Lady Jackets Basketball Hands Out Season Awards (Mar. 31, 2005)

BILLINGS, MT – Montana State-Billings head women’s basketball coach Kevin Woodin presented individual awards Wednesday night at a team banquet at the Billings Hotel.  Woodin led the Yellowjackets to a 21-7 record and the NCAA Tournament in his first season at the helm.

Robyn Milne was named the team’s Most Valuable Player.  The senior center from Richey, Mont., was second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game.  She led the team in rebounding (10.4 rpg), assists (3.2 apg) and blocked shots (3.7 bpg).  Her 104 blocked shots set a new single season school record.  She also set school career records for rebounds (957) and blocked shots (278).  Milne’s 1,066 points rank her sixteenth in school history, and she is just the second player in school history with over 1,000 points and 900 rebounds. 

Milne received a number of awards in her senior season, including her second team MVP honor.  For the second straight year she was named to the All-West Region second team.  She was also named to the NCAA DII Independent First Team and was the NCAA DII Independent Defensive Player of the Year.  Accomplished on and off the court, Milne was a CoSIDA Academic District VII First Team selection and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Third Team.

The Offensive MVP award went to Tanya Petersen.  The junior forward from Billings, Mont., led the team in scoring for the second straight year.  She averaged 15.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.  She was also named to the DII Independent Second Team.  In three seasons Petersen has scored 941 points, ranking her eighteenth in school history. 

Michelle Lieber was named the Defensive MVP.  The sophomore forward from Gillette, Wyo., averaged 8.9 points and 8.1 rebounds a game in her first season as a Yellowjacket.  She transferred to MSU Billings after one year at Wyoming.  Usually assigned to guard the opposing team’s best player, Lieber also had 21 steals and 14 blocked shots on the season.

Angie Lessard was selected as the Most Improved Player.  The junior guard from Elizabeth, Colo., transferred to MSU Billings from Otero JC.  She played sparingly in the early part of the season, but became a defensive spark during the Jackets’ stretch run to the Tournament.  Lessard averaged 1.4 points a game and added 33 assists and 18 steals.

The Most Inspirational award was shared by Kayla Frize and Shannon Harvey.  Frize, a junior guard from Miles City, Mont., almost decided not to play this season following her fourth knee surgery last year.  She played in all 28 games this season, averaging 4.4 points 1.4 assists per game.  Frize will not return for her senior season of eligibility after completing her degree this spring.  Harvey, a sophomore guard from Billings, Mont., also battled through injury for much of the season.  Along with an injured hand, she held off on knee surgery until after the NCAA Tournament.  Harvey averaged 7.5 points a game and led the team with 54 made 3-pointers.  She tied the school single-game record with seven 3-pointers in a win over Humboldt State in December.

The Yellowjacket Award, given to the player who best exemplifies the positive qualities of the program, was given to Jenny Langford.  The junior guard from Reedpoint, Mont., started all 28 games and averaged 7.1 points and 2.3 assists per game.  She was second on the team with 44 made 3-pointers.  After three seasons, Langford ranks fourth in school history with 134 career 3-pointers.