CLEVELAND, Ohio – Senior third baseman Dayna Denner was honored for her outstanding 2021 season on Thursday afternoon by being named Mid-American Conference Player of the Year. The Brooklyn Heights, Ohio native also earned All-MAC First Team honors with sophomore Leah Munson being named to the All-MAC Defensive Team as well in voting by the league's head coaches.

Denner is the second Rocket to be named MAC Player of the Year, joining Rhonda King who received the award in 1990.

"Dayna put in the work last summer and all spring and it paid off for her on the field," Head Coach Joe Abraham said. "This is what happens when you take a great player and then she puts in all kinds of extra work on her own.  She fully deserves this award."
 
Denner started all 53 games for the Rockets and ranked second in the MAC with a .550 on-base percentage (17^th nationally), .841 slugging percentage (18^th nationally), 20 doubles (T-3^rd nationally) and 37 walks, third with a .421 batting average, and fourth with 13 home runs. In league play, Denner led the way with a .597 on-base percentage and 16 doubles, while ranking second with a .459 batting average and third with a .898 slugging percentage.

Abraham said that Denner remained patient at the plate in second half of the year after teams began to pitch around her.
 
"After the league saw what she could do in the first half of the season, she saw no good pitches after that," Abraham said. "We have plenty of other good hitters, but Dayna stood out so much that teams just weren't going to let her beat them, even if it meant walking her half the time.  Her power numbers tailed off down the stretch, but her batting average stayed fairly consistent and her on-base percentage kept rising. Even with that, she had the numbers to earn Player of the Year.  Her defense also greatly improved during the year.  She made a bunch of great plays in the last month that saved us a ton of runs."
 
Munson started 44 of 46 contests in left or center field, hitting .321 with two home runs and 23 RBIs.  She led the Rockets' outfielders with four assists and committed just one error in 65 total chances.

"Our outfield defense really came into its own when we moved Leah to center field," Abraham said. "She isn't flashy, but she makes every play that should be made. I would put our outfield defense up against anyone's in the league."