Kansas City, Mo. - Three members of the Central Methodist Women's Basketball team earned NAIA All-America recognition by the national office Tuesday.
Leianya Massenat was named to the First Team, while Leah Johnson landed on the second team and Daryna Bachkarova earned Honorable Mention honors. It marks the most All-America selections by a team in one season in program history.
Massenat, a sophomore from Trenton, N.J. is just the sixth First Team All-American and the fourth two-time All-America selection in school history. The 2023 Heart Player of the Year averaged 17.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists/game in 2022-23.
She reached 1,000 career points against Benedictine College on Jan. 25 and recorded two thirty-point scoring performances this season. Altogether, she reached double-digit scoring in 32 of 36 games played.
For her efforts in the national tournament in March, Massenat was named to the NAIA All-Tournament First team. She is now a two-time All-American, three-time Heart All-Conference selection and the Heart Player (2023) and Freshman of the Year (2021).
Johnson appeared and started in 34 games for the Eagles, averaging a double-double at 14.4 points and 11.1 rebounds/game. She was named the Heart Player of the Week on three different occasions this season.
Her best performance came against Mount Mercy, in which the Ewing, N.J. native poured in a career-best 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds on Feb. 11. For her efforts in conference play, Johnson was landed on the Heart All-Conference First Team and the Heart All-Defensive team.
She joined Massenat as a member of the 1,000 point club with her second basket against Thomas More in the NAIA National Semifinals on March 17.
Bachkarova is now a two-time NAIA All-American, as she earned an Honorable Mention nod as a junior in 2021-22. The sharpshooper finished her final year with the Eagles averaging 16.3 points/game while converting on 33.3 percent of her three point attempts.
In addition, Bachkarova averaged 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.1 steals/game. She was twice named Heart Player of the Week and landed on the Heart All-Conference First Team for the third consecutive season. She reached 1,000 career points against Missouri Valley College on Jan. 28, joining both Massenat and Johnson as members of the 1,000 point club.
Bachkarova was also recognized as a member of the NAIA All-Tournament Second team for her play in this year's National Tournament.
The Eagles finished the year with a 35-1 record, a Heart Regular Season and Conference Tournament Championship, a No. 1 national ranking, and their second straight trip to the NAIA National Semifinals.
To view the complete list of NAIA Women's Basketball All-Americans, please click here.
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