Leedham and Swasey Earn WBCA East Region Awards

Swasey selected as Russell Athletic/WBCA Division II East Region Coach of the Year
Jo. Leedham named State Farm/WBCA All-America finalist for third-straight year

RINDGE, N.H. (March 11, 2009) - Two key members for Northeast-10 Conference regular season and tournament champions Franklin Pierce University, ranked 14^th in this week's USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll and the top seed in this week's NCAA Division II East Regional, have earned regional honors from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Head coach Mark Swasey has been recognized by his peers as the Russell Athletic/WBCA Division II East Region Coach of the Year, while junior forward Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy (Conn.)) has been named one of five State Farm/WBCA All-America finalists from the East Region for the third-straight year.

Swasey, who earns WBCA Region Coach of the Year honors for the first time, has also earned Northeast-10 Coach of the Year honors this season in leading Franklin Pierce to a 24-5 record overall and the top-seed in this weekend's NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championships Tournament East Regional. The Ravens posted an 18-4 record in claiming their first NE-10 regular season championship and then followed that up by capturing the NE-10 Tournament title last weekend.

Swasey, who collected his 100^th victory at Franklin Pierce with the Ravens 76-44 triumph over Merrimack College on December 22, has posted a 119-84 (.586) record over seven seasons at the University. Named Great Northeast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in his final season at Norwich University in 2001-02, Swasey has posted a career record of 175-110 (.614). The Ravens NE -10 regular season and tournament championships was their first since joining the Conference in 2000 and marked the first time they won both conference regular season and tournament championships in the same year since 1991-92 in the old New England Collegiate Conference.

Franklin Pierce, who enter the NCAA Tournament winners of eight-straight, 18 of 19 and 20 of 22, leads the NE-10 in scoring (74.1 ppg), scoring margin (+11.8), field goal percentage (.444), assists (16.7/gm) and assist/turnover ratio (1.0). They also rank second in blocked shots (4.0/gm), steals (10.2/gm), turnover margin (+2.8) and three-point field goals (7.4/gm) and third in three-point shooting percentage (.362).

Franklin Pierce's schedule this season has featured 22 games against teams that are currently .500 or better, with the Ravens posting a 17-5 mark in those contests. The team also took care of business against sub-.500 clubs, going 7-0. Swasey is the first WBCA Regional Coach of the Year in program history. 

Leedham, the reigning State Farm/WBCA Division II Player of the Year, is a State Farm Division II Coaches' All-America finalist for the third-straight year. The ten member All-America squad will be announced at the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball banquet in San Antonio, Texas, on March 23. Leedham was the first WBCA All-America finalist in program history when she earned the honors as a freshman. She was an honorable mention All-America choice that year before earning first team All-America honors last winter when she was also tabbed the Division II Player of the Year. Two weeks ago, Leedham became just the third women's basketball player in Northeast-10 history to earn Conference Player of the Year honors in multiple seasons when she collected the award for the second-straight year, while earning first team All-Conference accolades for the third-straight year.

Leedham leads the NE-10 in scoring for the third-straight season, averaging 23.2 points (6^th nationally) and a Conference-best 3.0 steals per game to go with 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists (14^th NE-10) and 1.4 blocked shots per contest (7^th). She is shooting 49-percent (219-for-447) from the field (10^th), including 37.2% (67-180) from three-point range (9^th), and converting 85.8% (145-169) of her free-throw attempts (6^th), while her 2.4 three-point field goals per game are tied for the NE-10 lead. Leedham has led the Ravens in scoring in 23 of their 29 games this season, including 18 of 22 NE-10 contests (playing just four minutes in one game due to injury and missing another game due to that injury), and led the team in rebounding ten times, posting four double-doubles.

Leedham, who owns no less than 25 program records, enters the NCAA Tournament just 16 points shy of becoming the second player in program history and seventh in Northeast-10 ranks to reach the 2,000-point plateau in their career with her 1,984 career points. The program's record holder with 295 career steals (12^th NE-10 history), she also ranks sixth in program history with 84 blocked shots, seventh with 299 assists and tied for 12^th with 601 rebounds. Leedham has reached double-figures in scoring in 85 of her 86 career games played, scoring 20-plus points 60 times and netting 30-plus on 22 occasions - seven this season including a season-best 37 points in an 83-69 victory over Pace University on January 8.

Franklin Pierce (24-5, 18-4 NE-10) is back in action on Friday when it opens defense of its 2008 regional championship against eighth-seeded Philadelphia University at 1 p.m. The East Regional is being hosted by Holy Family University in Philadelphia, Pa.