Four local prep basketball stars played major roles in the Cornerstone University 2022-23 men’s and women’s basketball seasons.
Wayland’s Cory Ainsworth and Carter Nyp were named to the first and second teams of the all-WHAC squad and former Wildcat Stephanie Ainsworth of Wayland made the first unit and Hopkins grad Kennedy Helderop the second.
The men completed their regular season with an 18-11 overall record and were 12-8 in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The Golden Eagles women finished at 15-14 overall and 13-7 in the WHAC.
Cory Ainsworth, earned his second first team All-WHAC honor after leading the team with 17.1 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game and 1.2 blocks per contest. Ainsworth led the WHAC in field goal percentage, shooting 68% from the field and finished in the top five in many categories as he was third in points per game, and fifth in rebounds. He scored his 1,000th career points earlier this year.
Fifth-year senior Carter Nyp ended his career earning second team All-WHAC accolades for the second consecutive season. He averaged 14.3 ppg and 7.1 rebounds as he started all 29 games for the Golden Eagles. Nyp ended his career just short of the top 10 in program history for rebounds with 804 overall. Nyp made a team second best 54 threes this season as he shot 44.5% from the field.
Stephanie Ainsworth, Cory’s younger sister, made the first unit of the all-league squad as a sophomore. She ledleads the team in multiple categories with 12.4 ppg, 8.1, rebounds 2.2 blocks and shooting 53.4% from the field. She was first in the WHAC with 62 total blocks, which also leads the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Helderop, a senior, started and played all 28 games for the Golden Eagles and her all-WHAC second team honors were the first in her career. She averaged 10.1 ppg and led the team with 141 assists and 62 steals, which was first in the WHAC. She and Stephanie Ainsworth have been credited as major players in the huge turnaround in the Golden Eagles’ fortunes this season.