Hillmon Named MVP as Wolverines Celebrate 2021-22 Season

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Naz Hillmon was named the Most Valuable Player for the fourth straight season as the University of Michigan women's basketball team celebrated the 2021-22 campaign on Thursday (April 7) at the U-M Golf Course.

In addition to her MVP honor, Hillmon also won the Leaders and Best Award for accumulating the most practice points throughout the season. In her final season in the Maize and Blue, Hillmon averaged 21.0 points and 9.6 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game. She shot 57.3 percent from the field and scored in double figures in all but one game. She tallied a Big Ten-high 18 double-doubles throughout the season, including one in all four of Michigan's NCAA Tournament games. She leaves Michigan as the program leader in rebounds (1,063), double-doubles (52) and free throws made (487) as the only player to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. She is second all-time in scoring with 2,183 points, playing 21 fewer games than all-time leading scorer Katelynn Flaherty (2,776).

Hillmon was named a first-team All-American this season by the WBCA, Associated Press, the USBWA, The Athletic, Sports Illustrated and the Wooden Award. She was a first-team All-Big Ten selection for the fourth straight season and was named to the all-defensive team.

Danielle Rauch earned the Diane Dietz Michigan Way Award, given to honor the student-athlete who best embodies the values and work ethic of a Michigan women's basketball player, and shared the Academic Excellence award, honoring a senior who achieved on the court and in the classroom who plans to attend graduate school. Rauch was one of two Wolverines to start all 32 games en route to averaging 5.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 32.5 minutes per game. She had never scored in double figures prior to this season, but ended the year with seven double-figure scoring games. She earned her third-straight Academic All-Big Ten honor and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.

Emily Kiser earned the Heart and Hustle award for accumulating the most stickers for hustle plays during games and was a co-recipient of the Academic Excellence award, honoring a senior who achieved on the court and in the classroom who plans to attend graduate school. Kiser joined Rauch as the only Wolverines to start all 32 contests, averaging career bests across the board with 9.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game. In her first season as a starter, Kiser tallied four double-doubles and finished sixth in the Big Ten in rebounding. She earned her third-straight Academic All-Big Ten honor and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.

Amy Dilk was given Samantha Provenzano Perseverance Award for her contributions to the team this past season and for overcoming adversity. Dilk suffered a knee injury just 42 seconds into the season but played in the final 19 games while averaging 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game. Dilk was instrumental in Michigan's Sweet 16 win over South Dakota (March 26), going for four points, a season-high five rebounds and an assist in 22 minutes.

Leigha Brown picked up the Unsung Hero award, given to the player whose contributions might not always appear in a box score but are invaluable to the team. Brown battled injuries throughout the season, appearing in 24 games and averaging 14.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.5 minutes per game. She totaled 20 games with at least 10 points, including four 20-point games.

Maddie Nolan was named Most Improved after going for 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game. Nolan led Michigan in three-point shooting this past season, hitting 68 triples on 40.5 percent shooting from deep. She made at least one triple in 26 games and had 22 games with at least two three-pointers after hitting three in the season finale. Nolan hit a career-best seven triples in Michigan's win at Maryland on Jan. 20.

Laila Phelia earned the Chuck Raab Impact Award, which was established this season and given to the student-athlete whose high character and spirit of teamwork made a positive impact on the team. Phelia earned a spot on the Big Ten all-freshman team while averaging 8.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game. She scored in double figures 11 times, including a 14-point performance that included the game-winning shot against South Dakota in the NCAA Tournament.

The Wolverines made the first Elite Eight appearance in program history this past season, finishing the year with a 25-7 overall record. U-M earned a No. 7 season-ending ranking in the coaches poll and a No. 12 ranking from the AP.