...and Har-Ber grad and junior Paige Redmond is the national championship MVP. She, like the other four, junior Sydney Crockett — Fayetteville (#6 player), rs soph. Emilie Jobst — Heritage (spot duty), rs soph. Peyton Taylor — Bentonville (spot duty), and true freshman (redshirting?) Madison Sandor — Rogers are slated to return next season. All five of these girls were apparently on the Arkansas Wings (https://twitter.com/arkansaswings?lang=en) team at one point. To win the championship last night, they had to beat defending champion #1 Ashland and their 73 game winning streak:
http://www.ucmathletics.com/news/2018/3/23/womens-basketball-the-dream-has-come-true-the-jennies-are-national-champions.aspx
This is a little reminiscent of when Drury won the men's NCAA DII championship in 2013 with two of their top six players from the 7A West as previously constituted (Ian Carter, Northside and Cameron Adams, Southside). And given that this week we learned NWA is growing by 34 people a day (https://talkbusiness.net/2018/03/northwest-arkansas-leads-growth-in-state-14th-fastest-growing-metro-area-nationwide/) now that tells me that while NWA isn't growing weaker, central Arkansas (with NLR's success) is growing stronger.
And that's a GREAT thing for Arkansas...if the DII schools can start keeping more players in-state.
Very cool, congratulations to those kids. I agree that it would be nice to see our own insurance state D2 programs get the best kids from our state that aren't gonna get a D1 ride. Makes it more enjoyable to go watch our local D2 schools play
Forgot to add that Ms. Redmond is already a two-time all-American, hm last season and 1st team this year (and that was announced before the DII Women's Final Four).
Great story.