Darling, Street named SC ESPY Newcomers of the Year

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Easton Darling of the Simpson men's basketball team and Elle Street of the Storm women's soccer and women's basketball teams have been named the 2022-23 SC ESPY Male and Female Newcomers of the Year.

A junior transfer originally from Winterset, Iowa, Darling made a huge offensive impact from the get-go. In the first half of the season which saw Simpson compile a record of 11-2 for its best start since 1997-98, Darling averaged 19.0 points on 47.7 percent shooting from the floor. He knocked down 35 of his 55 triples during that span highlighted by two games where he sank six 3-point buckets.

Overall, Darling scored 390 points in his first season with the Storm while shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent behind the arc. His efforts earned himself a spot on the All-American Rivers Conference First Team.

A freshman from Ankeny, Iowa, Street earned starting roles for women's soccer and women's basketball and was a key contributor to both squads finishing third in league standings and going deep in their conference tournaments. She made her debut as a collegiate athlete on the soccer pitch and started 18 of 19 games, playing the third-most minutes on the team and contributing to a defense that posted six shutouts and ranked fourth in the conference in goals against average.

After helping women's soccer reach the A-R-C Tournament Championship game for the first time since 2009, Street switched gears and quickly became one of the top defenders for women's basketball. She averaged 20.7 minutes per game while starting 11 of 26 games and tallying 106 points, 85 rebounds, 37 assists, 26 steals and six blocks. The Storm made it as far as the A-R-C Tournament Semifinals.

Darling and Street join Andrew Gibb and Kate Minette as 2022-23 SC ESPY award winners. The remaining honorees will be revealed throughout the rest of the week.

2022-23 SC ESPYs
Andrew Gibb - Male Record-Breaking Performer of the Year
Kate Minette - Female Record-Breaking Performer of the Year
Easton Darling - Male Newcomer of the Year
Elle Street - Female Newcomer of the Year