GREENWOOD, Ind. – Four Portland Pilots Women’s Basketball players were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team on Tuesday, with Dyani Ananiev, Rhyan Mogel, Lainey Spear and Ella Zimmerman all making the team.
To qualify for the team, a student-athlete most play in 90% of a team’s contests or start in 66% of games and hold a 3.50 cumulative GPA. Only individuals with at least sophomore academic and athletic standing qualify as well.
Ananiev has played in 31 games this season and is the leading scorer for the Pilots at 11.5 points per game. An All-WCC Second Team selection and WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention honoree, her 2.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game rank first and second respectively on the team among qualified players, and she also leads the conference in steals per game and total steals (78). Her 78 steals are the most by a Portland player since the 2019-20 season. With her steals and blocks average, she is one of four players in the nation to be averaging at least 2.5 steals and one block a game.
Mogel has played in 33 games for Portland this year, averaging 9.3 points per game along with 4.6 assists. She is fourth in the conference in total assists (151) and fifth in assists per game (4.6). She was the fastest Pilot to 100 assists in a season since Haylee Andrews in the 2021-22 season and her 151 assists this year are good for 11th most ever by a Pilot in a single season at the Division I level. She earned WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention.
Spear was crucial for the Pilots this year as well, averaging 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Her 1.8 steals ranked sixth in the WCC and second on the Pilots. She had eight steals in a single game against the Seattle U Redhawks on Jan. 17, which was the most steals by any Pilot in a single game since 2017 and just one shy of the single-game record for Portland. She earned WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention.
Zimmerman is the final honoree for the Pilots this season. A mechanical engineering major, Zimmerman has played in 33 games this season, averaging 3.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest. She scored a career-high 18 points for Portland against the Pepperdine Waves on Jan. 24. She earned WCC All-Academic Honorable mention this season.
The Pilots are currently partaking in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, having advanced to the Super 16 of the tournament for the first time in program history. They won their second and third ever home postseason games against the Sam Houston Bearkats and the Lamar Lady Cardinals respectively to advance. They’ve now won seven playoff games under head coach Michael Meek, which accounts for all seven playoff victories in the program’s history.
The Pilots will take on the Montana State Bobcats in the Super 16 of the WNIT. The two teams play this Thursday, March 26 at 6 p.m. in Bozeman. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
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