CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay men's basketball freshman center Elijah Hutchins-Everett has been named Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, the conference office announced Tuesday. 

Hutchins-Everett becomes the seventh player in school history to be named OVC Freshman of the Year and the first since Jordyn Adams in 2019-20. The Govs have claimed the Freshman of the Year honor in three of the last five seasons.  Along with earning Freshman of the Year, Hutchins-Everett was named to the All-OVC Second and All-Newcomer teams.  

It's the seventh straight year Austin Peay has had at least one representative on the all-conference team and the first time since 2019-20 the Govs have held a spot on the all-newcomer team. During the season, Hutchins-Everett collected a league-high six OVC Freshman of the Week honors.

Hutchins-Everett led the Govs in scoring at 12.5 points per game and rebounding at 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 51.6 percent from the field. The Orange, N.J., native scored in double figures in 21 of the Govs' 28 regular-season contests with three 20-point performances. Hutchins-Everett also amassed a team-high six double-doubles, the fourth most in the OVC.

The freshman center ranks 12th in the conference in scoring and fifth in rebounding while ranking ninth in the league with a .516 field goal percentage. On the glass, Hutchins-Everett ranks fifth in the OVC at 2.4 offensive rebounds per game and ninth with 4.4 defensive rebounds per game. This season, Hutchins-Everett has registered 11 games as the Gov's leading scorer and 14 games as the team's leading rebounder.

Hutchins-Everett's breakout performance came on the road at Dayton, registering a double-double with a career-high 25 points and 14 rebounds in an 87-81 victory. Hutchins-Everett against the Flyers was 6-of-13 from the field and a staggering 13-of-16 from the free-throw line. The freshman center ended the regular season with back-to-back double-doubles and has scored in double figures in five of the last six contests.

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