Rockets Distribute Awards at Postseason Banquet
4/9/2003 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
April 9, 2003
TOLEDO, OH - The University of Toledo women's basketball team held its annual postseason banquet tonight at the Heatherdowns Country Club, honoring a season which saw the Rockets (20-10, 12-4 MAC) claim a share of its sixth overall Mid-American Conference title and its fourth West Division championship.
Award winners included:
Team MVP - Tia Davis
Top Scholar-Athletes - Libbe Speck & Kelly Walker
Coaches Award - Kelly Walker
Rocket Pride Award - Mary Blessing
Most Improved Player - Karin Hoogendam
Senior Tia Davis (Kokomo, IN - Kokomo) earned the inaugural "Team MVP Award." A first-team All-MAC selection, Davis finished the season ranked in the top 15 in the MAC in seven categories, including third in scoring (18.1 ppg) and eighth in rebounding (7.1 rpg). She was one of the league's top athletes before going down with a season-ending knee injury against Western Michigan on Feb. 5. Prior to her injury, Davis became the 17th Rocket in school history to score 1,000 career points and finished 15th on the Rockets' all-time scoring list with 1,099 points.
Sophomore Libbe Speck (Perrysburg, OH - Eastwood) and junior Kelly Walker (Sterling, MI - Standish-Sterling ) were each honored with the "Top Scholar Athlete Award." The duo led the Rockets' academic success in the fall, as Speck posted a perfect 4.0 first-semester GPA and a spot on the President's List, while Walker was selected Academic All-MAC and named to the Verizon Academic All-District IV University Division Team.
Walker also received the "Coaches Award," given for outstanding leadership, team spirit and inspiration. Walker ranked second in the MAC in three-point field goals made per game (2.6), sixth in overall three-point field goal percentage (.414) and 15th in scoring (12.8 ppg).
Junior Mary Blessing (Indianapolis, IN - Decatur) received the "Rocket Pride Award," given to the individual who exemplifies the three qualities that make up a Toledo women's basketball player: Plays Hard, Plays Smart and Plays Together. Blessing started all 30 games averaging a team-best 4.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 8.3 points per contest in her third season as a member of the Rockets' program. She finished first in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (2.6) and sixth in assists. Blessing dished out 143 assists on the season to rank ninth in school history for assists in a season.
Sophomore Karin Hoogendam (St. Catharines, ONT - Governor Simcoe) earned the team's "Most Improved Player Award," helping lead the Rockets to a 12-4 MAC record to earn the top seed in the conference tournament for the sixth time. A 2003 MAC All-Tournament selection, Hoogendam ranked in the top 15 in the MAC in four categories, including fifth in blocked shots (0.93 bpg). She averaged 15.0 ppg and 9.5 rebounds per game after Tia Davis went down with her knee injury.
