After Valdosta State’s most successful season since 2008, the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association took notice, naming Head Coach Kiley Hill the South Region’s Coach of the Year.

Senior Brittany Ferguson was tagged with an All-America Honorable Mention.

 Being named region Coach of the Year puts Hill in the running for the Russell Athletics/WBCA Division II National Coach of the Year, to be announced Monday, April 2, during the second annual WBCA Awards Show.

“The WBCA congratulates these coaches on being named finalists for this year’s Division II Coach of the Year award,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “Each coach was selected by their peers and is deserving of this honor for their terrific seasons. On behalf of the WBCA and its members, I wish all eight of these finalists the best of luck at the WBCA Awards Show in Denver.”

After earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament as a sixth seed, Hill’s squad pushed all the way to the Sweet Sixteen. Knocking off the third and second seeds en route to the Sweet Sixteen, top seed Rollins proved to be too much for VSU. Hill’s team ended his 12th season as head coach with a 22-8 record.

Hill was one of eight coaches across the nation to earn the regional honor. His competition for the WBCA’s National Coach of the Year include Meghan Burke Brown of Southern Connecticut State, Stan Swank of Edinboro, Clayton State’s Dennis Cox, Ashland’s Sue Ramsey, Lane Lord of Pittsburg State, Chris Kielsmeier of Wayne State and UC-San Diego’s Charity Elliott.

Meanwhile, Ferguson was one of just three players from the Gulf South Conference and just five players from the south region to earn national recognition from the WBCA. Ferguson was named to the WBCA Division II Coaches’ All-America Team Honorable Mentions.