SPORTS DIGEST: HASSELL, HOLT NAMED TOP OVC ATHLETES

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- The Ohio Valley Conference's top performers in men's and women's basketball have been selected as the OVC Athletes of the Year for 2000-01 in voting by the league's athletics directors and sports information directors.

Austin Peay senior Trenton Hassell, the OVC Men's Basketball Player of the Year, was chosen as the OVC Male Athlete of the Year, while Tennessee Tech junior Janet Holt, the OVC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, was selected as the OVC Female Athlete of the Year.

Hassell averaged 21.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game as he earned first-team All-OVC honors for the third time and was picked as an honorable mention All-America by Associated Press.

Holt topped the conference in scoring (24.6 ppg) and rebounding (9.8 rpg).

Among those receiving votes for Male Athlete of the Year was Southeast Missouri State University's Todd Pennington, the OVC Pitcher of the Year in baseball who has been named to a pair of All-American teams.

Southeast track standout Heather Keltner was among those receiving votes for Female Athlete of the Year.