Rachel Fiely	Amanda Himes	Alexis Harkins	Melissa Mastrodonato

Highlighting the list for the Lady Cougars was Rachel Fiely, who was named the NCCAA East Region Player of the Year. Fiely, a 5-foot-7 senior guard from Greenville, Ohio, is averaging 13.5 points and 3.5 rebounds this season. The former Greenville High School star has also set new school records with 214 assists and 102 steals this year and she is in the top 15 in the nation in both categories.

Joining Fiely on the NCCAA East Region First Team was Amanda Himes. Himes, a 6-foot-1 sophomore post from Hilliard, Ohio, leads MVNU in both scoring (19.5 points per game) and rebounding (10.8 rebounds per game). The former Hilliard Darby High School standout is also shooting 49.7 percent from the field and leads the Lady Cougars with 27 blocked shots.

Alexis Harkins, a 5-foot-10 freshman forward from Canal Fulton, Ohio, was named to the NCCAA East Region Second Team. The former Northwest High School star is averaging 13.7 points and 7.3 rebounds - both second on the team for MVNU. She also has 26 blocked shots, 50 assists, and 42 steals.

Melissa Mastrodonato, a 5-foot-10 senior post from Lakewood, Ohio, was an NCCAA East Region Honorable Mention pick. The former Lakewood High School product is averaging 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds and is shooting 46.6 percent from the field.

Head coach Steve Gregory was selected by his peers as the NCCAA East Region Co-Coach of the Year along with Josh Thompson of Nyack (N.Y.) College. In his eleventh season at his alma mater, Gregory has guided the Lady Cougars to a 24-8 record this year as the team has set a new school record for wins in a season. The team also reached the American Mideast Conference Tournament for the first time in nine years and advanced to the championship game for the first time ever before falling 51-49 on Tuesday night at Ohio Dominican University.

MVNU will return to action on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. when the Lady Cougars will host Nyack in the NCCAA East Region championship game. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the NCCAA National Tournament to be held on March 12-14 at Grace (Ind.) College. In conjunction with Saturday’s game, the NCCAA is asking fans to donate canned goods that will be given to a local food pantry.