Mitchell, Peppers gain All-American accolades

Morningside University's tradition-rich women's basketball program added two more National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics' All-American awards to an already full cadre Friday, March 25.

Senior guard Sierra Mitchell (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) earned her second successive first-team honor and fourth overall. Senior forward Sophia Peppers (Exira, Iowa) was placed on the lists for the second time. With those two accolades, head coach Jamie Sale's program has had at least one recipient every year since 2004.

The duo guided the Mustangs to a memorable 2021-22, where they reached 30 wins for the eighth time in school history and advanced to the NAIA Championships quarterfinals. Mside also won the Great Plains Athletic Conference regular-season championship and was runner-up in the league postseason tournament.

Mitchell concluded one of the NAIA's top playing careers as the men's and women's collegiate all-division three-point basket leader (533). Her 2,691 points set a new career standard, as she reeled off 500-or-more points in four straight seasons. Peppers climbed to No. 12 on the all-time points registry (1,590), tallying more than 500 points in a season for the first time in her collegiate career.

The complete 2022 NAIA women's basketball All-American teams can be viewed at https://www.naia.org/sports/wbkb/2021-22/Releases/AA.