Kehr, Rademacher garner all-Frontier honors

The All-Frontier basketball teams were released Wednesday, and MSU-Northern guard Ryley Kehr, a senior from Columbia Falls, is a second-team pick for the 2023-24 season.

Kehr wasn’t the only Flathead Valley athlete to be honored: Aubrie Rademacher, a redshirt junior out of Glacier High, was an honorable mention pick.

Kehr, a 5-foot-10 forward, averaged 12.6 points and 4.3 rebounds for the Lights. She scored a career-high 32 points in Northern’s 86-81 loss to Rocky Mountain College at last week’s Frontier Conference tournament.

Rademacher, a 6-0 forward, averaged 10.0 points and led Montana Tech in rebounding (6.3 a game), steals (35) and blocked shots (20). The Orediggers went 12-17 this season. 

Carroll College swept the Player of the Year awards: Jamie Pickens, a graduate forward, won it for the women, and junior guard Andrew Cook took home the men’s honor. Pickens shared the women’s honor last season.

League champion Montana Tech had three first-team men’s picks, senior forward Caleb Bellach, junior forward Michael Ure and senior forward Asa Williams. Teammate Hayden Diekhans was named the defensive player of the year and the Orediggers’ Camdyn Larance shared the league’s sixth man of the year award.

Tech coach Adam Hiatt was named coach of the year for a second straight season, as was Carroll women’s coach Rachelle Sayers.

Montana Tech hosts first- and second-round games for the NAIA Tournament this weekend; the Orediggers will find out their opponent on Thursday evening. 

Carroll’s men’s and women’s teams are likely to be at-large selections for the 64-team tournaments; Providence won the Frontier women’s tournament last week.

All-Frontier Conference

MEN

First Team

Andrew Cook, jr., G    Carroll

Caleb Bellach, sr., F    Montana Tech

Michael Ure, jr., F    Tech

Asa Williams, sr., F    Tech

Zackry Martinez, sr., F    MSU-Northern

Davien Harris-Williams, sr., G    Providence

Player of the Year: Andrew Cook, Carroll

Defensive Player of the Year: Hayden Diekhans, Montana Tech

Co-Sixth Men of the Year: Camdyn LaRance, Montana Tech; Quincy Taylor, Montana Western

Newcomer of the Year: Jalyn Stepney, Montana Western

Freshman of the Year: Luca Brooks, Rocky Mountain

Coach of the Year: Adam Hiatt, Montana Tech

Second Team

Kendall Moore, jr., G    Carroll

Abi Adedo, jr., F    Montana Western

Jalyn Stepney, jr., G    Western

Jesse Owens, jr., G    Rocky Mountain

Kael Robinson, jr., G    Rocky 

Honorable Mention — Hayden, Diekhans, Tech; Michael Haverfield, Western; Dae’Kwon Watson, Northern; Jake Olsen, Providence; Jaylin Reed, Providence.

All-Defensive Team — Zane Foster, jr., C, Carroll; Hayden Diekhans, so., F, Tech; Kevin Bethel, jr., G, Western; Xavier Bailey, jr., F, Northern; Jake Olsen, sr., F, Providence.

Champions of Character — James Lang, Carroll; Sam Gray, Tech; Michael Haverfield, Western; Owen Smith, Northern; Freddy Brown III, Providence; Tanner Lemm, Rocky Mountain.

WOMEN

First Team

Jamie Pickens, gr., F     Carroll

Jordan Sweeney, sr., G    Western

Ashlee Maldonado, gr., G    Providence

Keanna Salave’a, fr., F    Providence

Morgan Baird, jr., F    Rocky

Gracee Lekvold, jr., G    Rocky

Player of the Year: Jamie Pickens, Carroll

Defensive Player of the Year: Ashlee Maldonado, Providence

Co-Sixth Women of the Year: Shyan Krass, Northern, and Brenno Linse, Rocky

Newcomer of the Year: Ashlee Maldonado, Providence

Freshman of the Year: Keanna Salave’a, Providence

Coach of the Year: Rachelle Sayers, Carroll

Second Team

Maddie Geritz, gr., F    Carroll

Kyndall Keller, sr., G    Carroll

Shainy Mack, sr., G    Western

Ryley Kehr, sr., F    Northern

Maddy Dixon, sr., F    Providence

Honorable Mention — Aubrie Rademacher, Tech; Liv Wangerin, Tech; Joelnell, Western; Savannah Toms, Northern; Taya Trottier, Northern.

All-Defensive Team — Addi Ekstrom, jr., G, Carroll; Jamie Pickens, Carroll; Monique Carter, fr., G, Providence; Ashlee Maldonado, Providence; Gracee Lekvold, Rocky.

Champions of Character — Addi Ekstrom, Carroll; Sada Rice, Tech; Shainy Mack, Western; Shyan Krass, Northern; Katelyn Heideman, Providence; Madeline Heggem, Rocky.