INDIANAPOLIS – Former IUPUI women's basketball player Holly Hoopingarner was selected as the 2019-20 Horizon League Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor winner, the league announced on Tuesday (June 30). Hoopingarner was chosen as the Medal of Honor winner by the league's Faculty Athletics Representatives.

The Medal of Honor is given to the top male and female student-athletes in the Horizon League, respectively, who best exemplify the dignity and high purpose of the Horizon League and its membership. The winner shall demonstrate outstanding achievement in academics, athletics and extracurricular activities. The award is given to a graduated senior with at least a 3.0 GPA and exhibited outstanding character both during athletic competition and outside of athletics.

"It is a great privilege to be awarded the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor," said Hoopingarner. "I was pleased to be able to represent the Horizon League for the past three years and be a part of something special at IUPUI. This award is a great way to top off a career that was full of great people and memories."

As a senior, Hoopingarner guided the Jaguars to their first regular season and Horizon League Tournament title, earning Tournament MVP after averaging 14.5 points per game during the tournament. Hoopingarner was also named Second-Team All-League averaging 9.8 points per game and 3.7 assists per game. She led the league during league play with 4.5 assists per game.

During her senior year, Hoopingarner became the 27^th player in IUPUI history to score 1,000 points in an IUPUI uniform.

In the classroom, Hoopingarner was a two-time Horizon League All-Academic Team selection, graduating with a 3.944 GPA majoring in Exercise Science. Hoopingarner was also a recipient of an Academic Excellence Scholarship and graduated from the Honors College at IUPUI.

Off the court, Hoopingarner was very active around campus, serving as a team representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee for three years. Hoopingarner also volunteered in the Jags Reading Club, the Hancock Day of Promise and Live, Laugh, Dance for two seasons.

Hoopingarner received an invitation to the "So You Want To Be A Coach" program that is hosted over the Women's Final Four Weekend. The program is hosted by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the WeCOACH program, assisting female college athletes who are interested in pursuing a career in coaching women's basketball.

Since graduation, she's joined the University of Florida women's basketball program as a Graduate Manager while pursuing her master's degree in sports management.

The award is named for the late Cecil N. Coleman, who served as the Horizon League's first full-time commissioner from 1980 to 1984. Coleman is responsible for much of the success the league enjoys today, including his work to secure automatic qualification for the Horizon League in baseball and men's basketball. Coleman received the NACDA James J. Corbett award in 1985, recognizing his achievement in the field.

She is IUPUI's second-ever honoree of the award, joining Kori Waelbroeck (volleyball), who was honored in 2018.