Van Beek and Shepard win team MVP Awards for men's and women's basketball

The Faith Athletic Department held their annual basketball awards banquet Monday night, handing out numerous individual honors to Eagles athletes.

For the men, the Most Valuable Player Award went to Tanner Van Beek.  Van Beek, a 6'6" sophomore from Rock Valley, Iowa, led the team in scoring (15.2 points per game), rebounding (8.3 rebounds per game), and field goal percentage (50.4%).  The Most Improved Player Award was given to freshman Keaton Pearson, who finished fourth on the team in scoring average (4.7) and third in rebounds per game (3.9).  The Coaches Award went to junior Caleb Sturgis.

For the women, the Most Valuable Player Award was given to Lyndi Shepard.  Shepard, a 5'6" freshman from Lapeer, Michigan, led the team in scoring (17.3 points per game) and three-point baskets (98-333) and was second in steals (61).   The Most Improved Player award was earned by freshman Michaela Crider who averaged 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.  The Coaches Award went to senior Shannon Steffen who led the team in assists (83) and was second on the team in scoring (9.6 points per game).

Here are the coaches comments on each award winner:

Men's MVP: "Tanner was consistently coachable and a leader on and off the court.  I most appreciated Tanner's leadership in being one of the players on the team to voluntarily choose to take time to pray with individual opposing team players after each game."

Men's Most Improved: "Keaton worked hard to make the transition from high school basketball to college and didn't let limited playing time in games early in the season affect his work ethic or attitude.  That mentality resulted in him continuously improving throughout the season, ultimately earning him a starting position by season's end."

Men's Coaches Award: "Caleb was another player who voluntarily chose to pray with individual members of the opposing team after games, and I have received two different emails this year from players of other teams specifically referencing him and the impact that had in their lives."

Women's MVP: "Lyndi finished the season ninth in the nation in scoring, second in the nation in three-point field goals made per game, and in the top twenty in steals per game.  Once teams knew about her, she was consistently guarded by the opposing team's best defender."

Women's Most Improved: "Michaela had to work through learning to play different positions, and adjusting to different roles.  By the end of the season, she became one of our go-to players."

Women's Coaches Award: "Shannon had the task of adjusting to a completely new team.  Other than one of the assistant coaches, she was the only one to return from last season's team…Down the stretch in tournament play, she hit big shots and free-throws to give us some nice wins."