Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University women's basketball standout Stephanie Boardman, class of 2010 from Cincinnati, Ohio, has been named one of 12 finalists for the prestigious Jostens Trophy, a national award that honors the most outstanding player in the country based on basketball ability, academic prowess and community service.
The Jostens Trophy was created 13 years ago by the Rotary Club of Salem, Va., to honor the most outstanding men's and women's NCAA Division III basketball players of the year. From a record number of nominations in 2010, the committee employed a numerical rating to narrow the list of finalists to 10 men and 12 women.
The trophy models the Rotary International motto of "Service above Self" by recognizing the ideal of the well-rounded NCAA Division III student-athlete. The winners will be announced at a banquet on Thursday, March 18, at the Salem Civic Center in conjunction with the Men's Basketball NCAA Division III Championship hosted by the City of Salem, Va., March 19-20.
Boardman, who carries a 3.45 grade point average while majoring in biology, led the Tigers with 17.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, the second straight year in which she paced the squad in both categories. Boardman also finished the season ranked second in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in both categories.
The school record holder for season shooting percentage after making 63.8 percent of her shots during the 2007-08 campaign, Boardman is a two-time All-NCAC honoree and has earned all-tournament recognition four times during her illustrious career. Shortly after scoring a career-high 33 points (the second-highest point total in program history) in a win over Ohio Wesleyan, Boardman became just the eighth player in program history to surpass the prestigious 1,000-point plateau. She finished her career with 1,176 points, fourth in program history, and 544 rebounds, 10th in program history.
Boardman was a 2010 second-team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America College Division All-District IV honoree in recognition of the combination of her athletic and academic accomplishments. She is a member of the freshman honorary Alpha Lambda Delta, Mortar Board and the student-athlete honorary Chi Alpha Sigma, while also performing volunteer work at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Springfield Regional Medical Center and Habitat for Humanity. A 2009-10 recipient of the Pam Evans Smith Memorial Scholarship, Boardman has completed two clinical internships during her collegiate career as well.
Boardman led the Tigers to their first NCAC regular season title since 2006 as Wittenberg posted a 15-1 mark. After losing in the NCAC Tournament championship game 70-67 to Denison on Saturday, Feb. 27, the Tigers concluded their 2009-10 season with an overall record of 19-8.
Written by: Ryan Maurer
Photo by: Erin Pence
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