CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team held their annual awards banquet last week, honoring Haley Schmitt – this season's lone senior – and handing out the year-end awards. Head coach Kate Peterson Abiad and her staff handed out awards for; Rebounding Excellence, Sixth Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and MVP.
The team also took this time to recap the 2013-14 season, watching the season highlight film and reliving some off-the-court memories from the year. All six videos that were played at the awards banquet (and showcased below) were produced by Kyle Weakland – Cleveland State Women's Basketball Video Coordinator.
2013-14 Women's Basketball Season Highlights
2013-14 Women's Basketball Off-The-Court Memories
Rebounding Excellence | Imani Gordon, Junior
Imani Gordon earned this season's 'Rebounding Excellence' award after leading the Vikings on the boards throughout the season. Gordon grabbed 283 total rebounds on the season – a mark that ranks seventh on the CSU single season charts – averaging 9.4 rebounds per contest. Gordon finished the season with 539 career rebounds – which ranks 18th on the CSU career rebounding list.
Gordon's 9.4 rebounds per game ranked her third among league players, while she ranked sixth in offensive boards (3.0 rpg) and third in defensive boards (6.5 rpg). Gordon, who tallied 11 double-digit rebound games on the season, grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds against Oakland on January 23, becoming the first Viking since the 1997-98 season to grab 20 boards in a single game.
Sixth Player of the Year | Khayla Livingston, Freshman
Khayla Livingston earned the 'Sixth Player of the Year' award after being one of the first players off the bench in all 30 games this season, averaging 15.3 minutes per game. Livingston averaged 5.2 points per game, shooting 36-percent from the floor and 37-percent from three-point. Livingston was a major part of the Viking offense whenever she was on the court, and a threat from behind-the-arc, converting multiple three point shots on numerous occasions.
Sixth Player of the Year | Olivia Voskuhl, Freshman
Olivia Voskuhl also earned the 'Sixth Player of the Year' award after being one of the first players off the bench in all but one game this season, even earning a starting nod in two games after injuries forced CSU to change up the lineup. Voskuhl averaged 3.8 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Vikings, and ended her freshman campaign with a career-high 15 points on a 6-for-6 performance from the floor and a 3-for-3 effort from three-point in the Horizon League Tournament. For the season, Voskuhl ranked second on the team shooting 39-percent from behind-the-arc, and also ranked second with a .786 clip from the free throw line.
Most Improved Player | Adesuwa Aideyman, Sophomore
Adesuwa Aideyman earned this season's 'Most Improved Player' award, after making drastic improvements in every statistical category from last year to this year. Aideyman went from seeing limited action in just 15 games as a freshman, to playing in and starting all 30 contests for the Vikings this season.
On the offensive end of the floor, Aideyman went from averaging just 0.7 ppg as a freshman to averaging 8.5 ppg this season. After taking on more of a scoring role, Aideyman converted 85 field goals (more than 6-times the amount of field goals she even attempted last season) and was one of CSU's best shooters from behind-the-arc – converting 47 three-pointers. Aideyman also became a primary ball handler for the Vikings, posting a 1.27 assist-to-turnover ratio.
MVP | Imani Gordon, Junior
Imani Gordon earned this season's 'MVP' award after leading the Vikings on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Gordon led CSU with 499 points and 283 rebounds on the season, while she ranked second on the team with 79 assists and 42 steals.
Gordon was CSU's leading scorer in 11 games, and CSU's leading rebounder in 25 contests. She notched a team-high nine double-doubles, and tallied double-digit points in all but four games. Gordon played a team-high 1,102 minutes out of a possible 1,205 minutes on the season.
