Sac State's Dean wins women's Big Sky MVP award, newcomer of the year
SACRAMENTO — Sacramento State Hornets' senior guard Kahlaijah Dean was named MVP and newcomer of the year for the Big Sky Conference as well as the all-league first team.
Dean is currently averaging 21.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game and finished in the top 10 in the Big Sky across eight categories for the regular season.
The Sac State athletics program said this marks the third time ever a Hornet was named top newcomer and the second consecutive year the Big Sky MVP award was brought to Sacramento — Lianna Tillman won the honor last year.
Additionally, Hornets' coach Mark Campbell was awarded a share of the league's Coach of the Year award.
The Hornets said Coach Campbell became the first women's basketball coach to win the honors. Campbell, in his second season as head coach, led the team to a school-record 22 wins during the regular season, earning a share of the Big Sky's regular season championship for the first time in the program's history.
Campbell led the Hornets to 14 wins in the previous season — that's up from the 3-win team he inherited from the year before that.
The Hornets entered the Big Sky Tournament as the 3 seed and play Idaho next on Monday.
