Niemuth, Taylor headline women’s basketball all-conference selections
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Brian Niemuth took home Coach of the Year honors and senior forward Jenna Taylor earned MVP honors to highlight Simpson College's selections to the 2020-21 All-American Rivers Conference Women's Basketball Team, as voted on by the league's nine head coaches.
Senior forward Cameron Kincaid joined Taylor on the All-American Rivers Conference first team. Junior guard Kia Rasmussen and sophomore guard Cassie Nash earned second-team honors.
The Storm went a perfect 12-0 in a pandemic-abbreviated 2020-21 campaign to win the American Rivers Conference Championship. Simpson sealed the title with an 89-84 overtime win over Coe in the championship game of the league tournament Saturday, March 13. The championship is the 13th in program history, most in conference history.
Brian Niemuth, coach of the year
Niemuth won conference coach of the year honors for the eighth time while leading the Storm to their 12th conference championship since becoming head coach in 1987. Simpson boasted the top offense in the American Rivers Conference, leading the league in scoring (84.7 ppg), field goal percentage (44.9), 3-point field goal percentage (37.1), free throw percentage (79.6), turnover margin (5.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.11). The winningest coach in conference history, Niemuth closed the season with a career record of 623-273.
Jenna Taylor, most valuable player
A native of Creston, Iowa, Taylor earned the conference's top honor after averaging 20.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game during her senior campaign. She led the league in rebounding and 3-point percentage (48.3) and was second in both scoring and field goal percentage (56.7). A first team all-conference pick in 2018-19, Taylor won conference player of the week honors three times. She scored in double figures in every game and recorded five double-doubles. The seventh conference player of the year in school history, Taylor finished the season with 1,183 career points.
Cameron Kincaid, first team all-conference
A native of Olathe, Kansas, Kincaid earned first team all-conference honors after averaging 14.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as a senior. She shot a league-best 95.9 percent from the free-throw line, going 47-for-49. A second team all-conference pick in 2019-20, Kincaid earned conference player of the week honors for the period ending Jan. 24 after scoring a career-high 26 points in a season-opening win against Coe.
Kia Rasmussen, second team all-conference
A native of Irwin, Iowa, Rasmussen earned second team all-conference honors after averaging 9.8 points and a team-high 5.5 assists per game as a junior. The point guard finished second in the league in assists per game, assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1) and steals per game (3.3). She posted a double-double with 12 points and 13 assists in Simpson's 103-61 win over Dubuque on Feb. 27, one of the top, single-game assist totals in school history. Rasmussen was an honorable mention all-conference pick as a sophomore.
Cassie Nash, second team all-conference
A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Nash earned second team all-conference honors after averaging 15.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. She led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1) and was fourth in both assists per game (3.6) and steals per game (2.9). Nash earned conference athlete of the week honors for the period ending Sunday, March 14 after averaging 21.3 points per game during Simpson's run in the conference tournament. She scored a career-high 31 points in Simpson's 89-84 overtime win against Coe in the championship.
