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In Review

BASKETBALLBest in Class Two Yellowjackets named finalists for one of the top awards in college basketball.

Alexandra Leslie ’18

Forward

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Business major

Career points: 1,421 (third all-time)

Season leader: scoring (21.9 points per game); rebounding (9.7 per game); blocked shots (44)

First Team All-UAA (three consecutive seasons)

Two-time All-America

Preseason All-America for 2016–17

First Team Academic All-District III

Two-time UAA All-Academic Team

Women’s basketball forward Al Leslie ’18 and men’s guard Sam Borst-Smith ’17 have helped lead the Yellowjackets since they first stepped onto the floor at the Palestra. Off the court, though, each of them has demonstrated a level of achievement and service that has impressed not only their teammates, but also those across the country who pay close attention to college basketball.

Sam Borst-Smith ’17

Guard

San Pedro, California

English major

Career points: 1,460 (seventh all time, as of March 6)

Career leader: steals (210) (first all-time)

Season leader: scoring (16.1 points per game); rebounding (5.6 per game); steals (74)

First Team All-UAA

UAA Player of the Year

Player to watch: one of six from Division III listed for the Clarence (Bevo) Francis Award for the top Small College Player of the Year

Leslie, a business major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Borst-Smith, an English major from San Pedro, California, were each named this spring as finalists for the Jostens Trophy, considered one of college basketball’s top individual awards, recognizing athletic skill, academic achievement, and community service.

Leslie is the first Rochester women’s basketball player selected as one of 10 finalists. Borst-Smith is the third Rochester men’s finalist.

One of the leading scorers in Rochester women’s basketball history (with her senior season remaining), Leslie has earned league and district academic honors. She volunteers with the Lancaster County (Pennsylvania) Project for the Needy, delivering more than 1,500 Christmas dinners to low-income families. A member of the University’s St. Sebastian Society, a service organization, she also tutors elementary students at Rochester city schools.

As the Yellowjackets advanced to postseason play, Borst-Smith was leading the Yellowjackets in several categories for 2016–17, including points per game (16.1) and rebounding per game (5.6), and he set a single-season record for steals, with 74. As of early March, he ranked seventh all time in scoring, with 1,460 points.

He’s an athletics volunteer for the Go4theGoal Foundation, a group that raises awareness and funds for children with pediatric cancer. He’s also a member of the campus chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has been active in promoting a campuswide project to raise awareness about racial and gender diversity.

The winners of the trophy will be named March 16 and 17, during the Division III Final Four in Salem, Virginia.