Sunday, April 7, 2002
LEOPARD
NAMED TEAM MVP AT BLUE HOSE
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ANNUAL BANQUET
CLINTON, S.C. — Presbyterian
College’s Toni
Leopard (Ninety-Six, S.C.) was honored as the
women’s basketball Team MVP at the program’s annual
banquet held Sunday night.
Leopard,
a 6-0 senior forward, was named team MVP after earning
Daktronics first team All-Region honors. In addition she
earned first team All-South Atlantic Conference honors for the
third consecutive season. The former Ninety-Six High School
standout finishes her career in a Blue Hose uniform as the
second all-time leading scorer (1,739) and first in career
free throw percentage (83.4%) and career three-point field
goal percentage (36.1%). She also finished third in program
history in made field goals (593), fourth in career rebounds
(653), fifth in made three-pointers (107) and scoring average
(14.5), and 19th in career steals (129).
She finished sixth in South
Atlantic Conference history in career scoring, tied for third
in career games played (120), fourth in made free throws
(446), fourth in career three-point percentage, sixth in
career free throw percentage, and tied for sixth in made field
goals.
This season Leopard
averaged 17.6 points per game, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2
steals while shooting 45.1% from the field, 37.1% from the
three-point line and 90.2% from the charity stripe, good for
second in NCAA Division II. She scored over 20+ points 11
times this season. She also finished the season ranking in the
following SAC statistical categories: 1st in free throw
percentage, 3rd scoring, 5th 3FG%, 6th made three-point field
goals, and 8th in rebounds.
Blue
Hose head coach Beth
Couture cited 15 players and managers as letterwinners
for the 2001-02 season. Presbyterian compiled a 21-9 record
this season, finished second in the South Atlantic Conference
regular season, were runner-up for the Food Lion/SAC
Tournament title, and advanced to the NCAA Division II
Tournament for the sixth time in the past eight years. Other
Blue Hose award winners included:
• Team MVP: Toni
Leopard
• Best Offensive Player: Bonnie
Werner
• Best Defensive Player: Ja’Net
Vicks
• Most Improved: Nicole
Chittam
• Best Attitude: Joanna
Day-Lewis
• Captain’s Award: Merritt
Misner, Toni Leopard
• Coach’s Award: Toni
Leopard
• Scotsman Club Achievement Award: Merritt
Misner
• Senior Award: Toni
Leopard, Merritt Misner, Ja’Net Vicks, Nicole Chittam, Katie
Davis
Chittam (Lancaster, S.C.),
a senior guard, played in all 30 games with five starting
assignments. She averaged a career-best 6.3 points, 2.4
rebounds, 1.8 assists while shooting 36.1% from the field,
34.0% from three-point range, and 72.0% from the free throw
line. She ranked ninth in the South Atlantic Conference in
three-point field goal percentage, and 10th in made
three-pointers per game (1.10). She earned SAC Player of the
Week honors for the week of February 18, the first of her
career. For her career, she ranks in the following all-time
categories in program history: 9th in made three-pointers
(57), 7th in three-point field goals attempted (179), and 12th
career three-point field goal percentage (31.8%).
Day-Lewis (Blairsville,
Ga.), a freshman wing, played in 14 games this season. She
averaged 1.4 points, 0.6 rebounds while shooting 60.0% from
the field.
Misner (Decatur, Ga.), a
senior forward/center, saw action in all 30 games with 11
starting assignments. She averaged 3.3 points, 4.0 rebounds,
0.87 blocks while shooting 45.5% from the field and 60.9% from
the free throw line. She ranked ninth in the SAC in blocks,
and for her career ranks third in program history in blocks
(109), 15th in rebounds (488), and tied for 26th in steals
(92).
Vicks (Greenville, S.C.),
a senior forward/center, saw action in all 30 games with 19
starting assignments. She averaged a career-best 7.1 points,
4.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals, while shooting 60.2% from the field.
Her field goal percentage this season broke the program’s
single-season mark held by former Blue Hose All-American,
Rachel Sloan during the 1998-99 season at 60.1%. She goes down
in program history ranking 22nd in rebounds (397), 32nd in
steals (82), and 33rd in career points (509).
Werner (Kennesaw, Ga.), a
sophomore guard played in all 30 games with 29 starting
assignments. She averaged 11.9 points, a team-best 4.7
assists, 2.3 rebounds while shooting 36.6% from the field,
32.9% from three-point range, and 84.3% from the free throw
line. In the final statistics, Werner ranked second in the SAC
in assists, fourth in free throw percentage, sixth in
assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.26), 10th in steals (1.60), 14th
in made three-point field goals per game (0.90), and 16th in
scoring en route to second team All-SAC honors. She was also
named to AASU Chatham Orthopedic Tip-Off Classic
All-Tournament team to open the season. In her short two-year
career, she currently ranks in program history in the
following categories: eighth in three-point goal percentage
(34.2%), 11th in assists (225), tied for 13th in made
three-pointers (39), 23rd in steals (99), and 31st in scoring
(539).
The senior class of Chittam,
Davis, Leopard, Misner, and Vicks will go down as one of the
most successful class in program history with a four season
record of 92-25 including a 45-11 record in South Atlantic
Conference play. Their league record is one of the best for a
senior class in SAC history and they have also led the Blue
Hose to four consecutive 20-win seasons. Among the honors that
this group has won during their career is two straight SAC
regular season and tournament titles, three trips to the NCAA
Division II National Tournament and a school and SAC-record
28-win season during the 1999-2000 season.
Presbyterian
College Letterwinners for 2001-02 season
4th-Year: Nicole Chittam,
Toni Leopard, Merritt Misner, Ja’Net Vicks
3rd-Year: Katie Davis,
Frances Ladd (manager)
2nd-Year: Billie
Haskins, Bonnie Werner
1st-Year: Dana
Birnie, Joanna Day-Lewis, Lauren
Dobson, Noel Livernois,
Carrie Vickery (manager), Sarah
Woods, Lauren Yanik