Leonard actually first team All-American

Cottey College freshman and Nevada High School graduate Lacy Leonard was named first-team NJCAA All-American recently, correcting an earlier report that Leonard had made the second team.

In April, the NJCAA had listed Leonard as a second-team selection. But the athletics governing body had made a mistake, only naming five players to the first team instead of the customary 10.

When the NJCAA realized the mistake was made, they corrected it, and Leonard was bumped up to the first team.

"We were pretty pleased with the original announcement," Cottey head coach Dave Ketterman said in a press release. "But this is even better."

Leonard is the second Cottey College athlete to get All-America honors, but the first to be rated as high as the first team. The only other Cottey athlete to get All-America was volleyball player Dess Ann Wendle, who earned honorable mention status in 2000.

Leonard will return to Cottey as a sophomore next season, along with the rest of the top five players from last season's second-place Region 16 team. Cottey has also added two new recruits with the possibility of adding a couple more before the fall.

Leonard led the team averaging 21.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

The NJCAA correction also led to the honoring of a second athlete from Region 16. St. Louis Community College-Meramec guard Heather McAllister is now a third-team selection.