Autumn Anderson, a 2012 graduate of Wayland High School, has been named Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year in women’s basketball.

Anderson defended Hope’s opponents’ top perimeter player. She averaged 5.4 points, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals over 16 MIAA games.

“I’m grateful to the league coaches for honoring Autumn and recognizing all the different ways she impacts the game defensively,” coach Brian Morehouse said. “Her ability to guard multiple positions made our team much better. In addition, her leadership, film study, and recognition of the other teams tendencies made her invaluable to our program.”

Hope Saturday won the MIAA tournament and now sports a 26-1 overall record, ranked No. 6 in the latest NCAA Division 3 poll.

Anderson was a key performer during the Lady Wildcats’ season in which they won district and regional Class B titles and earned a co-championship in the O-K Gold Conference.