Six Foresters garner All-American honors
FOR RELEASE: Thursday, March 14, 2002
Huntington, Ind. "Huntington College is making a habit of producing NAIA All-American student-athletes. In just the last five years, athletes from the basketball and track programs have received 25 All-American honors. Six Huntington College student-athletes earned NAIA All-American honors in their respective sports for the 2001-02 winter seasons. Four basketball players and two track and field athletes earned the high honor, continuing the successes of those programs. Senior David Porter (Alexandria, Ind./Alexandria) became the first Forester in the men's basketball program to earn back-to-back NAIA Division II first-team All-American honors and Mid-Central Conference (MCC) Player of the Year honors. Porter led the Foresters to a 26-11 season, averaging 20 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. Juniors Adam Hill (Parker City, Ind./Wapahani) and Brett Snodgrass (Lawrenceburg, Ind./East Central) each earned NAIA Honorable Mention All-American honors and were named to the MCC second team.
David had a great year, commented head coach Steve Platt. His consistency throughout the season was vital to the team's success. It means a lot to a team to have a player you can count on to score double figures and bring down eight or ten rebounds every night.
Each year, our juniors and seniors are expected to step up, continued Platt. After we lost to Marian in the final of the conference tournament last year, two players in particular, Adam and Brett, dedicated themselves to improve, and over the summer put in the work necessary to help them step up as juniors this year.
The men's basketball team won the MCC Conference Tournament, sending them to the NAIA Division II National Tournament in Branson, Missouri. At the tournament, they won their first-round game against Holy Names (Calif.), 76-60, before falling to defending national champions, Northwestern (Iowa).
Senior Crissy Collins (Mooresville, Ind./Mooresville) earned NAIA Division II third-team All-American honors in women's basketball. Collins, a first-team MCC player, averaged 18.5 points per game while bringing down 8.2 rebounds per game.
Crissy had an outstanding season, said head coach Lori Culler. She was first or second in the conference in scoring and rebounding all year and proved to be a tough opponent for teams to handle. The honor is greatly deserved.
At the NAIA Indoor National Track and Field Championships in Johnson City, Tenn., the Foresters produced two All-Americans. John Ngure (Thaika, Kenya) earned his fifth track All-American honor as he ran to a third place in the 5000 meter run. He now owns eight All-American honors between track and cross country. Danielle Vohs (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) picked up her third track All-American honor in the 1000 meter run. She now has four All-American honors between track and cross country.
Danielle and John are perfect examples of the dedication and hard work it takes to succeed in this sport, said assistant coach Bethany Manter. Many times they put in extra workouts or longer runs just to be that much better and use the gift God has given them.
The Huntington College Foresters compete in 14 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past six years HC has produced 33 All-Americans and 54 All-America Scholar Athletes. HC is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 50 academic concentrations. US News and World Report ranks Huntington among the best in the Midwest. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington College is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in Huntington, Indiana.
