Coaches association names VU's Risper Division I's top defender

Vanderbilt’s Jennifer Risper was named the Division I Defensive Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association on Monday.

Eligible players were those named defensive player of the year by their respective conferences.

Risper, a senior guard who played in the post late in the season, was the Southeastern Conference’s top defender. She led the SEC with 81 steals and finished her career with 221, eighth all-time for the Commodores.

“The WBCA is proud to honor Jennifer with the WBCA Defensive Player of the Year Award,” WBCA CEO Beth Bass said in a release. “Her efforts on the defensive side of the game definitely do not go unnoticed, and she is a very deserving candidate for this award. We congratulate her and Vanderbilt and wish her the best in the future.”

Risper will be formally honored April 7 at the WBCA Awards Luncheon at St. Louis.