April 18, 2003
OXFORD, Ohio-Members of the Miami University women's basketball family gathered in the multi-purpose room of the Walter L. Gross, Jr., Student-Athlete Development Center Thursday evening to pay tribute to an exciting 2002-03 campaign that brought the RedHawks their first Mid-American Conference East Division Championship.
Along with comments from head coach Maria Fantanarosa and captains senior Heather Cusick and junior Colleen Day, several members of the team were recognized with individual honors at the Second Annual Miami Women's Basketball Banquet.
For the second straight season, Cusick was named Miami's Most Valuable Player after leading the team in scoring, assists, steals and 3-point field goals and earning first-team all-MAC plaudits. Cusick also was presented with game balls to commemorate her 1000th career point and career scoring record.
Other RedHawks honored included junior Melanie Kozlowski, who earned the Scholar-Athlete Award for the second straight season; sophomore Kim Smith, who merited the Most Improved Award; senior Beth Roederer, who was named the Best Defensive Player; and junior Colleen Day, who earned The Hawk award,an honor given to the individual that best exemplifies the ideals of hard work, dedication to the program and team ideals, for the second straight season.
Director of Athletics Brad Bates also presented the Miami coaching staff with the MAC East Division Championship plaque it earned during an impressive 17-12 overall and 11-5 conference season.
"It was definitely a season in which we raised the bar," Fantanarosa commented. "There have been so many memorable accomplishments over the last year, but this team never stopped wanting more. The chemistry and relationships on this team helped make for a very enjoyable journey."
The banquet also marked a farewell for seniors Cusick, Roederer and Jana Butler, who were all members of Fantanarosa's first Miami recruiting class. The trio accounted for a remarkable 263 starts and missed only 10 combined games throughout their four-year careers.
Miami returns six letterwinners to next season's team, including two starters and returning MAC Sixth Man of the Year Kim Lancaster.
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