UNIONTOWN, PA. – Four Apprentice School basketball players earned recognition on Tuesday night at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Championship Awards Dinner held at Nemecolin Resort.

Senior Shanae Hilliard was named to the All-Academic Team.  A molder apprentice from Alamogordo, NM, Hilliard is averaging 12.7 points per game and has hit 56 3-pointers this season to lead the team.  She scored a career-best 31 points in late January against WVU Tech.  Hilliard will end her career in the top ten in points scored and will have the top two season 3-pointers made marks for the Lady Builders.

Junior Kenya Wilkerson was named to the USCAA First Team All-American squad as well as USCAA All-Academic team.  An electrician apprentice from Richmond, VA, Wilkerson is averaging 12.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.6 steals per game.  She is third in assists and fourth in steals in the USCAA and has had seven games of seven or more assists this season.  Wilkerson had a career-high 27 points against Christopher Newport University in November and dished out 12 assists in a game twice against St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn and St. Mary Of The Woods College.  She is the first Lady Builders player to earn first team honors since Rahshann Lewter in the 2008-09 season. 

Freshman Ylexzis Traeger was named to the USCAA Second Team All-American squad.  A sheet metal apprentice from Newport News, VA, Traeger leads the team in scoring averaging 13.4 points while third in rebounding at 5.8 rebounds per game and leads in free throw percentage at 75.2%.  She scored a career-high 35 points in late January against WVU Tech which ties the second most points scored in a game in Lady Builder history.

On the men's side, junior Jay Melendez was named a USCAA First Team All-American.  An outside machinist apprentice from Suffolk, VA, Melendez topped the team in scoring 17.5 points per game and was second in rebounding averaging 8.8 per contest.  He had 10 double-doubles this year and a season-best 30 points against Williamson Trade while hauling in a career-best 19 rebounds against Central Penn College last week.

The Lady Builders will open tournament action on Wednesday at noon when they face fifth-seeded Daemen College.  You can follow action from the event through the USCAA Championship website.