BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama State University's Ayana Emmanuel was named Southwestern Athletic Conference's Women's Basketball Player of the Year while teammate Jayla Crawford joined Emmanuel as a First-Team selection announced on Tuesday.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2022-23 All-SWAC Women's Basketball teams and individual award winners on Tuesday evening. The all-conference honors were voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors.  

Emmanuel, who was named First-Team All-SWAC for the second straight season, was the leading scorer in the league, averaging 16.9 points per game. Emmanuel scored in double figures 22 times this season with three double-doubles, while earning SWAC Player of the Week and Impact Player of the week four times. Emmanuel ranks third in the SWAC in field goal attempts (380); first in free throw attempts (186), free throw percentage (81.7) and free throws made (147). She also is second in points (450) and points per game (16.9).

Crawford moves up to a first-team selection after earning All-SWAC Second-Team honors a year ago. Crawford scored in double figures 19 times including 29 points against Southern and Abilene Christian and netted 28 points at Bethune Cookman. Crawford ranks second in the SWAC in field goal percentage (41.2), sixth in free throw percentage (79.0) and points per game (15.3).

Alabama State enters the 2023 Cricket SWAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will face Bethune-Cookman on Thursday at 11 a.m. at Gene Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala.

The complete listing of all-conference selections and individual awards winners can be found below.
  
All-SWAC First Team
Ayana Emmanuel, Alabama State
Ti'lan Boler, Jackson State
Diana Rosenthal, Prairie View A&M
Chanel Wilson, Bethune-Cookman
Jayla Crawford, Alabama State
 
All-SWAC Second Team
Jariyah Covington, Jackson State
Amani Free, Alabama A&M
Destiny Brown, Alcorn State
Micah Gray, Texas Southern
Dylan Horton, Florida A&M

Coach of the Year
Tomekia Reed, Jackson State
 
Player of the Year
Ayana Emmanuel, Alabama State

Defensive Player of the Year
Angel Jackson, Jackson State

Newcomer of the Year
Chanel Wilson, Bethune-Cookman

Freshman of the Year
Micah Gray, Texas Southern