ST. GEORGE – Dixie State College of Utah freshman Shanae Vaifanua has been named the Most Valuable Player for the Dixie State Tournament held December 5-6, 2008 in the Burns Center.

Vaifanua (Hurricane, UT) scored a career-high 24 points with six rebounds in Dixie State's opening win against Western New Mexico University. She continued to shine against Mesa State College in the tournament's final scoring 16 points and pulling down four rebounds helping Dixie State go undefeated.

Dixie State Coach Angela Kristensen was impressed with Vaifanua's contribution: "Shanae put up huge numbers over the weekend.  I was very pleased with her efforts. Upon returning from our trip to Omaha, Shanae had a funeral of a close family friend who passed away unexpectedly. She had a lot on her plate last week and came back and did some remarkable things.  All that and the fact she is a freshman is huge.  She does so many great things both offensively and defensively.  I look for her to be an impact player all four years and am excited to watch her get better every year.  We have had some tough luck with injuries so she has been a great addition to our team."

Also named are the members of the all-tournament team chosen by Dixie State staff and local media. The following athletes made the Dixie State All-Tournament Team:

Tanya Clark (Dixie State),Jessie Ingraham (Dixie State), Tania Keyes (Notre Dame de Namur University), Audra Major (Western New Mexico), Stephanie Delgado (Mesa State College)