Ball State University Athletics
Nathalie Fontaine Named MAC Player of the Year
March 08, 2016 | Women's Basketball
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ball State senior forward Nathalie Fontaine has been named the 2016 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year for women's basketball.
This marks the fifth time Ball State has had a MAC Player of The Year recipient, with the others being Kate Endress (2004-05), Tamara Bowie (2002-03 & 2000-01) and Jenny Eckert (1989-90).
“I am so happy for Nat,” Ball State head coach Brady Sallee said. “This young lady bought into a vision we had for the Ball State women's basketball program and from the moment she arrived on our campus has done nothing but deliver.”
A seven-time MAC West Division Player of the Week honoree this season, Fontaine ranks first on Ball State's all-time scoring list with 2,114 career points and third in school history with 955 rebounds.
She is also the Cardinals' career leader in games started (127), minutes played (4,248) and free throws made (527). She ranks second in program history for games played (127) and field goals made (785) and sixth for blocked shots (68).
A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Fontaine broke Ball State's single-game scoring record this season with a career high 43 points at Evansville (12/21/15). She has scored in double figures in all of Ball State's 29 games this season and 115 times out of 127 total games in her career. Fontaine has earned 18 double-doubles this season and has 36 for her career. She has scored 20-or-more points 36 times in her career.
A three-time All-MAC First Team selection, Fontaine currently leads Ball State in scoring (21.0), rebounding (10.2) and field goal percentage (51.2). She is second in the MAC in both scoring and rebounding.
She ranks ninth in the nation in double doubles (18), 10th in free throws made (168), 14th in free throw attempts (210), 19th in scoring (21.0), 22nd in rebounds per game (10.2), 27th in defensive rebounds per game (7.0) and 29th in field goals made (220).
“I'm humbled to have been able to coach her and appreciate my peers in the conference recognizing what I have known for some time, Nat is a special player and special person,” Sallee said. “Nat would also be the first to tell you that without great teammates an award like this never happens. It's truly a great day to be a Cardinal!”
Fontaine has led Ball State to a record of 21-8 (13-5 MAC). The Cardinals are the No. 3 seed in this week's MAC Tournament and will play Wednesday at approximately 7:30 p.m. against No. 6 seed Eastern Michigan at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. That game will be video streamed on ESPN3.
