2023-24 D2CCA All-America Teams

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Division II Conference Commissioners' Association (D2CCA) released its 2024 D2CCA NCAA Division II Women's Basketball All-America teams earlier this week and Mines' Ashley Steffeck appeared on the list as a D2CCA Honorable Mention All-American.
 
The announcement marks Steffeck's second straight honorable mention nod after earning WBCA Honorable Mention All-America from the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association last season. Steffeck remains the only known all-American in program history. Additional RMAC players on the 2024 squads included CSU Pueblo's Alisha Little (second-team) and Colorado Mesa's Olivia Reed (third-team). Gannon's Samantha Pirosko was named the 2023-24 Ron Lenz National Player of the Year and D2CCA First-Team All-America. The rest of the top squad included Ashley Ingram (Texas Woman's), Faith Simpson (Northwestern Oklahoma State), Lyrik Thorne (Catawba), and Jordan Vasquez (Cal State San Marcos).
 
During the 2023-24 campaign, Steffeck cemented her legacy as one of the greatest – if not the greatest player in program history. The Fort Collins, Colo., native started all 30 games for the Orediggers and finished the season averaging 19.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.1 steals, and half a block per game. All of those numbers, except for blocks, led the team. She also went 198-of-219 at the free-throw line for a 90.4 free-throw percentage. The Fossil Ridge High School graduate also drained 69 three-pointers while shooting 35.6 percent from behind the arc. Steffeck's 2023-24 helped her break six program records including career scoring, single-season scoring, career assists, single-season free-throw percentage, career free-throws made, and single-season free-throws made. She already owned nearly every program steals record.
 
Overall, Steffeck's name is listed 48 times in the Mines record book. She became the first Oredigger – man or woman – to record 400 assists and 400 steals in a career. Additional accolades from her tenure at Mines include 2021 Honorable Mention All-RMAC, 2022 RMAC Defensive Player of the Year and Second-Team All-RMAC, 2023 WBCA Honorable Mention All-America, 2023 D2CCA Second-Team All-Region, 2023 First-Team All-RMAC, 2024 D2CCA First-Team All-Region, and 2024 First-Team All-RMAC. In 2022 she led all of NCAA Division II in total steals and steals per game. Steffeck also closed her career touting 12 RMAC Player of the Week awards. Furthermore, in the classroom, the graduate student earned a bachelor's degree from Mines in metallurgical & materials engineering and is still pursuing a master's degree in engineering & technology management. Her academic work led to two appearances on the RMAC Academic Honor Roll, a pair of RMAC First-Team All-Academic nods, the 2023 D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award and CSC Academic All-District in 2023 and 2024.
 
As a team, Mines finished its 2023-24 campaign with an overall record of 21-9 while going 16-6 in RMAC play. The Orediggers finished #5 in the league's regular-season standings and eventually earned its fourth straight bid to the NCAA tournament and its sixth in program history. The Orediggers fell in the first round of the national tournament with an 81-72 loss at the hands of top-seeded and #7-ranked Texas Woman's. As of Wednesday night, TWI had advanced to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament Championship Game.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram at @MinesWBB. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.­­­