July 5, 2007
SEATTLE, Wash. - Leah Stepovich, a starting guard for Casper College over the past two years, has enrolled at Seattle University and will be a member of the Redhawk women's basketball program beginning in the 2007-08 season.
During the 2006-07 season, Stepovich started 32 games for the Casper College Lady Thunderbirds, averaging 8.9 points per game. She led the team with 58 made three-pointers, a .343 three-point field goal percentage, and a .921 free throw shooting percentage. She helped the team finish with a 26-9 record, including a span in which the squad won 20 of 23 games.
Stepovich was the 2005 Alaska Player of the Year while leading Monroe Catholic High School of Fairbanks, Alaska, to its second consecutive state championship. She averaged 17 points and six rebounds per game during her senior year. She was an All-State performer not only in basketball, but also in volleyball during her high school career.
"We are very excited to have Leah in our program at Seattle University," said Dan Kriley, Seattle University head women's basketball coach. "She is an exceptional long range shooter and has a tremendous feel for the game. Leah will make an immediate impact on the GNAC."
Stepovich joins fellow newcomers Alysse Carlson, Tatiana Heck, Chelsie Morrison, and Emily Mothershed on next season's Seattle University women's basketball squad. Eight players from the 2006-07 roster are expected to return after helping the Redhawks post an 18-9 overall record, the program's best record in 14 years.
Seattle University is a Jesuit institution located in the First Hill section of Seattle, Wash. Presently a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in NCAA Division II, the school's Board of Trustees recently voted to begin the process by which the Redhawk athletic department will become a member of NCAA Division I by the 2009-2010 academic year.