FLORENCE, S.C. - Francis Marion University senior guard Brittany Young was named to the 2008 All-Peach Belt Conference Team, while women’s coach Heather Macy was named the conference’s “Coach of the Year,” and forward Simel Boyd was named the men’s basketball “Freshman of the Year.”

Young, a native of Moncks Corner, leads the Patriots in scoring at 13.6 points per game and is second on the team with 3.0 assists per game. She is pulling down 4.2 rebounds per game, has collected 63 steals, and connected on 44.6 percent of her field goal attempts and 75.7 percent of her free throws. The 5-6 guard is only the fourth player in FMU history to amass 1,000 career points and 500 career assists. She is currently 19th on the Patriot career scoring list with 1,163 points and is fourth all-time in assists with 522.

Macy, in her first season at Francis Marion, has guided the Patriots to a 20-7 record and a share of the PBC regular season championship in one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the nation. She inherited nine letterwinners from last year’s 6-22 squad that placed last in the Peach Belt’s North Division. Even this past fall, Francis Marion was picked to finish seventh in the coaches’ pre-season poll.

Under her guidance, FMU leads the nation in scoring offense (90.9 ppg) and steals per game (18.5).

Looking to return to the NCAA Division II national tournament for the first time since 2001, Francis Marion opens Peach Belt Conference Tournament play on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Aiken, S.C.

Macy becomes the second FMU women’s coach to gain “Coach of the Year” honors, joining Wes Moore (1996). Macy owns a 60-27 career mark in three seasons as a head coach. She accomplished a similar turn-around at Pfeiffer University – posting a 14-15 record followed by a 26-5 mark and an NCAA tournament bid in her second season.

Boyd, a native of Ridgeville, improved as the season went along. He ended the season averaging 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. However, once he joined the starting line-up for the final 11 games of the year, he tallied 9.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg.

For the year, Boyd shot 46.7 percent from the floor. He also totaled 20 assists and 17 steals, while only committing 18 turnovers.

The Patriot men (12-15) play Lander University on Wednesday evening in Aiken in a first-round game of the PBC Tournament.

Boyd becomes the fifth Patriot to earn “Freshman of the Year” honors, joining Carlton Farr (1992), Jake Biddle (1995), Will Tucker (1998), and Charles Sullivan (2000).

Young is a product of Berkeley High School, where she was a three-time All-State and All-Region performer on the basketball court for coach David Smith.

Boyd is a product of Cross High School, where he was a three-time All-State and All-Region performer for coach Leon Wheaton.