DMACC Bears Athletics Program
DMACC Bears News
Former DMACC Athlete Tia Mays Receives MMC Honor
March 11, 2011
Former Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) women’s basketball standout Tia Mays of Des Moines has been named Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Mays, a sophomore at Missouri State University, was recognized at the league’s awards ceremony on the opening night of the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Charles, Mo.
Mays played for DMACC in 2009-10, leading the Bears to a 20-10 overall record and a 13-5 mark in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC). She averaged 12.9 points and 10.9 rebounds a game in helping DMACC to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI Division II semifinals. She was named to the All-Region First Team, the Region XI All-Tournament Team and the ICCAC All-Conference First Team.
Mays, a 6-foot-1 forward, set a Missouri State school record with a league-leading 95 blocked shots during the regular season. She owns eight of Missouri State’s top 15 single-game block totals, including a conference record-tying nine-block performance against Arkansas State on Dec. 5.
Mays enters the MVC Tournament ranked third on MVC single-season and MSU’s career blocked shots list. She also has turned in a streak of 17 consecutive games with five or more rebounds and ranks second in the MVC in offensive rebounds at 2.5 per game.
The third-seeded Lady Bears (21-9) will begin their quest for an unprecedented 10th MVC Tournament title when they face off against sixth-seeded Drake (15-14) March 11 at 8:35 p.m.