William Penn Athletics #2 Story from 2016-2017
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–National-tournament runs by both William Penn basketball teams garner the runner-up spot on this year’s list.
The men have cemented their case as one of the best programs in the NAIA, while the women proved their national stock is rising as well.
The men went 33-4 overall, including a 23-3 record in the Heart of America Athletic Conference to confirm that last year’s inaugural-season success was no fluke. WPU claimed 15 straight wins at the end of the campaign, including three at the NAIA Division I National Championships, to earn a semifinal berth. Unfortunately, the navy and gold’s hearts were broken as the suffered an overtime loss to eventual champion Texas Wesleyan.
William Penn was guided by NAIA First-Team All-American Torren Jones (also Heart Player of the Year), who averaged a double-double of 20.4 points and 12.3 rebounds. He was joined on the All-America teams by honorable mention Lionel Ellison (also on Heart’s first team). Jarvis Haywood and Charles Knowles collected second-team all-Heart recognition as well for the nation’s top scoring (92.3 game) and top rebounding (46.8 per game) program.
While the men continued their perennial prominence, the women also became darlings of the hardwood by receiving their first nationals bid since 1988. The Statesmen, headed by Honorable-Mention All-America Alyssa Phillips, knocked off four ranked opponents to bolster their resume. In the end, their 18-13 mark and tie for fourth place in the conference was enough to get a nod. Unfortunately, they ran into a buzzsaw in #2 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) in the opening round.
