Alabama A&M women’s basketball coach Dawn Thornton and graduate guard Kalia Walker earned major postseason honors from the Southwestern Athletic Conference, highlighting a record-setting season for the Bulldogs.
Thornton was named SWAC Coach of the Year for the first time in her career, while Walker was selected SWAC Player of the Year, the conference announced Friday. Walker was also named to the All-SWAC First Team, and teammate Moses Davenport earned All-SWAC Second Team honors.
The awards come after a standout season for Alabama A&M, which captured the SWAC regular-season championship and secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming SWAC Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Thornton has led the Bulldogs to several program milestones at the NCAA Division I level this season, including a 17-game winning streak, back-to-back 20-win seasons, and the conference title. In her two seasons at Alabama A&M, Thornton has compiled a 42–20 overall record and a 31–5 mark in SWAC play.
The Bulldogs also rank among the nation’s statistical leaders, including fifth in free-throw attempts per game, 12th in scoring defense, 14th in free throws made per game and 17th in field goal percentage defense.
Walker entered the season as the SWAC’s Preseason Player of the Year and lived up to expectations, averaging 14.0 points per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 84.6 percent from the free-throw line.
The Alexander, Arkansas, native leads the conference in free-throw percentage, ranking 38th nationally, and is second in the league in total free throws. Walker has recorded 20 double-digit scoring games this season, including a 24-point performance at Florida A&M. She was also named SWAC Player of the Week twice and earned SWAC Impact Player of the Week honors on Dec. 23.
Davenport averaged 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game while earning second-team all-conference recognition. The Troy, Alabama, native posted 14 double-digit scoring performances, highlighted by a 19-point outing against Bethune-Cookman, and recorded three double-digit rebounding games, including a season-high 12 rebounds against Alcorn State.
Other major conference honors went to Nakia Cheatham of Alcorn State, who was named Defensive Player of the Year; Indiya Bowen of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, who earned Newcomer of the Year; and Pierre-Noelle Tcheuhchoua of Jackson State, who was selected Freshman of the Year.
Alabama A&M will enter next week’s SWAC Women’s Basketball Tournament as the top seed after winning the conference’s regular-season title.
