CANYON – For the second consecutive year, Kiara Wright has been named the best player in the South Central region after being named the region's Daktronics Player of the Year and first-team all-region Thursday morning.
 
"It's a great honor to get this award again, but honestly, I have to give all the credit to my teammates and coaches," said Wright. "I couldn't have done it without them."
 
"I would say that winning the second one is harder than winning the first one because it's more difficult to live up to the expectations," said head coach Ronnie Hearne. "She is very deserving of this award. Her hard work and dedication have made her a joy to coach. I'm really happy for her."
 
Wright, a senior captain from Pittsburg, led Tarleton to as high as the No. 14 team in the nation earlier this season as well as guiding the TexAnns to the LSC Tournament Championship game and into the sixth NCAA regional tournament in school history.
 
Last week, Wright was named first-team all-conference, the LSC Defensive Player of the Year and the LSC Player of the Year for the second straight season after averaging 20.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game for the TexAnns.
 
Wright is the school's all-time NCAA scoring and rebounding leader and, earlier this season, became the first TexAnn in the school's NCAA era to record 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
 
She is one of just three Lone Star Conference players represented on the all-region first or second teams.
 
Wright leads the TexAnns into the national tournament beginning Friday at noon against Texas A&M-International at the First United Bank Center in Canyon.