WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' All-Americans

ATLANTA – The Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) released its 2023 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' All-America team on Friday morning and Mines' Ashley Steffeck appeared on the list as a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American.
 
Steffeck is the first known all-American of any status (first-team, second-team, or honorable mention) in program history and one of two players from the RMAC to earn all-America status in 2023. Erin Fry from Regis was also WBCA Honorable Mention All-America. Brooke Olson of Minnesota Duluth earned Player of the Year.
 
Steffeck claimed the distinction after a record-setting season for the Orediggers. The Fort Collins, Colo., native started all 31 games for Head Coach Brittany Simpson's squad and finished the year averaging 14.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 83.3 percent at the free-throw line. She led the team in scoring and steals while ranking second in assists. Along the way, Steffeck broke the program record for career steals and surpassed 1,000 points for her career while adding her name to the record book 11 other times.
 
Within the RMAC, the Fossil Ridge High School graduate ranked #1 in assist-to-turnover ratio, #2 in steals, #3 in free-throw percentage, #7 in scoring, #7 in three-point field goals per game, #8 in assists, #18 in blocks, and #22 in rebounding. Nationally, Steffeck was #11 in NCAA Division II in assist-to-turnover ratio, #9 in total steals, and #11 in steals per game. Those rankings come with the Elite Eight, Final Four, and NCAA Division II Championship game left to play. Her all-American status adds to a list of season awards that includes D2CCA Second-Team All-Region, First-Team All-RMAC, RMAC All-Tournament, CSC Academic All-District, RMAC First-Team All-Academic, and three RMAC Defensive Player of the Week awards.
 
As a team, Mines finished its 2022-23 campaign with an overall record of 24-7 while going 18-4 in RMAC play. The Orediggers finished #2 in the league's regular-season standings and eventually advanced to the conference tournament final. Mines also earned its third straight bid to the NCAA tournament and its fifth in program history. The Orediggers fell in the first round of the national tournament with a 73-63 loss at the hands of fifth-seeded UT Tyler despite Steffeck's 27 points, 13 rebounds, and seven steals.

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