Lady Frogs Honored at Postseason Banquet
4/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 16, 2002
FORT WORTH, Texas - A crowd of nearly 300 was on hand at Ridglea Country Club on Sunday, April 14, as the TCU Lady Frogs hosted their annual postseason banquet. The Lady Frogs received special recognition after finishing the season with a 24-7 record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year.
Senior Kati Safaritova became the most highly-decorated player in program history as she claimed three awards at the banquet. Safaritova was named the team's Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year and also won the Janice Dziuk Award for hard work and determination.
Safaritova averaged a team-high 13.9 points and added 4.1 rebounds per game during the season, and her 432 points rank as the third-highest total in school history. She finished her career rated 11th on TCU's all-time scoring list despite playing just two seasons for the Lady Frogs. It was the second straight season that she earned Offensive Player of the Year accolades. Last week, the Conference USA first-teammer became the first TCU player ever invited to a WNBA Draft combine.
Senior Ashanti Nix and sophomore Ebony Shaw shared Defensive Player of the Year honors. The two guards combined to form a tough backcourt combination as TCU finished among the nation's top 20 in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. Nix recorded 79 steals on the year, the third-highest single-season total in school history, while Shaw was one of two players to start every game for the Frogs.
Sandora Irvin completed her inaugural collegiate season with another accolade, as she took home Freshman of the Year honors. Previously, Irvin was named second-team Freshman All-American and was on the Conference USA Third Team and All-Freshman squad. She nearly averaged a double-double with 10.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and shattered the school's single-season blocked shot record with 85.
For the third consecutive year, senior Quinn Tedder took home the Academic Award. Tedder finished her TCU career as the winningest Lady Frog in school history, as she was a part of 81 victories in her four seasons.
