High expectations set as Stanford leads the Lady Eagles

Junior McKenzie Stanford is expected to lead the Lady Eagles for the second season. Photo by Abby Bellow — Junior McKenzie Stanford is expected to be a leader for the Lady Eagles in the 2015-16 season. *Photo by Abby Bellow*

Like she did last year, junior McKenzie Stanford is expected to lead the Lady Eagles both on and off the basketball court, Women’s Basketball Head Coach Stephanie Findley said.

“Stanford is our leader both on the floor when she displays her talents, and off when she shows her work ethic, attitude and effort,” Findley said.

Stanford led the Oklahoma Christian University women last year in points with 16.6 per game, blocks with 10 on the year and rebounds with 6.2 per game. Last season, Stanford put up a career-high 30 points against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Feb. 7 and fell shy of that when she put up 29 against Mid-America Christian on Dec. 12, 2014.

Stanford said in regards to last season, the team had a huge turnaround in the middle of the year to finish well. “Last year we struggled at the start, losing a couple players to injuries, but definitely turned it around by the end. We were on a roll and playing very well,” Standford said.

On top of leading in stat categories, Stanford also led the Lady Eagles in honors as she earned a spot on the National Christian College Association All-American First Team – the sixth player in school history to do so. On top of this honor, Stanford earned a spot on the Second-Team All Heartland Conference squad, along with being a two-time Heartland Conference Player of the Week honoree.

“McKenzie certainly is deserving of that honor,” Findley said. “She took on an expanded role for us last season and excelled in it. She took a big step forward as a sophomore and I’m looking forward to watching her continue to grow and develop as a person, a player and a leader on our team.”

Stanford will play a huge role for the Lady Eagles this season, and will be a major contributing factor in the opening game on Saturday when they take on York College of Nebraska, Findley said.

“Moving on to this year I believe my role changed a little bit,” Stanford said. “The coaches expect more out of me, and being an upperclassman automatically means you take on a bigger leadership role and for me that means always working hard, and setting a good example on and off the floor.”

The Lady Eagles begin their 2015-2016 season on Saturday, Nov. 7 in the Nest as part of homecoming weekend.