On Monday, Jan. 30, the league office announced Leah Somerfield from Oakland women’s basketball as the Horizon League Player of the Week. This announcement came after Oakland’s Jan. 27 Metro Series win over Detroit Mercy.

“I was ecstatic,” Somerfield said. “It was just a great feeling.”

In that rival showdown, Somerfield recorded her career-high fifth double-double of the season with career-highs in points (27) and rebounds (18). The senior also posted career-highs in field-goals and blocks with 10 and three, respectively.

“That took me by surprise,” Somerfield said. “I didn’t even now that I broke all those records until after the game.”

Somerfield recorded her first career double-double in November of her junior year. With her time at Oakland, all of her double-doubles have included at least 13 points and 10 rebounds.

“I really don’t focus on the stats at all until after the game,” Somerfield said. “I really try to focus on winning.”

In the 2016-17 season, Somerfield started 28 of 30 games. She averaged 11.1 points a game ending the season with 332 points. With 198 rebounds, Somerfield averaged 6.6 a game. She also put up 25 steals, 13 blocks and a .719 shooting percent in free-throws.

“We try to find five people that will fill a role on the team,” Oakland women’s basketball Head Coach Jeff Tungate said. “[Somerfield] can score, she can defend, she can rebound, both offensively and defensively. She brings a lot of leadership to the team as well. She’s just a great all-around player.”

As of Feb. 1 2018, Somerfield has started 21 games. In conference games, she leads the team with 11 blocks and 114 points, averaging 11.4 a game. She has a total 165 in rebounds averaging 7.9 a game, and she is second on the team in free-throw percentage with .642.

“I can see myself being more vocal,” Somerfield said. “We need that leadership on the floor. I think my biggest accomplishment this season has been improving in my role. Our coach talks about how we have our own role on the team, and we try to be the best we can at that role.”

With that role, Somerfield wants to help be the energy for the team, whether that be huddling the team up when they need it or bringing positivity when they are down.

She is also working on becoming more versatile in practices.

“Last year I was a little more confident and actually shooting more, and I think players started to realize that,” Somerfield said. “Now, I’m trying to work on my inside game.”

With her senior season in full force, Somerfield is pursuing options to continue playing her sport after college. She has been thinking of trying out for the International Women’s Combine teams overseas.

“[Somerfield] has gotten a lot more confident in these four years,” Tungate said. “She got a lot stronger, but I think the biggest thing is she got a lot more confident in her abilities. That shows on the court. She’s at her best. She’s a really confident player, and I think that has really developed over the last four years.”