On Tuesday afternoon, the Big Ten announced its All-Big Ten teams. Michigan’s Leigha Brown and Emily Kiser were named First-Team All-Big Ten by the coaches, and Brown was selected to the First Team by the media, too.

Additionally, sophomore Laila Phelia was named a consensus All-Big Ten Second Team player.

It’s been a memorable year for both of the fifth-year players, whose careers are capped off with one of the highest honors a player can receive.

Brown started her playing career at Nebraska, before transferring to Michigan after her sophomore season with the Cornhuskers. In each of her first two seasons as a Wolverine, Brown was named to the conference’s second team but couldn’t quite crack the First Team in her junior or senior seasons.

As a fifth-year player this season, Brown has led the Wolverines to a 21-8 overall record, and a No. 5 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.

Brown has averaged 18.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists this season, and Kim Barnes Arico confirmed on Tuesday morning that the 6-foot-1 guard will be available for the Big Ten Tournament after missing the last two games of the regular season with an “internal issue.”

Kiser has been one of the more inspiring stories of the women’s basketball season. The 6-foot-3 forward didn’t see much action during her first three seasons at Michigan.

She never averaged more than 3.0 points per game in her first three years, and her efforts were largely overshadowed by star Naz Hillmon. Even in Kiser’s senior season, Hillmon garnered much of the attention.

Hillmon departed for the WNBA after last season, though, and Kiser had an opportunity to make an impact, and she has in a big way. She averages 16.4 points and 7.0 rebounds.

She recently posted a career-high 34 points against Rutgers on senior night, while Brown and fellow double-digit scorer Phelia, were unavailable.

Phelia has missed the last month of the season with a “lower body injury,” but prior to the injury the sophomore was tearing it up.

In 22 games this season, Phelia has averaged 17.0 points per game. She made remarkable strides from her freshman to sophomore seasons.

With its newly named All-Big Ten players, Michigan will take on the winner of Penn State and Minnesota on Thursday at roughly 3 p.m.

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