CLEVELAND, Ohio – After helping the Cleveland State women's basketball team to one of its best seasons in program history during 2022-23, Destiny Leo has been named a finalist for the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year.
Leo, who is one of three finalists for the award, was selected by local sports and media outlets along with the awards committee. The winner will be announced live during the Sports Awards, which will be held on Tuesday, January 23 beginning at 5:30 p.m.
This year, fans will have the opportunity to cast their votes to help determine a winner in each category. Fans can vote now through Monday, January 15 at 5:00 p.m. via the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission Website.
Last season, Leo led the Vikings to a program-record 30-5 overall mark, including a Horizon League Tournament title and NCAA First Round appearance. Leo was named the Horizon League Player of the Year, along with earning First Team All-League and #HLWBB Tournament MVP accolades.
Leo led the Vikings and the Horizon League averaging 17.0 points per game, recording 628 total points on the year as one of just four Vikings all-time to eclipse the 600-point mark in a single season. Leo notched 14 20-point games throughout 2022-23, finishing the year ranked 11th on the CSU Scoring List with 1,433 career points.
A large part of Leo's offense on the season came from behind-the-arc, as she converted 90 three-pointers to tie the CSU Single-Season record and rank among the top-20 Division I players for the year. After her first three seasons in the Green & White, Leo ranked first in the CSU Career Record Book with a .389 three-point field goal percentage, while ranking third with 214 total three-pointers on her career.
Leo was also one of the nation's top free throw shooters during the season, finishing the year with a CSU Single-Season record clip of .911 from the stripe. This mark ranked her seventh among Division I players (with 60+ more attempts than all six players above her), while her 164 made free throws on the year also ranked among the top-20 individual performances. Following her third year at Cleveland State, Leo holds the CSU Career Record with a .903 free throw percentage.
Leo and the Vikings also set CSU Single-Season team records for Total Points (2,592), Total Rebounds (1,461), Blocked Shots (138), Wins (30), Winning Percentage (.857), and Consecutive Wins (16).
Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year Finalists
Destiny Leo, Cleveland State University {Basketball}
Taylor Mikesell, Ohio State University {Basketball}
Annie Roshak, Ashland University {Basketball}
Finalists were chosen among outstanding athletes from Northeast Ohio's following counties: Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Stark, and Summit.
