1999-2000: Joanne Polakaoski
Joanne
Polakoski will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest Lady
Monarch players of all time as she led King's to its most victorious
four-year period ever with a 82-30 record,
averaging over 20 wins per-season. She scored in double
figures in 59 straight games and 79 of her last 81 contests.
She stands as the second leading scorer in school history with 1,971
points and is also second in rebounds with 987. She is also King's
career leader in shooting percentage, converting 56.3 (792-1,406)
percent of her shots from 1997-00.As a senior, Polakoski led the MAC in scoring and rebounding,
finishing the season with 21.1 points and 11.1 rebounds while
posting career single-season personal highs of 46 assists, 31
blocks, and 58 steals. Polakoski scored 632 points on the
year, the second highest single-season total in King's history
behind Bowler's 642 points in 1981-82.
After leading King's to a 24-6 record, the program's first-ever
berth into the 2000 NCAA Division III National Tournament, and a
spot in the "Sweet 16", Polakoski's talents were
recognized nationwide as she was named the Columbus Multimedia
Women's Division III "National Player of the Year." With
the award, Polakoski became the first-ever King's athlete to gain a
national player of the year honor in any sport. Polakoski was a consensus first-team all-American,
after being named
to the 2000 Kodak all-American Team, the D3Hoops.com
all-American Team, and the Division III News all-American
Team. She was also named as one of 10 finalists for the 2000 Josten's
Trophy as the Division III "National Player of the Year", an award which honors both academics and
athletics.
Additionally, the 5'11" power forward was selected as the most
valuable player of the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom League and
the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern Region "Player
of the Year" for the second consecutive season. She was also a four-time MAC Freedom League all-star.
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2000-01: Denise Igo & Erin McCarron
Denise
Igo and Erin McCarron shared the 2000-01 Mary Beth Bowler
Award. The two seniors helped lead the Lady Monarchs to a pair
NCAA National Tournament berths in their final two seasons,
including a 19-7 record and MAC Freedom Conference championship as
seniors..
Igo was a two-year team captain and a three-year starter for the
Lady Monarchs. Perhaps the most versatile player in King's
history, the 5'9" Igo played every position except center
during her career with the Lady Monarchs. Igo ranks ninth in King's
scoring history with 1,122 points and also added 550 rebounds, 316
assists, and 248 steals during her career.
As a senior, she was named the MAC Freedom Conference Co-Most
Valuable Player after averaging 13.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.8
assists per-game. She was a two-time MAC Freedom all-star
selection.
McCarron, meanwhile, was regarded as the team leader.
Though not putting up lofty statistics, McCarron's presence as
team captain and inspirational vocal leader played a major role in
the team's success. As a senior, McCarron saw action in 25
games. A former walk-on who was not recruited to King's,
McCarron utilized her tireless work-ethic and enthusiasm to become a
four-year team member and two-year team captain. She scored
145 points with 81 rebounds in her career but statistics were only a
minor part of her contributions to the program.
2001-02: Fran Monte
Fran Monte was the recipient of the 2002 Mary
Beth Bowler Award. Monte was a four-year member and two-year starter
with the Lady Monarchs where she served as a team co-captain as a
junior and senior. Monte was also a part of a Lady Monarch program
which earned three consecutive berths in the NCAA Division III
National Tournament. She helped guide King's to the 2001 MAC Freedom
Conference championship as well as the 2002 NCAA Division III
National "Elite Eight". Although
regarded as an undersized power-forward, Monte used her quickness,
athletic ability, and desire to succeed on the court.
In her four years with the program, Monte played in 97 games,
starting in 58 contests. She scored 904 career points with 424
rebounds, 129 steals, and 110 assists. She shot an outstanding 48.3
(345-715) percent from field goal range for her career as well as
70.7 (208-294) percent from the foul line. She
was a MAC Freedom Conference all-star as a junior and earned a
number of MAC Player of the Week and All-Tournament Team honors
during her stay at King's. Monte was also an outstanding student,
earning MAC All-Academic honors while being nominated to the Verizon
Academic All-American Team.
2002-03:
Nikki
Kingston
Nikki Kingston was the winner of the 2003 Mary
Beth Bowler Award. Kingston will go down as one of the finest
all-around players in King's history. Kingston was a consistent
scorer, an outstanding passer, and one of the premier defensive
players in the nation. She was also one of the smartest players
during King's coach Bryan Whitten's tenure. Her ability to quickly
grasp the Lady Monarchs' offensive and defensive systems, game
plans, and game-time adjustments enabled her to help educate her
teammates while literally serving as a coach on the floor.
With 1,118 points, Kingston graduated 10th on
the Lady Monarchs scoring list. She also averaged 4.7 rebounds, 2.6
assists, and 2.2 steals during her 107-game career. She shot 44.5
(390-976) percent from the field, 33.7 (64-190) percent from
three-point range, and set a school-record by making 79.4 (274-345)
percent of her shots from the foul line.
Kingston was a two-time MAC Freedom Conference
first-team selection, the 2002 conference MVP, and a 2002 WBCA/Kodak
Honorable Mention All-American. She helped lead King's to Freedom
Conference championships in 2001 and 2003 as well as four straight
berths in the NCAA Division III National Tournament, two trips to
the Sweet 16 in 2000 and 2003, and a spot in the Elite Eight in
2002.
2003-04:
Tiffini Varrasse
Tiffini Varrasse was the winner of the 2004 Mary
Beth Bowler Award. Varrasse will be remembered as one of the
Lady Monarchs most tenacious, aggressive players ever at King's
where she played point-guard and was a four-year starter.
Varrasse began her career on a negative note, suffering a
season-ending knee injury just four games into the 1999-2000 season.
After surgery, she received an NCAA medical redshirt and regained
freshman eligibility status for the 2000-01 season.
Over the course of her career, she totaled 1,227 points to rank
sixth all-time on the Lady Monarchs scoring list. Varrasse is also
the program's all-time career leader in assists (447) and steals
(343). She helped King’s to a 87-24 record during her career,
averaging 21.7 wins per-year, including Freedom Conference
championships in 2001 and 2003 as well as three straight NCAA
Division III National Tournament berths from 2001 through 2003. A
two-time MAC Freedom Conference first-team all-star, Varrasse was
the 2003 Freedom Conference most valuable player. She was a
NCAA Division III second-team all-American as a junior and an
honorable mention choice as a senior..
Over the course of her career, she
totaled 1,227 points to rank sixth all-time on the Lady Monarchs
scoring list. Varrasse is also the program's all-time career leader
in assists (447) and steals (343). She helped King’s to a 87-24
record during her career, averaging 21.7 wins per-year, including
Freedom Conference championships in 2001 and 2003 as well as three
straight NCAA Division III National Tournament berths from 2001
through 2003. She was the 2003 Freedom Conference most valuable
player and a NCAA Division III second-team all-American.
As a senior, Varrasse was one of just 10
players named as finalists for the 2004 Josten's Trophy, which
honors the top male and female student-athletes in NCAA Division III
basketball. Academically, Varrasse owned a 3.81 overall grade-point
average as a triple major in elementary education, early childhood
education, and Spanish, while also holding a minor in psychology.
She was also named the 2003-04 MAC Winter Sports Scholar-Athlete of
the Year".
2004-05:
Kristin Yeasted
King's College women's basketball standout Kristin Yeasted was the
winner of the 2005 Mary Beth Bowler Award.
Yeasted concluded her career in 2005 by being named an NCAA Division
III fourth-team all-American by D3hoops.com.
As a senior, the a 6-1 senior center, helped guide King's to a 22-4
record as the Lady Monarchs finished the season ranked 10th
nationally by D3hoops.com.
Yeasted led King's in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots,
averaging 14.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 rejections per-game
while adding 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals. She was a powerful force in
the paint who proved difficult for opponents to guard, as evidenced
by her 171 free throw attempts.
During her senior season, Yeasted posted career single-game highs of
32 points against DeSales and 17 rebounds versus FDU-Florham. She
scored in double-figures in 19 of the 23 games she played in,
including 11 of the last 12 contests.
Yeasted was named a first-team all-Freedom Conference choice and was
a first-team Mid-Atlantic all-Regional pick. She was also selected
as the most valuable player of the Oneonta Invitational Tournament
and was additionally named to all-tournament teams at the Marymount
Tip-Off and the Lady Monarch Classic. She was also named the Freedom
Conference "Player of the Week" on February 7, 2005.
Over the course of her career, Yeasted played in 101 games at
King's, including 66 starts. She totaled 795 points, 516 rebounds,
91 blocks, 68 steals, and 85 assists.
2005-06: Beth
Jordan
The 2006 Mary Beth Bowler Award was presented
to senior power forward Beth Jordan.
Jordan concluded an outstanding career by
leading the 2005-06 King's team to a 13-13 record, including the
Lady Monarchs 12th straight post-season playoff berth. She ranked
first on the squad with 15.0 points while leading the Freedom
Conference with 9.0 rebounds per-game. Jordan shot
47.8 (151-316) percent from the field while
making 76.8 (86-112) percent from the foul line. She also chipped in
with 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per-game.
As a senior, Jordan posted career-highs with
29 points against Drew on January 25 while adding a career-best 15
rebounds November 19 against Wesleyan. She also registered 10
double-doubles (points-rebounds) on the year.
Jordan, who played her first two years at
King's as a top reserve, finished her career 11th on the Lady
Monarchs' all-time scoring list with 1,150 points while adding 637
rebounds, 204 assists, and 133 steals. She stands as King's career
foul shooting leader, converting 81.6 (200-245) percent of her free
throws. She also owns the second best career field goal shooting
percentage in King's history, making 51.2 (474-926) percent of her
attempts from the floor.
Jordan was a two-time first-team All-Freedom
Conference selection and received Kodak/WBCA Honorable Mention
All-American Honors as a senior. She was named to the 2006
Kodak/WBCA All-Region 4 Team as a first-team selection.
An outstanding student with a 3.84 grade-point
average, Jordan is also a three-time Middle Atlantic Conferences
All-Academic selection. She was twice named to the ESPN The Magazine
District II All-Academic Team, earning first team honors as a senior
after garnering third-team status her junior year.
2006-07: Casey
Heitman
The 2007 Mary Beth Bowler Award was presented
to senior guard-forward forward Casey Heitman.
Heitman will go down as one of the
hardest-working players in memory as she came to King's as an
unheralded freshman walk-on who had a dream of playing college
basketball. As a freshman, she saw action in 13 games, averaging 1.3
points and 1.0 rebounds per-game. As a sophomore she saw action in
12 games on a deep and talented King's team that went 22-4,
averaging 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds.
Heitman would continue to work hard in the
off-season and earned more playing time as a junior as she started
14 of 26 games and averaged 4.6 points and 2.7 rebounds. As a senior
in 2006-07, she was voted as a team captain and played in all 30
games, helping King's to a 21-9 record and a second-place finish in
the Freedom Conference playoffs and the ECAC Southern Region
Championships by averaging 6.7 points and 3.9 rebounds with 38
assists and 34 steals while shooting 38.6 (32-83) percent from
three-point range. She was also the recipient of the annual John J.
Dorish Sportsmanship Award after helping King's win the Lady Monarch
Classic
An outstanding student with a 3.588 overall
grade-point average, Heitman was a three-time Middle Atlantic
Conferences All-Academic Team selection.
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