(Peru, Neb.) – Peru State basketball players Alyssa Marsh-Contreras (Bellevue) and Lyle Hexom (Omaha) have been identified as the Bobcat February Athletes of the Month by athletic director Wayne Albury.
 
The players were selected by the athletic director as they both were key contributors to their respective teams and for receiving Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart) post-season honors.
 
A freshman, Marsh-Contreras was named the Heart's women's basketball freshman player of the year. In addition, she was named to the Heart's all-conference second team.

 
As of March 7, Marsh-Contreras was listed in three NAIA Top 50 individual categories: 18^th in points per game (16.909), 33^rd in three-point field goals made per game, and 40^th in field goal percentage (0.420).
 
In the Heart, Marsh-Contreras finished: third in points per game, fifth in three-point field goals made per game (2.14), seventh in field goal percentage, eighth in three-point field goal percentage (0.351), eighth in steals per game (1.96), 13^th in total scoring (372), 13^th in assists per game (2.82), 17^th in total three-point field goals made (47), and tied for 19^th in total steals (43).
 
Marsh-Contreras scored the most points in a game by a Heart player as she had 41 points in the contest against Baker in November.
 
Hexom, a senior, recently was named as the Heart's men's basketball player of the year.
 
Going into the March 7 contest with Culver-Stockton (Mo.), Hexom is listed in numerous NAIA Top 50 individual categories: third in blocks per game (2.567), third in total blocks (77), fifth in total rebounds per game (10.233), fifth in total three-point field goals made (96), fifth in defensive rebounds per game (8.033), fifth in total rebounds (307), sixth in three-point field goals made per game (3.200), seventh in total scoring (618), eighth in points per game (20.600), 29^th in three-point field goal percentage (0.438), and 39^th in field goal percentage (0.522).

 
Also, Hexom was in the top 20 in numerous Heart categories. He finished with the second-most points in a contest during the season with 38 against Missouri Valley. In addition, Hexom had the second-highest rebounding effort of the season as he grabbed 17 rebounds against Mount Mercy in January.
 
"Both Alyssa and Lyle played big parts in how their teams played throughout the year," noted Albury. Continuing, he added, "Obviously, their opponents thought the same which was noted by their all-conference honors."