Tate, a 5-foot-3 point guard from Fostoria, Ohio, averaged 8.8 points, 3.6 assists, 3.7 steals, and 2.1 rebounds as a senior at St. Wendelin High School as she was named to the MAL Second Team and the All-District 6 Second Team. She was also an Honorable Mention All-Ohio selection as a junior.

“We are very pleased that Francena has made the decision to attend MVNU,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory. “She is a very talented basketball player, but more importantly, she is a tremendous Christian with strong character. She will come in and compete for playing time at the point guard position. She had an outstanding career at St. Wendelin, but her senior season was cut short by a torn ACL which forced her to miss the tail end of her season.”

“Francena has come on late in her career as her perimeter shooting has continued to improve,” Gregory added. “She is a great passer and defends very well and she is also a pretty good rebounding guard. She is scrappy and will do whatever it takes to be successful. We struck up a close bond very early in the recruiting process. She knows what she wants in terms of a Christian education and being part of a team that truly cares about each other. I am excited that she has chosen MVNU and look forward to coaching and mentoring her over the next four years.”

In addition to playing basketball at St. Wendelin, Tate was a secretary on Student Council. She also received the Community Hero Award and was an Optimist Scholarship recipient and an Axa Achievement Scholarship recipient. In addition, she played for seven years with the Northwest Hoopstars AAU team.

“I chose MVNU because of its great Christian environment,” said Tate of her college choice. “My faith is very important to me and to be with other Christians who love basketball amazes me. Coach Gregory is a great coach and I appreciate all of the work he has put into the program. I am very blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of the MVNU basketball family despite tearing my ACL and meniscus during my senior basketball season.”

MVNU finished the 2008-2009 season with a 27-9 overall record - the best in school history - as the Lady Cougars captured their third National Christian College Athletic Association national title and also finished as the American Mideast Conference Tournament runner-up.