HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac University women’s basketball senior Erin Kerner (Erie, Pa.) and men’s hockey senior Bryan Leitch (Coquitlam, British Columbia) have been named the Eli’s Restaurant Group Quinnipiac Athletes of the Month for December. Leitch led the Bobcats to a 3-1 record in the month, while accumulating seven assists and one goal before being named the MVP of the Toyota UConn Hockey Classic. Kerner was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Week after scoring a season-high 35 points at Yale on Dec. 21. This is the first time that Leitch has received the monthly honor, while Kerner earns the sixth of her career.

Leitch helped the Bobcats to three-consecutive wins in the month, including victories against Hockey East opponent Merrimack, 4-3, and No. 11 Air Force, 4-2, to claim the team’s second consecutive winter holiday tournament. Leitch’s MVP performance included two assists against Merrimack and three in the Championship Game against the Falcons. In the Bobcats’ first-ever home game against a Hockey East team, the senior wing had a goal and an assist against Providence on Dec. 5. Leitch also picked up an assist at No. 9 Princeton on Dec. 3. He currently leads the nation in points (31), points per game (1.72), assists (23) and assists per game (1.28).

Kerner began the month with 11 points in a win against Hartford at the TD Banknorth Sports Center. In the Bobcats’ first NEC contest of the season, she scored 14 points in a 57-52 win against Monmouth.  Following a 20-point performance at Wagner, Kerner scored 35 points at Yale to earn Choice Hotels/NEC Player of the Week Honors. Her point total against the Bulldogs pushed Kerner into second place on the program’s Division I career scoring list past Sarah Esidore (’04). She was also four points shy of tying the school single-game record.  The senior guard finished the month with a team-high seven rebounds at No. 6 Duke on Dec. 28 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Also nominated were James Feldeine (New York, N.Y.) of the men’s basketball team, Dan Roark (Dracut, Mass.) of the men’s indoor track team and women’s indoor track runner Abbey Gosling (Meredith, N.H.).