(Pictured from left to right : Candace Parson, Catherine Taylor, Ellie Iaciofano, Hannah Goolsby, Coach Jim Davis, Kayla Brewer, Diamond Henderson, and Molly Heady.
By Jocelyn VerVelde, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The 2013-14 women's basketball season officially came to a close on Thursday night as the Golden Eagles hosted their annual Awards Dinner in recognition of the success that the student-athletes had on and off the court this past season.
Taking home top honors were Candace Parson and Molly Heady. Parson was honored with the prestigious Frank Porter Award while Molly Heady was given the John P. Hendrix Leadership Award.
The Frank Porter Award is presented to the player for her contributions to the team, the basketball program, Tennessee Tech University and the community. Her team contributions consist of leadership, sportsmanship and fair play as well as academics, citizenship and pose on and off the floor."
Parson was also honored as the teams leading rebounder, finishing the season with a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game, including a career-best 14 against Memphis on Dec. 14.
The John P. Hendrix Leadership Award is given to the team member who demonstrates what it means to be a leader on and off the court.
This is the second-straight year Heady has won the John P. Leadership Award. Following her freshman and sophomore seasons, Heady was the recipient of the Frank Porter Award. Heady was also named one of two Golden Eagle Award winners.
Other players recognized at the banquet were Diamond Henderson, Hannah Goolsby, Ellie Iaciofano, and Catherine Taylor.
The Best Offensive Player of the Year went to Diamond Henderson for the second-straight season.
Henderson was the leading scorer for the Golden Eagles averaging 19.7 points per game. She also dished out a career-best 3.2 assists per game. She became the 27th member of the 1,000-point club and was the only Golden Eagle named to the all-conference team as first team selection. Henderson also received OVC Player of the Week accolades throughout the season.
Freshman Hannah Goolsby was honored with the Best Defense Award. The two-time adidas® OVC Freshman of the Week was accountable for locking down the opponents best offensive option during most of the season. While doing so she also averaged 9.0 points, 2.5 boards, and shot an impressive 34.7 percent from beyond the arch.
Goolsby also earned the team's best Academic Student-Athlete with a 3.86 GPA.
Ellie Iaciofano and Molly Heady were both honored with the Golden Eagle Award. The award is for the player that always does what she is asked, with a winning attitude and makes her teammates better players. Iaciofano came from the Tech soccer team, and earned her way into playing time and starting time, including four starts. Heady, a four-year starter and three-point specialist, was asked to be a lot more that just that this season. With injuries riddling the team, Heady was needed to play many positions and was needed to step out of her comfort zone. She was still able to connect on 45.3 percent of her three-point field goal attempts.
The "I Dare You" award was given to Cat Taylor. The award recognizes the potential in a student-athlete and dares them to fulfill that potential next season. It encourages her to get in the gym over the summer and prepare for the upcoming season. Taylor averaged 4.6 points per game, including multiple 10-point games. She increased her productivity each month during her freshman season averaging 5.5 in November, and increasing it to 7.5 in March.
Also receiving recognition was graduate student Kayla Brewer who became the TTU all-time leader of blocks in a single-season with 61. This mark also tied her for seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference in the same category.
