HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oklahoma Baptist, led by outside hitters
Malia Leatherland and
Hayley Daniel, as well as head coach
Anna Howle, placed three on the All-GAC teams at the award banquet held in Hot Springs, Arkansas ahead of the Great American Conference Tournament set to begin tomorrow.
Leatherland, a junior from Broken Arrow, was named GAC Player of the Year after averaging 3.89 kills/set and 2.86 digs/set while leading OBU to its first outright conference title in 2019. She was named the GAC Offensive Player of the Week three times this season, while also being honored as the AVCA National Player of the Week once. Leatherland was also named to the All-GAC First Team.
Daniel, a junior from Edmond, took home GAC Newcomer of the Year honors while averaging 3.01 kills/set and 3.39 digs/set. She also finished with 39 total blocks, including eight solo, and swung .227 for the year. In addition to Newcomer of the Year, Daniel was placed on the All-GAC Second Team.
Howle claimed GAC Coach of the Year honors for the first time after engineering a nine-win swing from 2018 to 2019. Picked to finish seventh in the GAC preseason poll, Howle coached the team to the regular-season title, while also claiming big nonconference road wins over Central Oklahoma (RV) and Arkansas-Fort Smith.
Diana Carranza, a junior from Lima, Peru, earned All-GAC Honorable Mention as a defensive specialist. The junior led OBU with 4.99 digs/set and 43 service aces while also ranking third on the team with 1.20 assists/set.
On the academic side,
Brecken Roquemore was honored as a GAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete.
Oklahoma Baptist is set to begin tournament play tomorrow at 5 PM against No.8-seeded Arkansas Tech.
