May 4, 2009 | Season Highlights

Seniors LaFleur, Gurganus, Vaughn Earn Top Honors at Annual Awards Banquet

    Youngstown -- Three Youngstown State senior women's basketball players earned the top awards at the team's annual postseason banquet on Sunday in Kilcawley Center's Ohio Room on campus.
    Nikita LaFleur was named the Most Improved Player, Kelsey Gurganus earned the Penguin Award and Velissa Vaughn was recognized as the Academic All-Star.
    The banquet recognized all 13 players on the 2008-09 squad, particularly the six seniors. Assistant coach Bernard Scott served as the Master of Ceremonies, and Frank Frattaroli of Belleria Pizza was the Keynote Speaker.
    LaFleur had a breakout senior season in which she established career highs in nearly every category. She led the Penguins in scoring (8.5 points per game) and rebounding (7.8 per game), and her .550 shooting percentage was the seventh-best for a season in school history. She more than doubled her scoring total from her first three seasons combined.
    Gurganus earned the Penguin Award for her leadership;  commitment to the team, program and university; and her role as a coach on the floor. A Penguin for only two years - she played two at Southern Miss - Gurganus was the only player to start every game last year. She averaged 6.9 points overall and a team-high 8.2 points over the final 13 games.
    Vaughn has a cumulative 3.49 grade-point average, which is the highest among the six seniors, and turned in a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall 2008 semester.
    Head Coach Cindy Martin also recognized the entire senior class for its leadership in community service. The women's basketball team was honored earlier in the week for community service by the Horizon League.