NASHVILLE – Union University’s Mark Campbell and UT Martin’s Chelsey Perry were named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Women’s Basketball Coach and Player of the Year, respectively, as announced this week by the organization.
Campbell led Union to the Gulf South Conference regular season title for the sixth time in eight years of league play as well as the program’s third Gulf South Tournament championship, compiling a 26-5 overall mark, 17-3 in GSC action. The Bulldogs earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA D2 South Region Tournament.
He improved his career record to 639-99 (.867) over 21 years at Union. Campbell led the USA Women's Basketball U16 team to the gold medal in the America's Championship in Chile last summer, earning USA Developmental Coach of the Year accolades, and was named to coach the U17 team in this year’s World Championships. He was selected to the NAIA Hall of the Fame and the Jackson Madison County Sports Hall of Fame in Fall 2019 as well.
Perry averaged 23.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, helping the Skyhawks to a share of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season title. The Middleton, Tenn., native scored 740 points on the season to rank second in the NCAA (all Divisions) and first amongst all collegiate scorers in the state of Tennessee.
She became just the fourth All-American in program history after ranking first nationally in field goals made (286), second in total points (740) and third in points per game (23.1). She also ranked 11th nationally in blocks (86).
Perry garnered WBCA Honorable Mention Coaches’ All-American honors along with OVC Player of the Year and First Team All-OVC. She was also named a finalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award.