Nakia Cheatham Named SWAC Defensive Player of the Year

Nakia Cheatham was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SWAC, the league announced Friday from its Birmingham, Alabama, headquarters.

The 6-foot graduate student from Clarksdale, Mississippi, is earning her first Defensive Player of the Year award. She helped lead Alcorn State to its best SWAC record since 2004-05, with 14 conference wins and the No. 2 seed in the upcoming SWAC Tournament in Atlanta.

Cheatham finished the regular season with eight double-doubles and 23 games in double figures. She ranks sixth in the league in scoring, averaging 13 points per game, and third in rebounds with 7.5 per game. She also is third in blocks with 30 and leads the SWAC in steals with 68. Additionally, she has logged 900 minutes, placing her third in the conference.

The forward also sits 12th in assists, with 56, and maintains a shooting percentage of 43.2 percent from the floor. She has a free-throw percentage of 65.9 percent. Cheatham recorded back-to-back double-doubles three times this season, including a 12-point, 10-rebound game against Prairie View A&M and a 17-point, 12-rebound game against Mississippi Valley State.

Alcorn State secured the No. 2 seed for the tournament and will face the winner of Mississippi Valley State and Prairie View A&M in the opening round Wednesday, March 11, at 6:30 p.m. ET. The winner will then advance to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff. For a full list of All-SWAC teams, visit SWAC.org.

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Source: Original Article