TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo officially closed the book on its 2018-19 season on Wednesday with its postseason banquet in the Grogan Room. The Rockets' end-of-year celebration recognized seniors Mikaela Boyd, Kaayla McIntyre, Sarah St-Fort and Mae Tshitenge and also acknowledged the efforts of the other members of the program.

The aforementioned seniors were a part of 81 victories over the last four years, including 43 Mid-American Conference wins. UT's quartet played a significant role in helping them secure three post-season berths (Postseason WNIT in 2018 & '19 and NCAA Championships in '17) during this time, including a 2017 MAC Championship.

This past year, UT finished with a 21-12 overall record and an 11-7 MAC ledger. They also made their 12th overall appearance in the 2019 Postseason WNIT and seventh in 11 years under head coach Tricia Cullop. 

Toledo defeated BIG EAST member Seton Hall, 71-65, in the first round of the Postseason WNIT before falling to Big Ten foe and tourney finalist Northwestern, 54-47, in the second round. UT has now won its first-round game in the Postseason WNIT in each of its last seven appearances.

The complete list of award winners is as follows:

TEAM MVP AWARD
Senior Mikaela Boyd (Hillside, Ill.) & senior Kaayla McIntyre (Toledo, Ohio)

Boyd averaged 9.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals in a team-high 32.4 minutes per contest in 2018-19. The 2018-19 honorable mention All-MAC honoree ranked tied for sixth in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.8, 125-69), tied for eighth in helpers and offensive boards (2.4 rpg), tied for 16th in overall rebounding, 18th in minutes played and tied for 20th in defensive caroms (3.5 rpg).

The three-time All-MAC selection scored in double figures on 14 occasions during the year, including a season-high 25 points at arch-rival Bowling Green on Jan. 19. One of only two Rockets to start every game, Boyd surpassed the 20-point barrier two times in 2018-19 and on eight occasions as a member of the Midnight Blue & Gold.

The 2017 MAC Tournament MVP led the squad in assists and steals on 10 occasions in 2018-19, rebounding six times, scoring on five occasions and blocked shots twice.

The two-time academic all-league recipient wrapped up her collegiate career eighth in school history in games played (129), tied for eighth in steals (189) and 18th in scoring (1,212 pts.).

McIntyre contributed a team-high 16.2 points, a squad-best 8.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, a team-best 1.5 blocks and 0.8 steals in 29.0 minutes per game this past season. 

The 2018-19 team captain finished second in the MAC in overall field-goal percentage (.581, 218-of-375) and rejections, tied for fourth in defensive boards (6.1 rpg), tied for sixth in overall rebounding, eighth in scoring, tied for 12th in offensive caroms (2.1 rpg) and 20th in free throw percentage (.664, 97-of-146).

The 2018-19 second-team all-conference selection concluded the year fifth in UT history in blocked shots (48) and field-goals made (218) and 10th in overall field-goal percentage in a season.

One of two Rockets to start every game, McIntyre poured in a season-high 25 points and a contest-best 15 caroms at Eastern Michigan on March 6 to post a second-straight and ninth-overall double-double in 2018-19. She topped the 20-point plateau on a team-high nine occasions during the season.

A member of the 2018-19 MAC All-Defensive Team, McIntyre led the squad in blocked shots on a team-high 25 occasions, rebounding a team-high 21 times, scoring on a squad-best 19 occasions and steals six times.

In MAC contests, the 2018-19 Academic All-MAC honoree tallied 16.9 ppg, a squad-best 9.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, a team-best 1.7 bpg and 0.8 spg in 29.7 mpg.

McIntyre concluded her collegiate career second in MAC history in field-goal percentage (.609, 661-of-1,085), as well as ranking second in school annals in rejections (151), fifth in field-goals made (661), seventh in total rebounds (810), eighth in scoring (1,572 pts.) and 10th in rebounding average (6.4 rpg).

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER AWARD
Senior Sarah St-Fort (Montreal, Que.)

A player who could guard any position on the court, St-Fort paced the Rockets in steals on seven occasions, rebounding five times and blocked shots twice.

A two-time recipient of the team's "Best Defender Award," St-Fort finished third on the team in overall rebounding (4.4 rpg) and rejections (6), fourth in defensive boards (92), fifth in thefts (21) and tied for fifth in offensive charges drawn (3). 

The three-time Academic All-MAC honoree started all but one game this past year and grabbed at least at least seven caroms on four occasions.

ULTIMATE ROCKET AWARD
Junior Mariella Santucci (Bologna, Italy) 

The "Ultimate Rocket" is awarded to the player that excels on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. Santucci averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, a team-high 5.1 assists and a squad-best 1.3 steals in 32.1 minutes per contest in 2018-19. She started 32 games and ranked tied for third in the MAC in helpers, tied for 11th in assist/turnover ratio (1.4, 163-113), tied for 14th in free throw percentage (.730, 73-of-100), 20th in minutes played and tied for 23rd in thefts.

The Bologna, Italy native scored in double digits on 14 occasions during the year, tied for the third-highest total on the team, including a career-high 22 points at Belmont on Nov. 29. 

A pre-business major with a 3.33 GPA, the two-time Academic All-MAC honoree led the squad in assists on a team-high 22 occasions, steals a squad-best 14 times, rebounding on five occasions and scoring and blocked shots four times.

Santucci, who also performed 20.5 hours of community service during the 2018-19 campaign, currently sits seventh in school history in career assists (454).

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD
Sophomore Tatyana Davis (Madison, Ga.)
    
Davis appeared in 32 games off the bench in 2018-19, averaging 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.3 steals in 11.3 minutes. The two-year letterwinner knocked down a career-high three treys and finished with a collegiate-best 13 points, to go along with a career-high four boards, a career-tying best two helpers and one theft in 15 minutes vs. arch-rival Bowling Green on Feb. 2.

The 5-foot-9 wing finished fourth on the  squad in three-point field-goals made (13) and led the team in blocked shots on two occasions. 

A year ago, Davis contributed 1.2 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.1 steals in 4.0 minutes in 15 contests.

SIXTH PLAYER AWARD (sponsored by Igniters Fan Club)
Sophomore Tanaya Beacham (Youngstown, Ohio)

Beacham saw action in all 33 games off the bench in 2018-19, tallying 3.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 0.2 steals in 11.3 minutes. She shot a splendid 47.3 percent (53-of-112) from the floor, the second-highest total on the team. 

Beacham also finished fourth on the squad in free throw percentage (.629, 22-of-35) and offensive caroms (33) and fifth in free throws made (22).

The Youngstown, Ohio native contributed at least seven points on six occasions during the year, including a season-tying best 10 points, four boards and a career-high two thefts in 20 minutes at Akron on Jan. 26. She shot 5-of-7 from the field against the Zips to score in double figures for a fourth time as a Rocket. 

Beacham also produced 10 points vs. Duquesne on Nov. 18.

The two-year letterwinner led UT in rebounding on two occasions and steals once.

WHATEVER IT TAKES AWARD
Senior Mae Tshitenge (Nuechatel, Switzerland)

A recreational therapy major with a 3.31 grade-point average, Tshitenge inspired her teammates in many ways as a member of the Rockets. She always went above & beyond what was asked of her. Prior to the start of the 2018-19 season, Tshitenge was voted "Best Teammate" by her peers. She had a huge impact on the squad that did not always come across in the stats.   

A 2018-19 Academic All-MAC honoree, Tshitenge was a member of UT's Dean's List during the Fall 2017 Semester. She also fluently speaks seven languages (English, French, German, Italian, Lingala, Swahili and Tshiluba).
 
DANIEL & MARY JO HANSON SCHOLAR AWARD
Senior Sarah St-Fort (Montreal, Que.)

St-Fort is a three-time Academic All-MAC recipient and a member of UT's Dean's List during the Spring 2016 and Fall 2018 semesters.

Prior to the start of the 2018-19 season, St-Fort earned the Roy & Gail Hummel Scholarship, which is annually awarded to the women's basketball student-athlete with the highest grade-point average.  

A 2018-19 team captain who fluently speaks three languages (French, English & Creole), St-Fort graduated in December 2017 with a degree in finance and a minor in business management and is currently working on a master's degree in business administration (MBA) with a concentration in finance. 

ACADEMIC AWARD
Sophomore Tyra Carlsten-Handberg (Stockholm, Sweden)

A 2018-19 Academic All-MAC honoree, Carlsten-Handberg has been a member of UT's Dean's List the last two semesters, posting a perfect 4.0 GPA in Fall 2018. 

ROCKET AWARD
"Voice of the Rockets" Jim Heller, Two-Term Igniters Fan Club Board President Mary Wahl, Social Media Student Intern Max Minor