OKLAHOMA CITY (April 22, 2020) – A basketball player who excelled on defense and a track and field star who won four conference titles and shined brightly on Oklahoma Christian's campus received recognition Wednesday with the highest awards in OC athletics for the 2019-20 academic year.
Rebounder and shot-blocker extraordinaire
Will Lienhard was chosen as Mr. Eagle while throwing standout
Destiny Grace was named as Ms. Eagle. Head coaches and athletic department administrators and trainers voted on the awards, which are presented annually to the male and female senior student-athletes who best combine success in their sport with representing the ideals of OC.
Lienhard, a Finance major from Oklahoma City, transferred to OC for the 2017-18 season from Oklahoma State, where he had been a walk-on for the Cowboys. He starred at the NCAA Division II level, leading the nation in rebounds per game (12.7) and finishing ninth in blocked shots per game (2.48) in the 2018-19 season, when he was named as the Heartland Conference's co-defensive player of the year.
The NCAA granted him an extra season of eligibility for 2019-20 and he opted to take advantage of it. Lienhard was the most dominant defensive player in the Lone Star Conference, anchoring an OC defense that led the league in points allowed per game. Individually, he finished seventh in Division II in blocks per game (2.54) and 11th in rebounds per game (10.4), leading the LSC in both categories.
Despite playing only three seasons for the Eagles, Lienhard ranks fourth on the program's career blocks list with 190.
"I'm extremely excited for Will," said OC coach
Kendre Talley, himself a former Mr. Eagle, having received that honor six years ago. "This award means a lot to our program. We recruit and try to build a program with guys who can be advocates for this university. Will has been just that since he has been with us. He has excelled on the court with multiple honors and also off the court. I am proud of him and excited to see what he does in the future."
Lienhard is the seventh basketball player to be named as Mr. Eagle and the fourth in a row, following former teammates
Jordan Box (2018-19) and
Elijah Strickland (2017-18) as well as John Moon (2016-17). Other basketball winners include Talley,
Devan White (2012-13) and Jason Taylor (2009-10).
The effervescent Grace, a Family Science major from Rockwall, Texas, is one of the most well-known and popular people on the OC campus. An active member of the social service club Gamma Rho, she served during the 2019-20 academic year as the president of OC's Student-Athlete Advisory Council and also was named as the university's homecoming queen in November.
A standout thrower, Grace racked up four Great American Conference titles in the shot put, winning outdoors in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and at the inaugural GAC indoor meet in 2019. As a senior at the Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships, she finished seventh in the weight throw and 11th in the shot put. Her final outdoor season was cancelled before it began because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
"Destiny has been great for our program," OC coach
Wade Miller said. "She is a great teammate and built connections amongst our team in so many different ways. She always had her best competitions at our conference meets when we really needed her to perform and she is a leader outside of competition as well. We are thankful she has been such a strong presence in our program and know that she will continue to represent OC after graduation. She is extremely deserving of the Ms. Eagle award!"
Other track and field standouts to win the Ms. Eagle honor include
Layne Hammer (2017-18),
McKenzie Stanford (2016-17),
Roz Hamilton (2013-14) and Denise Mattoon Greene (2010-11).
MS. AND MR. EAGLE
PAST WINNERS:
2019-20 –
Destiny Grace (track and field);
Will Lienhard (basketball)
2018-19 –
Addy Clift (basketball);
Jordan Box (basketball)
2017-18 –
Layne Hammer (track and field); Landon Huslig (track and field) and
Elijah Strickland (basketball)
2016-17 –
McKenzie Stanford (basketball/track and field); John Moon (basketball)
2015-16 – Audrey Meisch (golf); Bryant Keirns (cross country/track and field)
2014-15 – Kendra Pierce (softball); Caden Cleveland (baseball)
2013-14 –
Roz Hamilton (basketball/track and field);
Kendre Talley (basketball)
2012-13 – Katy O'Steen (basketball); David McWilliams (cross country/track and field) and
Devan White (basketball)
2011-12 – Davee Croy (softball); Silas Kisorio (cross country/track and field)
2010-11 – Denise Mattoon Greene (track and field); Oscar Stark (golf)
2009-10 – Kacie Hoppe (soccer); Jason Taylor (basketball)
2008-09 – Lindsey Gipson (basketball); Josh Wayland (cross country/track and field) and Jordan Powell (cross country/track and field)
2007-08 – Kristin Brown (soccer); Adam Barnes (soccer)
