Wake Forest Athletics
Women's Basketball Presents Annual Postseason Awards
4/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 28, 2003
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's basketball program held its annual postseason banquet, honoring several members of the squad and support staff on Sunday, April 27 at Bermuda Run Country Club.
Deacon senior Tiffani Listenbee (Clinton Township, Mich.) was named the 2002-03 Most Valuable Player. Listenbee, a forward, led WFU in scoring (10.6 ppg), rebounds (6.4 rpg), blocked shots (23), field-goal percentage (.542) and tied for second on the squad in steals (35). Her field-goal percentage of .579 also ranked first in the ACC in conference games only this season. She was a third-team All-ACC selection who was also named to the conference's All-Defensive Team, a first for the Deacon program.
For the third year in a row, sophomore Tracy Alston (Raleigh, N.C.) was named the team's Best Defensive Player. Alston, who was usually assigned to defend the opponent's biggest offensive threat, held some of the ACC's top players under their scoring average. Alston also ranked among the team's top rebounders (4.4 rpg) and had 17 steals.
Sophomore Erin Ferrell (Gaithersburg, Md.) was honored as the team's Most Improved Player. Ferrell increased her production in nearly every aspect of her game from last year to this season, most notably in free throw shooting (.483 to .716), rebounding (3.1 to 4.2) and scoring (5.1 to 7.2 ppg).
The Team MVP, Best Defensive and Most Improved Player awards were selected by a vote of the team and coaching staff.
Sophomore Meredith Bell (Waldorf, Md.) received the "Iron Deac" Award. Given by assistant strength and conditioning coach Matt Jennings, the award honors the player who has shown the most dedication and best work ethic in the weight room.
Guard Cotelia Bond-Young was named the team's Outstanding Freshman. She was named to the ACC All-Freshman team and was runner-up in ACC Rookie of the Year balloting this season. Bond-Young led the Deacs with 43 three-pointers and a 1.72 assist-to-turnover ratio and was the conference's top freshman in scoring and assists.
Academic Advisor Jane Caldwell presented senior Heather Miller (Bassett, Va.) with the Academic Award. Miller, who has made numerous appearances on the WFU Dean's List and ACC Honor Roll during her collegiate career, will graduate from WFU with a degree in Business and Accountancy.
Caldwell herself was honored with the Stacy Cox Coach's Award. The annual award, selected and presented by head coach Charlene Curtis, is given to someone who has shown selfless service to the women's basketball program. The award is named for Cox, a former WFU assistant coach who passed away in an automobile accident in 1999.
The team, spearheaded by the junior class, recognized its three seniors with a video and gift presentation. The WFU women's basketball class of 2003 includes Johanna Bj?rklund (Stockholm, Sweden), Listenbee and Miller.
The Demon Deacons posted a 13-15 record in 2002-03 , including a 3-13 ACC mark. The 13 victories were the highest number of wins in seven seasons. The Demon Deacons will return nine letterwinners and four starters for the 2003-04 campaign.
