LeAnn Mallernee, a member of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College women's basketball team, has been selected as the American Mideast Conference and the National Christian College Athletic Association Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her performances during the week of November 27-December 3.
Mallernee, a 6-foot-2 senior center from Sugarcreek, Ohio, led the Lady Cougars to a 2-0 record for the week as the former standout at Garaway High School averaged 28.0 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 67.6 percent from the field (25-of-37).
Mallernee began the week with a career-high 32 points and 11 rebounds in a 93-50 non-conference victory over Ursuline College. In that game, she was 14-of-19 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.
Mallernee closed out the week with 24 points and 10 rebounds in an 84-76 American Mideast Conference upset win at the University of Rio Grande, who is ranked tenth in the latest NAIA Division II national poll. In that contest, she nailed 11 of her 18 field goal attempts and also dished out two assists.
For the season, Mallernee leads MVNC and ranks among the AMC leaders in scoring (18.0 points per game), rebounding (9.3 boards per game), field goal percentage (56.3 percent), and blocked shots (7). She is also second on the team with 10 steals.
The Lady Cougars are currently off to a 6-0 start to the season - the best start since the 1985-1986 team went 7-0. MVNC also moved into the NAIA Division II poll for the first time ever at #20 in the latest poll which was released on Tuesday. The team will return to action on Saturday when the Lady Cougars will host Wilberforce University in a conference game that is slated to tip off at 2:00 p.m.
