Dellinger, Moore Sweep HCAC Player-of-the-Year Awards

Anderson University women's basketball seniors Lexi Dellinger and Payton Moore each swept the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Player-of-the-Year awards, which was announced by the conference on Wednesday.

Dellinger was selected as the HCAC Player of the Year while Moore was tabbed as HCAC Defensive Player of the Year. Both players garnered first-team all-conference recognition.

Dellinger has received all-conference recognition four times. She received all-HCAC Honorable Mention, second-team all-HCAC honors as a sophomore and first-team all-HCAC recognition as a junior and senior. Dellinger has also been named to the HCAC All-Freshman Team in her career. She has been named to both the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Team and the D3hoops.com Team of the Week. Dellinger has been selected as HCAC Athlete of the Week five times in her career and four times this season.

Among NCAA D-III leaders, Dellinger ranks fifth in points per game (22.4), fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.446), third in free-throw percentage (.893) and 12th in 3-pointers made per game (3.16), leading the conference in each category. The 5-foot-5 senior guard from Brene has converted 109-of-122 attempts from the free-throw line, 79-of-177 shots from 3-point range and 186-of-398 (46.7 percent) shots from the floor. Among HCAC leaders, Dellinger ranks fifth in assists per game (3.6), third in assist-turnover ratio (1.41), ninth in rebounding (6.4) and ninth in blocking (0.8). She has also collected 1.7 steals per game. Dellinger scored 39 points in a game, which ranks second in school history. Among Anderson D-III single-season leaders, Dellinger ranks fourth in points (560), third in free-throws made and fourth in 3-pointers made.

"I am so incredibly proud of the hard work and effort Lexi has put into her entire career," Coach Jon Gin said. "I could not think of a more deserving player. Lexi has been an all-around leader for us and it is awesome to see her talent and hard work get recognized. She has had an unbelievable season. Lexi is on the top of everyone's scout report and yet she has still been able to score and impact every game effectively."

"I want to start off by giving all the glory to God," Dellinger said. "It is a blessing and honor to receive this award. I want to thank everyone who supported me throughout my basketball career. I wouldn't have been able to do it without my teammates, my coaches, my athletic trainers, my friends, and my family."

Moore earned HCAC Defensive Player of the Year after Anderson graduate Hannah Hawkins was selected as HCAC Defensive Player of the Year in the previous two seasons. Earlier in her career, Moore was tabbed HCAC Freshman of the Year and named to the HCAC All-Freshman Team. She has received all-conference honors three times, earning second-team all-HCAC honors as a freshman and first-team all-HCAC honors as a sophomore and senior. The 6-foot senior forward from Spiceland was named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week this season.

Moore currently leads the HCAC in both rebounding (10.7) and blocking (2.36). Among NCAA D-III leaders, Moore ranks 22nd in blocking and 44th in rebounding. Moore has scored 15.3 points per game, which ranks fifth in the conference. She has hit 129-of-275 (46.9 percent) shots from the floor and 78-of-106 (73.6 percent) attempts from the charity stripe. Moore ranks fouth in the conference in field-goal percentage. She has also contributed 1.7 steals per game. Among single-season leaders in the Anderson D-III Era, Moore ranks second in blocks (52) and fourth in rebounds.

"Payton is our anchor on defense and it is so great to see her get recognized for her abilities and hard work," Gin said. "I am so proud of how she has battled and protected the paint for us this season. She is an incredible athlete and not many people can get up and block shots like she can. Payton has led us in so many ways and I am glad we can celebrate her achievement."

"I am honored to receive this award," Moore said. "With Hannah Hawkins graduating, I knew I had big shoes to fill on the defensive end. Without my coaches and teammates, none of this would be possible. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way."

Sixth-seeded Anderson (11-14) battles second-seeded Bluffton University (19-6) in HCAC semifinals on Friday at 7 p.m. in Lexington, Ky.