Wilson garners All-America honors: Ex-Lady Pioneer adds another accolade to resum?
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After all, during her three years with the Lady Trojans, the former Lady Pioneer standout has virtually rewritten the entire book.
A five-foot-10 guard, Wilson recently completed her junior season at Trevecca by helping the team to a 23-9 record, a runner-up finish in the TranSouth Athletic Conference, and its third-straight trip to the NAIA tournament.
Along the way, she extended some of the 16 records team records she has already claimed, and was named a first-team All-American for the first time in her career after earning back-to-back spots on the second team.
“It’s all way above my head, and kind of a shock,” Wilson said Tuesday. “I feel extremely honored to have something like that placed on me. I’m very humbled, and very happy.
“Every year has been another blessing on top each other. When I go out, I’m focused on glorifying God and doing the best I can as a Christian when I’m out on the floor. That automatically takes away a lot of the pressure, and makes it a lot more fun.”
Her accomplishments at Trevecca haven’t just come in the gymnasium, however. Wilson has excelled in the classroom, as well, earning first-team Academic All-America status this year.
“That’s what college is all about, getting an education and preparing for life after graduation,” she said. “I’ve been privileged to get to play basketball at the same time, and that’s a plus, but coming into college my goal was to be able to graduate in four years, and I’m 34 hours away from doing that.”
The team’s all-time career scoring leader heading into this season, Wilson extended her hold on the record with 526 points during the 2001-2002 campaign, including 23 in the Lady Trojan’s season-ending loss to Oklahoma Christian University in the first round of the NAIA tourney. This year’s total expanded Wilson’s career points mark to 1,596.
She also holds the single-game scoring record, after posting 35 points against David Lipscomb during her freshman season, and set the single-season mark with 566 points during her sophomore year, when she averaged 18.3 points per game — which was, you guessed it, another record-setting performance.
Along the way this year, Wilson extended her own career records for field goals made, field goals attempted, free throws made and free throws attempted. She also broke her own record in field goals attempted in a season (454), and fell just 13 baskets short of tying her own record for made field goals (213, set in the 2000-2001 season).
With a 16.4 points per game average this year, as well as a record-setting 83 percent mark at the free-throw line and a 44 percent mark from the field, Wilson joined teammate Lindsey Fly on the TranSouth All-Conference team, receiving the second-highest vote total on the squad. At the conclusion of the conference tournament, in which the Lady Trojans fell to Union 88-81 in the championship game, she was named to the TranSouth All-Tournament team.
Despite her team’s victories and her numerous personal records and accolades, Wilson said she and her teammates will look to climb even further up the ladder of success as she concludes her career next season.
“We’ve still got a goal as a team, to finish as the conference champions and win a couple of games at national tournament,” she said. “Ever since my freshman year, our goal’s always been to play in the conference championship here at Trevecca.
“We’ve made it to the championship game, but we had to play at Union both times, though, and that’s a tough place to play.
“So our goal will be the same next year, to play the championship here. That’s what we’ll set out to accomplish, and if we don’t, we’ll do our best to win it there.”
If her records on the court and determination in the classroom are any indication of what Wilson’s doing “her best” entails, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see her accomplish that goal, and any other she sets before herself.