Senior guards Kaycee Gerald and Peyton Greenlee capped off their careers with the Lady Owls by receiving honorable-mention status on the 2019-20 NAIA Division I All-American team.
"Kaycee and Peyton played a huge role in our success this year," William Woods University first-year head coach Ayriell Robinson said. "They know what it's like to win because they have been doing it all of their careers.
"They each have stepped up throughout this season in clutch moments and games. They understood the gravity of this being their last go-round of playing basketball, and they left it all on the court."
The 5-foot-6 Gerald - a Springfield native - is a two-time All-American who directed the Lady Owls this season by averaging 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.8 steals per game.
She was an all-American Midwest Conference first-team pick and was named the conference's defender of the year. Gerald also became William Woods' career leader with 498 assists and 315 steals.
The 6-0 Greenlee, from Marshfield, averaged 14.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in being selected to the all-AMC second team. She also became the Lady Owls' career leader by making 232 3-pointers.
" I think most importantly Kaycee and Peyton have left an impression on our younger players and set a standard for them to reach towards," Robinson said. "They are definitely some of the best to have come through this program and have left their mark."
William Woods completed the season with a 25-7 record and was ranked 25th in the final coaches' poll. The Lady Owls earned the program's 11th appearance in the NAIA national tournament with an at-large bid, but the tournament was cancelled due to concern over the coronavirus pandemic.
"It is unfortunate that our season ended abruptly because not only did Kaycee, Peyton, and (redshirt junior guard) Lexy (Ganaway) hope to finish their careers the way it began (by making a run in the national tournament), the rest of the team was excited to get a taste of that feeling as well," Robinson said. "We should learn from every situation, and I think the obvious lesson here is to play every game like it's your last.
"This unprecedented end is going to change the way athletes play the game for the better. So I look forward to next year being one of the most competitive because everyone will be trying to get back what was taken away from them."