ATLANTA (AP) — LSU guard Allison Hightower was named to The Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference first team, which was released Tuesday. Hightower, a junior, was the only non-senior to make the first team; she averaged nearly 35 minutes a game at LSU and placed sixth in scoring (14.3). Auburn’s DeWanna Bonner was a unanimous choice as player of the year, her reward for leading the Tigers to their first league championship in 20 years and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. That wasn’t the only award claimed by Auburn. Nell Fortner was an overwhelming pick for coach of the year after adding an SEC title to a list of accomplishments that already included a Big Ten championship at Purdue and an Olympic gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Games. Arkansas freshman Ceira Ricketts was named newcomer of the year. The 6-foot-4 Bonner was easily the SEC’s top scorer at 21 points a game — no one else averaged more than 16.6 — and ranked third in rebounding (8.5) behind Georgia’s Angel Robinson (9.3) and Kentucky’s Victoria Dunlap (9.0). The senior became only the second player in Auburn history to lead her team in scoring and rebounding four years in a row. “She’s a special player,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. “You don’t see many people with her size that have the skill set that she has, playing from the outside or the inside. She’s a great competitor. She’s just gotten better and better.” The last two years, Bonner played in the shadow of Tennessee’s Parker and LSU’s Fowles. Parker was SEC player of the year in 2007, while Fowles claimed the award last season. Both moved on to instant stardom in the WNBA, with Parker becoming the first player to win MVP and rookie of the year awards in her debut season. Back in the SEC, Bonner picked up where Parker and Fowles left off. She was the only unanimous choice to the All-SEC first team, which also included teammate Whitney Boddie, Vanderbilt’s Christian Wirth, Hightower and Florida’s Sha Brooks. Fortner had a versatile resume when she took over at Auburn in 2004, succeeding the winningest coach in school history, Joe Ciampi. She guided Purdue to a Big Ten title in 1997 before moving on to lead the powerful U.S. women’s team to a world championship in 1998 and an Olympic gold medal two years later. The Americans went 101-14 during her reign, the most wins for a national team coach. Fortner then tried her hand at the pro ranks, coaching the WNBA’s expansion Indiana Fever for three seasons. She led the team to its first postseason appearance before resigning in 2003 with a record of 42-56. The following spring, she took over at Auburn, a one-time powerhouse that played in three straight national championship games from 1988-90. The Tigers slipped at the end of Ciampi’s reign, missing the NCAA tournament in three of his final four seasons. Fortner’s first three seasons also were a struggle, as the Tigers went 16-26 in conference play and managed only one postseason bid, a consolation prize to the Women’s NIT. Auburn finally made it back to the NCAA tournament last season, but lost in the first round. The Tigers are counting on a much longer appearance this season. Fortner’s started with 20 straight victories, including its first win over perennial power Tennessee since 1997, before an upset loss at Georgia. Vanderbilt is the only other team to beat the Tigers, winning in Nashville and then pulling off a 61-54 upset in the championship game of the SEC tournament. Eager to move on from that defeat, the No. 8 Tigers (29-3) were seeded behind Oklahoma in the Oklahoma City Regional. They open the tournament Saturday against Lehigh at Piscataway, N.J., and could face Rutgers on its home court in the second round. “It’s a tough road, there’s no question,” said Fortner, who was named coach of the year on seven of eight ballots. “But there are no easy roads, so that’s OK, that’s how the tournament works. We’re just looking forward to getting it going.” Boddie, a 5-9 guard, made sure Bonner got plenty of scoring chances, pacing the SEC in assists at 8.1 a game. Brooks was the SEC’s second-leading scorer at Florida. Wirth, a second-teamer last season, was promoted after ranking third in the SEC on scoring (15.8) for the Commodores. The second team included Florida’s Marshae Dotson, Mississippi State’s Alexis Rack, Mississippi’s Bianca Thomas, Georgia’s Ashley Houts, and Kentucky’s Dunlap. Ricketts received an honorable mention nod in addition to her newcomer of the year award. The 5-9 Arkansas guard led the SEC in steals (2.5) and ranked among the top 10 in scoring (12.8) and assists (3.9). The 13th annual AP All-SEC team was selected by a regional media panel. —- Contact The Daily Reveile’s sports staff at [email protected]