Vandy's Jennifer Risper was named as the WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year.

Risper, a guard from Moreno Valley, Calif., was recently named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and to the SEC All-Tournament Team, after averaging 11.7 points, 7.7 rebounds during the tournament. This 5-foot-9 guard was also awarded Second Team All-SEC honors for the second straight year after grabbing 2.3 steals per contest, second highest in the SEC. Risper currently stands eighth all-time in career steals at Vanderbilt with 221, including 81 this season, which is the most in the league this year.

In Vanderbilt’s second-round NCAA Tournament game versus Kansas State, Risper turned in a career-high 27 points, which included netting 9-of-12 from the field and a near-perfect 9-for-10 from the charity stripe.
Risper has started 85 consecutive games for the No. 13-ranked Commodores, who recently lost a heart-breaker on Saturday to fourth-seeded Maryland, 74-78. It was Vanderbilt’s 14th appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.