STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State true freshman center Faith Acker had a special first-year campaign for the Purple and White, and the Western Athletic Conference took notice, naming her to the WAC All-Freshman Team, announced Monday.
Acker is one of five freshmen honored, joining Abilene Christian guard Payton Hull, California Baptist guard Khloe Lemon, Southern Utah forward Ava Uhrich, and UTRGV guard Jayda Holiman.
“Congratulations to Faith on this well-deserved recognition,” head coach Bill Brock said. “She has been successful in her first year of college basketball and we look forward to her improvements during the offseason and summer.”
Acker becomes the second freshman in Tarleton State’s NCAA Division I era to receive a conference postseason award. She is just the second freshman to receive conference postseason recognition over the past 13 years and is the first freshman frontcourt player with a conference postseason honor since 2010-11. Texan freshman guard Iyana Dorsey was an All-WAC honorable mention in 2020-21, and Texan freshman center Kiara Wright was named a Lone Star Conference honorable mention in 2010-11.
Acker has dominated down low all season, averaging 9.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 block per game across 25 games (23 starts). She leads the team in blocks and is second on the team in both scoring and rebounding.
WAC-wise, Acker is one of just three freshmen to record multiple double-doubles on the season, and is one of just four freshmen in the conference to score multiple 20-plus point games. She was honored three times during the season with WAC awards, named the Player of the Week once and the Newcomer of the Week twice.
In the regular season, Acker had her best game in a win at Texas Southern on Dec. 30, where she achieved her first double-double of her collegiate career with 23 points and 12 rebounds. On Feb. 29, Acker became the first Texan freshman with multiple double-doubles since Ikpeaku Iwobi in 2013-14, when she tallied 16 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 11 rebounds vs. Utah Tech.
Sitting at 224 points and 134 total rebounds entering the WAC Tournament, Acker is the first Texan freshman with 100 or more rebounds in a season since Wright in 2010-11.
Acker and the Texans are not done with 2023-24, however. They’ll begin their run in their first postseason conference tournament at the NCAA Division I level on Wednesday at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas against 6-seed Abilene Christian at 4:30 p.m. CT.
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