ATLANTA, Ga. - On Thursday morning, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced their Division III All-American team. Among the honorees was Messiah's senior forward
Leah Springer. With her honor, Springer becomes the seventh player in Messiah women's basketball history to be named an All-American.
Just earlier this week, Springer was named the D3hoops.com Regional Player of the Year after averaging a double-double this season with 19.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Additionally, Springer was named the MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year, the MAC Commonwealth Tournament Most Valuable Player, and First Team All-Conference.
The WBCA names 10 players to their All-America team with 30 others picking up Honorable Mention accolades, Springer was one of 10 chosen on the WBCA's top team. This is the first-career national honor for Springer.
In Messiah's 29 games this season, Springer was fantastic. The senior forward was the lone Falcon to log more than 1,000 minutes on the court this season. She did so by averaging a team-high 19.2 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game, accumulating a total of 15 double-doubles on the season. An all-around player, Springer swatted 54 shots on the year while grabbing 49 steals and dishing out out 69 assists.
The heart and soul of Messiah women's basketball, Springer collected her 1,000th career point on the road against Stevenson on Feb. 12. Springer needed just three seasons and a total of 81 career games to reach the milestone, becoming the 24th member of the exclusive club in program history. Despite missing all of her junior year due to injury, she ends her senior season with 1,148 career points.
During her three years on the floor (2016-17, 2017-18, and 2019-20) the Falcons hold an overall record of 77-10 (.885 winning percentage) with three MAC Commonwealth Championships and a pair of Sweet 16 appearances.
This season, the Falcons ended their year with a victory in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament with a come-from-behind, 60-50 win over Eastern Connecticut State University. Messiah finished the year with an overall record of 25-4 in a season cut short by the COVID-19 outbreak.
