11.  Mazurczak finished 11th in the conference this year with 2.96 assists per game.  The select shooter also had the touch toward the end of the season, scoring in double figures in his final two outings, while shooting at or above an 80 percent clip.  On the year, Mazurczak averaged 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while making 60 percent of his 114 shots.  He has also been accurate from the charity stripe, hitting 40 of his 45 freebees this year.

Barker is just the third Panther to earn Freshman of the Year accolades and the first since Corey Crowder and LeRoy Ellis were recognized in consecutive years following the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons.  The Cranbourne, Australia, native closed out the regular season averaging 10.2 points, 4.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.  He enters the Deaconess GLVC Championship Tournament this week ranked third in the conference in assists and tied for fourth in steals per game.  Barker has also shown he can handle the ball in his first year in Owensboro, Ky., as he rated fourth best in the GLVC with a 1.79 assist-turnover ratio.  He is the only freshman found among the conference’s top-10 in that category.

Reigel is the first UW-Parkside mentor to ever be named GLVC Coach of the Year, and the honor comes on the heels of securing the Rangers’ outright East Division title.  UWP is 19-7 on the year and recently concluded league action 14-4, including 10-4 within the East.  In addition to Saffold and Mazurczak, Reigel guided junior Colt Grandstaff to second-team All-GLVC honors, while sophomore Zygimantas Riauka earned a spot on the league’s All-Defensive team.

Saffold and two others were unanimous picks by the coaches to the All-Conference first-team squad.  Drury senior Alex Hall and Maryville junior Asa Toney were also lauded for their efforts this season, including Hall who finished just behind Saffold in overall scoring at 18.8 points per game.  Toney was 13th in the conference with 14.7 points each time out, and second in steals (1.87, fourth in assists (4.23), and fifth in assist-turnover ratio (1.75).

Multiple ties expanded both the first- and second- All-Conference teams, as well as the 10-member All-Defensive team.  The first team boasts 11 members, followed by 14 second-team members and 13 honorees on the All-Defensive squad, which was highlighted by three unanimous selections in Illinois Springfield senior West Dawson, Lewis sophomore Julian Lewis, and Southern Indiana senior Kenyon Smith.

A complete list of the 2012-13 GLVC All-Conference teams and postseason honors follows.

First-Team All-Conference*
Chris Dowe, Bellarmine, Sr., G
Vance Hall, Bellarmine, Jr., G
Brandon Lockhart, Drury, Sr., G
ALEX HALL, Drury, Sr. G
Dazmond Starke, Kentucky Wesleyan, Sr. G
Ryan Jackson, Lewis, So., G
ASA TONEY, Maryville, Jr., G
Chris Babbitt, Quincy, Jr. G/F
Keith DeWitt, Southern Indiana, Sr. C
JEREMY SAFFOLD, UW-Parkside, Sr., F
Dillion Deck, William Jewell, So., C

* 11 Members due to tie
 
Second-Team All-Conference#
Kyle Gupton, Illinois Springfield, Sr., G
Reece Cheatham, Indianapolis, Jr., G
James Hollowell, Indianapolis, Sr., F
David Bryant, Lewis, Sr., G
Armon Provo, Maryville, So., G
John Steppe, McKendree, Sr., G/F
Mudi Eruteya, Missouri S&T, Jr., G
Darian Cartharn, Missouri-St. Louis, Jr., G
Josh Mcoy, Missouri-St. Louis, Sr., G
Tyler Thompson, Quincy, Sr., F
Brandon McCann, Rockhurst, Jr., G
Zygimantas Riauka, UW-Parkside, So., C
Colt Grandstaff, UW-Parkside, Jr., G
Orlando Rutledge, Southern Indiana, Jr., G

#14 Members due to tie

All-Defensive Team%
Cameron Adams, Drury, So., F
Ian Carter, Drury, Jr., F
Brandon Lockhart, Drury, Sr., G
WEST DAWSON, Illinois Springfield, Sr., F
Daniel Daudu, Indianapolis, Jr., G
Tyrae Robinson, Indianapolis, Jr., G
Dominique Dawson, Kentucky Wesleyan, Jr., C
JULIAN LEWIS, Lewis, So., F
Gerald Shaw, Maryville, Sr., G
Chris Babbitt, Quincy, Jr., G
Keith DeWitt, Southern Indiana, Sr., C
KENYON SMITH, Southern Indiana, Sr., G
Zygimantas Riauka, UW-Parkside, So., C

%13 Members due to tie