BREVARD, N.C. – Senior guard Josie Hester becomes Brevard College women's basketball's first-ever USA South Conference Player of the Year, as the Tornados were awarded three All-Conference honors from the league.
 
Hester was also voted to the All-Conference First Team in addition to her Player of the Year accolade, while Makenna Parkins and Jada Petty-Wilkins were selected to the All-Conference Second Team. Senior forward Jordan Gresham represented BC on the USA South All-Sportsmanship Team.
 
Hester, a senior guard from Huntersville, North Carolina, becomes the first Brevard women's basketball student-athlete to be named USA South Player of the Year – and the first to garner the award for the Tornados WBB program at the NCAA level. Hester led the USA South in scoring during the regular season, averaging 16.7 points per game to go along with five rebounds, two steals, and 1.7 assists. She also led the league in 3-pointers made in the regular season with 76, which is tied for eighth in all of Division III, and shooting percentage from behind the arch (.447) which is ranked sixth in Division III. Against USA South foes, Hester upped her scoring average to a USA South-best 17.6 points per contest while knocking down an average of 3.6 shots from beyond the arc. Hester was named a First Team All-Conference performer for the second consecutive season while also taking home USA South Player of the Week honors twice this winter.
 
The second-year Tornado sharp shooter set the single-season NCAA-era record for 3-pointers made this year, set the single-game mark for 3-pointers made with nine vs. Methodist (Jan. 10), set a D3-era mark for points scored with 35 vs. Methodist, and currently holds records for single-season 3-point percentage (44.1%), career 3-point percentage (41.6%), and career free-throw percentage (86.5%). Hester eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her collegiate career between her time at both Brevard (708 points) and UVA-Wise (333 points).
 
Parkins, a fifth-year senior forward from Marion, North Carolina, earns USA South All-Conference honors for the second time in her storied Tornado career. Parkins eclipsed the 1,000-point mark earlier this season to become just the fourth Tornado to score all 1,000 points in a BC uniform in the NCAA era. Parkins is also a rebound shy of joining the exclusive 600-rebound club, joining BC alums Destiny Williams (2017-22, 694 rebounds) and Madison Lenox (2013-17, 646 rebounds). Parkins ranks third in the NCAA era in blocked shots (85), defensive rebounds (405), and is fourth in offensive boards (194). Parkins' 399 field goals made also rank inside the top-four in Brevard's NCAA era history.
 
This campaign, Parkins has averaged 9.2 points a contest with 5.8 rebounds, scoring a total of 211 points with 133 boards. The veteran Tornado has also distributed 52 assists, blocked 18 shots, and shot 41.2% from the field en route to her All-Conference honor.
 
Petty-Wilkins, a junior guard from Tryon, North Carolina, earns All-Conference Second Team accolades for the first time in her collegiate career after putting forth a breakout junior campaign to help the Tornados achieve 20 wins and reach the USA South Conference Championship for the first time in program history. The third-year Tornado has averaged 10.8 points per game with 41 3-pointers made, adding 83 total rebounds, 47 assists, and a career-best 48 steals. Petty-Wilkins was able to connect for a career-best five 3-pointers in a win at Pfeiffer (Feb. 18), helping her cement All-Conference status.
 
Gresham, a second-year Tornado forward from Lenoir City, Tennessee, represents the Tornados on the All-Sportsmanship team after competing in 18 contests this season. Gresham make her first career BC start on Senior Day (Feb. 15), where she scored a season-high six points with two 3-pointers made.
 
The Tornados continue preparations for the 2025 USA South Conference Tournament Championship on Saturday in Buena Vista, Virginia. Brevard will battle top-seeded Southern Virginia for a trophy and an automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA DIII Championship Tournament. Tip off is scheduled for 4 p.m. on the campus of SVU.
 
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