BALTIMORE – As the Eagles prepare to open their season this weekend at the University of the Georgia by playing five games in four days, Coppin State senior Candice Van Horn was named to the College Sports Madness preseason All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) first team and nominated for the Senior CLASS Award.
Coppin State plays its season-opener Thursday afternoon against 10th-ranked Georgia. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN3 as part of the SEC Network. The Eagles will also play Illinois, Murray State, Winthrop and Georgia again as part of the Lady Bulldogs’ Red and Black Showcase tournament.
Van Horn was also named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) preseason second team.
A sports management major, Van Horn was named to the 2014 All-MEAC and College Sports Madness All-MEAC First Team. She led Coppin State in 11 categories, including batting average (.410), runs scored (38) and hits (48). Nationally among Division I players, Van Horn ranked 44th in runs per game, 53rd in stolen bases per game, 55th in slugging percentage, 68th in on-base percentage and 69th in batting average.
Van Horn was sixth in the MEAC in batting average in helping Coppin State participate in the MEAC Tournament for the fifth straight season. She was second on the team with 19 runs batted in. Van Horn also led Coppin State with 11 multi-hit games including a four-hit effort against Howard on April 5 in which she hit a pair of home runs. In a doubleheader sweep against Bowie State on March 12, Van Horn was a combined 6-for-11 with six RBIs, six runs scored, two doubles and two homers.
Van Horn also had two games in which she hit two home runs each: Howard and Bowie State. She had a 15-game hitting streak (March 1-April 1). During her hitting streak, Van Horn had eight multi-hit games and produced a batting average of .460 (23-for-50).
Van Horn was named to the 2014 All-MEAC Academic team and the MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team. She has posted consecutive semesters with a 4.0 GPA. Van Horn has been a consistent member of the Coppin State Dean’s List. She is also a member of the Coppin State SAAC and Sports Management Association (SMA) Club.
During her time at Coppin State, Van Horn has been an active participant in the community by assisting with several softball clinics in Baltimore. She also worked with a project called
#lunchbag with the SMA club in which she assisted with providing lunches to the homeless in Baltimore.
The Senior CLASS Award was created in 2001 as an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. This unique award honors the seniors who remain committed to their university and elect to pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring.
Eligibility for the award is based on the following criteria:
The athlete must be an NCAA Division I senior who will exhaust her eligibility at the end of the current season.
• Community: The individual has been involved in community and charitable activities that have utilized her status as a college athlete to make an impact in worthwhile causes.
• Classroom: The nominee is on track to graduate, has received academic achievements, has maintained a strong GPA, and/or holds career interests outside of playing basketball.
• Character: The candidate has multiple examples of leadership, overcoming obstacles, teamwork, work ethic, integrity, etc.
• Competition: The athlete has had multiple athletic achievements during her collegiate career and has played a major role in the success of the team.