Lady Bulldogs Honor Seven At Annual Awards Banquet
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Six MSU Lady Bulldog basketball players and one generous supporter were honored at the annual awards banquet Monday night. Sponsored by the Lady Bulldog Booster Club, the event took place at the Hunter Henry Center on the Mississippi State Campus.
Six MState players brought home hardware from the event, including senior Imesia Jackson, juniors Marneshia Richard, Lauren Roberts and Donnisha Tate, sophomore Tysheka Grimes and freshman newcomer Mary Kathryn Govero.
Guard Marneshia Richard was honored with the Free Throw Percentage Award, Most Assists Award, Best Defensive Player Award and the Big Dawg Award. The junior from Lamar averaged 9.8 points per game and led the team in assists with a class record 136. She shot 77.5 percent from the charity stripe and recorded a team-high 62 steals on the season. Richard also received the Newsom Academic Award as the team’s top student-athlete. Richard was named to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-District team for her efforts in the classroom.
For her efforts throughout the community, Lauren Roberts was given the Community Service award. The Collierville, Tenn.,- native participated in several volunteer organizations this past season, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the M-Club. She was named to the Southeastern Conference’s Community Service Team earlier this year.
Crawford native Imesia Jackson picked up the Field Goal Percentage Award and Deflections and Charges Award, shooting 45.4 percent from the field, while taking a team-high 20 charges. Meanwhile, Mary Kathryn Govero from Clinton was honored by receiving the Coaches Award.
Tysheka Grimes took the Best Rebounder Award. Govero led the freshman corps with a 37.8 field goal percentage and a points per game average of six. Grimes, from Baton Rouge, La., led the team with 6.6 boards each time out. She was also the team’s second-leading scorer with 11 points each time out. Tate was honored as the Most Improved Player.
Mrs. Mary Evelyn Maxwell of Tupelo was honored with the Sixth Player Award, presented annually to those who go above and beyond. The Maxwell family has supported MSU Athletics for more than three decades.