Vanessa Inge Named MEAC Coach of the Year; Frank Tabbed All-MEAC Second Team

With a conference record of 9-7, and a dramatic improvement over last season, Inge takes the MEAC's top coaching honor in her second season. Frank earns third conference honor of her career

	Vanessa Inge has taken B-CU to a new level of success in women's basketball, but is just in her second season

March 4, 2010

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - In an official announcement Thursday, conference officials named Bethune-Cookman women's basketball Head Coach Vanessa Inge the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Coach of the Year. This is the first MEAC honor for the second-year coach, but far from her first accolades. MEAC officials also announced the All-MEAC teams, and for the third consecutive year, a Lady Wildcats was on the lists, as Demetria Frank was recognized on the All-MEAC second team for the second time.

Inge guided the Lady Wildcats to 15-14 mark, and 9-7 record in conference play, including an 8-1 record at home. In her second year at the helm, the Lady Wildcats tallied their highest win total since the 1987-88 season and secured their first winning season in eight years. Inge is only the second coach at B-CU to earn such an honor since joining the MEAC, with the first being Sandra Booker, who won the award in 2003.

Although this is her first coaching award at B-CU, and in the MEAC, it is not new territory for the Lady Wildcats' head woman. In her stop at Mount St. Mary's before B-CU, Inge earned Northeast Conference (NEC) Coach of the Year in her debut season. Additionally, she earned NEC Player of the Year twice, as a post player at MSM. With her track record for success, Wildcat fans can expect this to be the first of many.

Also announced today, Demetria Frank earned her third consecutive conference honors, as MEAC officials tabbed her for the All-MEAC second team. So far this season, Frank is averaging 9.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 steals, and 2.8 assists per game. She leads the team in scoring, free throws, and steals, while second in rebounds, assists, and blocked shots. In the MEAC, Frank is second in steals (27th in the NCAA), eighth in scoring, and eleventh in rebounds. Demetria was named to the All-MEAC second team last season and on the MEAC All-Rookie team in her freshman season.

With the recognition out of the way, Coach Inge and the Lady Wildcats looked to put their talents to good use, facing off with Florida A&M, in Tallahassee, falling short on a late-game comeback. B-CU plays in the third game of the MEAC Basketball Championships, drawing a matchup with the eleventh-seeded Norfolk State Lady Spartans (4-21, 0-16 MEAC) on Tuesday, March 9 at 4 p.m. The winner faces Morgan State (17-12, 12-4 MEAC) in the quarterfinals.

Check back with www.B-CUathletics.com for MEAC tournament coverage next week.

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