OKLAHOMA CITY (June 1, 2017) – Former Oklahoma Christian basketball standouts Sarah Parker and McKenzie Stanford will return to the program as graduate assistant coaches for the 2017-18 season, OC coach Stephanie Findley said Thursday.

Parker and Stanford were a dynamic duo inside for the Lady Eagles the past two seasons, with both earning multiple All-Heartland Conference and league player-of-the-week honors. Both also graduated in April with a bachelor of science degree in Sport, Wellness and Recreation Management.

Parker, from Piedmont, averaged 14.7 points per game – fifth-highest in the Heartland – as a senior while leading the conference in free-throw percentage (86.4). She ranked seventh in the Heartland in rebounding (7.4 per game) and was a two-time conference player-of-the-week selection before receiving second-team All-Heartland honors for a second straight year.

She broke OC's career free-throw percentage record, hitting 257 of 300 attempts during her two seasons, an 85.7-percent clip.

Stanford, from Perkins, was a three-time All-Heartland pick – making the first-team list in 2017 – and was named as Oklahoma's NCAA Division II player of the year by the website OklahomaSports.net. Stanford led the Heartland in scoring by a wide margin, averaging 18.4 points per game, rising this past season to No. 2 on the league's career scoring chart with 1,715 points.

She was named as the league's player of the week twice in 2016-17 and eight times during her career and was a first-team All-Heartland selection after receiving second-team honors as a sophomore and junior. In 2015-16, she went on to receive honorable mention on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's NCAA Division II All-America list.

Stanford also will continue to compete on OC's track and field team, as she has one season of eligibility remaining in that sport.