AMERICUS, GA -- The Peach Belt Conference announced the 2023-24 women's basketball All-Conference team at an awards celebration in Americus, Ga., on the eve of the PBC Tournament. Lander's WyKira Johnson-Kelly was named the PBC Player of the year with Georgia Southwestern's Leah Johnson the Defensive Player of the Year. USC Beaufort's Janiyah Heyward was named the Freshman of the Year with Georgia Southwestern's Hana Haden the Coach of the Year.

Johnson-Kelly led the PBC in scoring this season with 17.6 points per game. A graduate student from Franklinville, N.J., she got better the later the season progressed, upping that average to 19.9 against conference opponents. Twice named the PBC Player of the Week, she had nine games of 20 or more points including six in a row in February. She was also 11th in the league in rebounding, seventh in field goal percentage, fourth in assists and second in steals. Johnson-Kelly keeps the Player of the Year award in Greenwood for the fifth time in the last eight years, becoming the sixth Bearcat to earn the honor.

Leah Johnson owned the low post for PBC champion Georgia Southwestern. The junior forward from Ewing, N.J., leads the PBC and is ranked 15th in NCAA Division II in blocks with 2.1 per game. Her 53 total blocks on the season is 19 more than any other PBC player. She is also fourth in the PBC in rebounding with 8.2 per contest. In conference games, those numbers rose to 2.5 blocks and 8.5 rebounds per game. Johnson added 9.5 points per game and shot 56% from the floor. She becomes the first Hurricane to be named the Defensive Player of the Year.

Janiyah Heyward started all 25 games for USC Beaufort in their first season of women's basketball, leading the team with 13.1 points per game. The freshman guard from Savannah, Ga., was 10th in the PBC in scoring and ninth in rebounding with 6.9 per contest. The PBC Player of the Week on Dec. 11, she had three games with 20 or more points, including a 31-point outing against Regent on Dec. 9, the most in a game for the Sand Sharks this season. Heyward becomes the first USCB women's basketball player to win a major Peach Belt award.

Hana Haden took a championship team that had lost a lot of seniors and the head coach and, in her first year at the helm, led that squad back to the PBC title. Haden's Hurricanes were picked sixth in the PBC preseason coaches poll as most assumed it would be a rebuilding year. Instead, Haden led GSW to a 23-3 overall record, 16-2 in conference play, the PBC regular-season championship, #1 seed for the conference tournament, #20 national ranking in the WBCA coaches poll and #3 ranking in the NCAA southeast region poll. With the #1 scoring offense and scoring defense in the Peach Belt, GSW has a +19.3 scoring margin, +11.0 rebounding margin and leads the conference in field goal percentage. She keeps the Coach of the Year award in Americus for a second straight year with her first honor.

The women's basketball All-Conference team is listed below, as selected by the league head coaches. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

First Team
WyKira Johnson-Kelly, Lander
Autumn Phillips, Augusta
Letiya Reeves, Columbus State
Jashanti Simmons, Georgia Southwestern
Emily Trushel, North Georgia

Second Team
Destiny McClendon, Flagler
Tomiyah Alford, Augusta
Sharale McCormick, Flagler
Destiny Garrett, Georgia Southwestern
Tanyia Gordon, Lander

Third Team
Kennedi Manning, Augusta
Jadah Waite, Clayton State
Kayla Langley, Georgia Southwestern
Olonna Rawls, Columbus State
Hannah Cail, Georgia College & State Univ.

Player of the Year presented by College Ave
WyKira Johnson-Kelly, Lander

Defensive Player of the Year presented by College Ave
Leah Johnson, Georgia Southwestern

Freshman of the Year presented by College Ave
Janiyah Heyward, USC Beaufort

Elite 18 Award presented by Barnes & Noble College
Beka Benge, Flagler

Coach of the Year presented by College Ave
Hana Haden, Georgia Southwestern