INDIANAPOLIS- The University of Indianapolis women's basketball team took home a bevy of honors Friday with the announcement of the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference Teams.  Headlining the honorees was junior forward Samantha Meissel, the 2010 GLVC Player of the Year.  Also garnering mention were senior Jessica Canary (first team), senior Katie Dewey (third team), and Head Coach LeAnn Freeland (Coach of the Year).

#Samantha Meissel# garnered her second straight All-GLVC First Team nod Friday, while becoming the fourth Greyhound women to be named the league's player of the year.  The Terre Haute, Ind., native averages 5.0 rebounds and a league-high 19.6 points per game, while also ranking third in the conference in field goal percentage (.567).  Meissel enters play this week needing 13 points to become just the sixth player in program history to record 1,500 career points.

Joining Meissel on the first team was senior guard #Jessica Canary#.  The versatile guard ranks in the league's top 16 in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks and free throw percentage.  Canary, an All-GLVC Second Team honoree last year, is on track to become the first player in program history to finish her career with over 1,300 points, 600 rebounds & 400 assists.  It marks the second major award for Canary this week, as she was also named to the 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® College Division Third Team.  She is averaging 14.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season.

Fellow senior #Katie Dewey# received recognition Friday with an All-GLVC Third Team nod, the first all-conference honor of her career.  The four-year starting point guard needs five steals to become just the second Greyhound ever to record 300 career thefts.  Dewey, who ranks first in the GLVC and 21st in the nation in steals, also has 455 assists and 107 made 3-pointers in her time at UIndy, good for sixth and eighth, respectively, in the program's career annals.  She is averaging 9.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.0 steals per game this season.

Also among the list of honorees was UIndy head coach #LeAnn Freeland#, the 2010 GLVC 'Chuck Mallender' Coach of the Year award winner.  Freeland, who guided the Hounds to a program-record 24-game win streak earlier this season, picks up her first coach of the year honor in just her third season as a head coach.  Coming off a "Sweet 16" showing in last year's NCAA Tournament, the Greyhounds are headed for their third straight NCAA appearance on Freeland's watch.

The No. 3 Greyhounds (25-2, 16-2 GVLC) begin postseason play this weekend by hosting a GLVC Tournament quarterfinal game.  The Hounds face the winner of Saturday's St. Joseph's/Missouri-St. Louis first-round matchup on Sunday afternoon.  Both contests will be held at Nicoson Hall and will tip at 1 p.m. EST.  Click here for more info.


Note:  UIndy's previous GLVC Players of the Year are Kristin Lowry (2003), Courtney Sands (1993) and Laura Foreman (1986) … UIndy's previous GLVC Coaches of the Year are Teri Moren (2003) and Chuck Mallender (1988 & 1993) – after whom the award is now named.



2009-10 All-Great Lakes Valley Conference Teams
First Team
Lindsay Ballweg, Sr., Drury
Jessica Canary, Sr., Indianapolis
Samantha Meissel, Jr., Indianapolis
Casse Mogan, So., Northern Kentucky
Jenny Turpel, Sr., Lewis

Second Team
Brittany Beyer, So., UW-Parkside
Brittany Edelen, Sr., Bellarmine
Brittany Hogen, Jr., UW-Parkside
Courtney Shuman, Jr., Quincy
Ellen Young, Jr., Southern Indiana

Third Team
Kylie Brady, So., Bellarmine
Katie Dewey, Sr., Indianapolis
Amanda Gibson, Sr., UW-Parkside
Ja'Nell Jones, Jr., Drury
Amie Newhart, Jr., Southern Indiana
Melanie Oliver, Sr., Drury
Tatiana Ortiz, So., Saint Joseph's
Katie Pritchard, So., Drury
Brandi Rayburn, Sr., Northern Kentucky
Lindsey Stellflue, Sr., Quincy

GLVC Player of the Year:  Samantha Meissel, Indianapolis, Jr.
GLVC Freshman of the Year:  Jalissa Chatlos, Bellarmine, Fr.
GLVC 'Chuck Mallender' Coach of the Year:  LeAnn Freeland, Indianapolis