Basketball Kudos

GAMBIER, Ohio (April 11, 2005) Head coach Suzanne Helfant was recently selected as the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) District Six Coach of the Year. This past season, Helfant guided the Ladies to a North Coast Athletic Conference championship and a 22-5 record, the second-best record in the history of the program.

Helfant, who earlier this month was named the North Coast Athletic Conference's Coach of the Year for the second time in her career, was one of eight NCAA Division III head coaches selected for the WBCA's regional honor.

Completing her tenth season at Kenyon, Helfant continued to preach defense as a priority for her players. They responded by posting the third best defensive scoring average in the nation (47.5 ppg) and the seventeenth-best defensive field goal percentage (.329).

On the offensive end of the court, the Ladies were outstanding beyond the three-point arc and at the free throw line. The Kenyon women led all NCAC teams with 172 three-pointers made and set a College single-season record with a team free throw percentage of .674 (262-of-389).

The banner 2004-05 season also helped push Helfant's overall record at Kenyon to 156-102. During her tenure she's collected two NCAC championships, directed her team to two NCAA tournament appearances, coached three NCAC Players of the Year, and was presented with the NCAC's Coaching Legends Awards in 2002.