NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Morehead State juniors
Kenneth Faried and
Chynna Bozeman swept the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year Awards, each taking the award in their respective sport. The honors were announced at the OVC’s Award Reception Thursday night.
Faried also was named Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-OVC. Senior
Maze Stallworth was named Second Team All-Conference. Bozeman was also tabbed Women’s Basketball First Team All-OVC.
Bozeman is the third player in school history to earn OVC Player of the Year. She joins Amy Kieckbusch (1996-97) and Donna Murphy (1979-80). She is also the 18th MSU player to be named First-Team All-OVC. Bozeman is the first Eagle player since Amy Kieckbusch to score 30 points in a game three times in one year. She has 113 3-pointers, which leads the nation and currently ranks 11th on the NCAA Division I single season record chart and first on the OVC single season chart. Her 3.6 3-pointers per game ranks third nationally.
"It's exciting, It’s a win for all of us, the whole team," Bozeman said. "They helped me get here, without them I don’t think this would have been possible. I also want to thank coach Bradbury for pushing me since I was a freshman. He’s helped me to become a leader."
Bozeman's 19.3 points per game leads the OVC and ranks 16th nationally and her season total of 599 points is the third best single season point total in school history. Her 1,459 career points ranks ninth in school history. She is the OVC and MSU career leader in three-pointers made with 265, her 317 3-pointers attempted is OVC single season record and her 746 3-pointers attempted is OVC career record. In addition she has 251 career steals to ranks eighth in school history.
"I'm very happy for Chynna winning the Player of the Year Award. She has put in a lot of work to improve her game and become an all-around player," Morehead State women's basketball coach
Mike Bradbury said. "She's not just a scorer, she has a complete offensive game, passing, ball handling, and a great understanding of what's happening around her. She has gained the trust of her teammates on the offensive end to make big shots for us and her teammates do a great job of making her a great player."
Faried is the fifth Morehead State player to win the league's highest honor and first since Ricky Minard took home Player of the Year honors in 2002-03. In his third year with the Eagles, Faried ranked second in the league in scoring (17.0 points/game), first in rebounding (13.2), second in blocked shots (1.9/game), fourth in steals (1.6) and fourth in field goal percentage (56.7%). Nationally, Faried ranks first in rebounding and second in double-doubles, recording 22 double-dips in 31 total games. There were only seven games this year he failed to pull down double-digit rebounds and in 15 of his games he had 15 or more caroms, including a season-high 21 boards in a road win at Tennessee State. In that game, he also scored 23 points, which was one of just nine 20/20 games nationally this season. Faried also increased his points/game production from a season ago, from 13.9 points a game to a team-best 17.0 this season. That included nine games with 20 or more points. Faried was named OVC Player of the Week five times during the 2009-10 season.
"Kenneth has represented MSU in a first-class manner since the day he arrived on campus and is very very deserving of this honor," Morehead State men's basketball coach Donnie Tyndall said. "I am very happy for Kenneth and so proud of him. He has had a fantastic junior season and a remarkable career to this point. I have said this many times, Kenneth is a phenomnal player but he is a even better teammate and person."
Faried also repeated as the OVC Defensive Player of the Year, which was awarded for the first time by the OVC in 2008-09. At the end of the regular season Faried had 1,118 career rebounds, a mark that already ranks eighth in OVC history. Besides grabbing rebounds at a record pace, Faried also altered shots, blocking 58 in 31 games. That included a season-high five in a road game at Austin Peay and also against UT Martin in the regular season finale. His 51 total steals is also tops on the Morehead State team.
“I’m ecstatic. I credit my teammates for finding me when I’m open and my coaches for pushing me in practice," Faried said. "I also credit my parents, my mother especially. "If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be here doing the things I do. Her staying strong has helped me to keep going strong."
Stallworth, MSU’s second leading scorer and rebounder this season, is the Eagles’ all-time leading 3-point shooter. Last season he set the records for triples made (87) and attempted (229) in a single season. This year he’s added to that total and is the Eagles’ career leader with 269 3-pointers made and 713 attempted.
"Maze was the first player I recruited at Morehead State and it has been a tremendous experience watching him mature into a terrific ball player and outstanding young man. As one of our senior leaders, he is very deserving of this award," Tyndall said.
Stallworth ranks 51st in the NCAA and second in the OVC in treys made per game at 2.7. He also has slipped into the top 10 career list in the OVC for 3-pointers made and attempted. His 269 made triples puts him in sixth place on the made list. He also moved into fifth place on the attempted list with 713.
“I give all the credit to my teammates. Without them, I wouldn’t have been here, I wouldn’t have been where I am," Stallworth said. "Hopefully we can go out and win the OVC Tournament again."
Both the men’s and women’s team are seeded second and advanced to the semifinals with First Round wins Tuesday at Johnson Arena. The MSU women will play third-seeded Austin Peay at 3 p.m. Eastern Friday. The Eagle men’s team will play sixth-seeded Tennessee Tech at 9 p.m. Friday. Both games will be played at Bridgestone Arena