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Posting Up - Scoreboard - Top 25 - Features - Notables - Team of the Week - Live Audio |
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A look at the upcoming season 2001-02 season |
Notables Nov 3: RMC knocks off American in exhibitionNov 2: Men in red hope to take next step Oct 29: Petrel men look to take '10 by storm |
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Millikin Despite the key losses of Missy Barrett, an All-CCIW first-teamer and Millikin’s leading scorer, All-CCIW second-team pick and Sara Brown and Neysa Thiele, the Big Blue returns some big contributors to last year’s campaign. Senior point guard Maria Sanchez, senior forward Kristin Kwasny and senior guard Kara Hillmer return from last year’s starting lineup. Kwasny was the team’s third-leading scorer averaging 13.9 ppg and led the team with 6.2 rebounds per game. Sanchez earned her first varsity letter as a junior when she led the team with 124 assists and 84 steals. She also had the third-most rebounds on the team, 117. Kwasny was named to the CCIW’s second team while Sanchez earned third team honors. Hillmer, a guard, started in all but one game last season, finishing with 100 points and was fourth on the team in rebounds. She also was fifth on the team in both steals and assists. Senior captain Lori Jennings played in all 26 of Millikin’s games last season, averaging 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds off the bench. Also returning to the team are senior reserve Betsey Burkhart, juniors Joni Kash and Tonya Parrish, sophomores Kira Bulva and Monica Balcer each return after seeing limited time a year ago. A solid recruiting class also looks to provide a strong base for this season and continue the Millikin tradition into the future. Six of the team’s 10 freshmen Molly Householder, Abby Gerlesits, Audrey Minott, Kim Schmitt, Leslie Harned and Stephanie Olson are all listed on the preseason varsity roster. Kerans begins her 16th season at the helm of the Big Blue in 2001-2002. Kerans, the winningest coach in school history, has complied a 299-94 career record at Millikin, a winning percentage of .761. She has led the Big Blue to 20 wins in nine of her 15 seasons. Dick Marshall starts his seventh season as a Big Blue assistant coach while Ed Softley and Neysa Thiele join the Millikin coaching staff for the first time. Kelly Pritchard and Drew Roberts will serve as student assistant coaches. The Millikin women will also host their second annual Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament and Harriett Crannell Classics in 2001-2002. The team opens with the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament on Nov. 16, a tournament the Big Blue won last year. The Crannell Classic scheduled for Dec. 15-16. UW-Stout Stout lost only two regular players and return the majority of their starters. Injuries played a vital role in Stout's game plan last year, but in the long run, it might have played into the Blue Devils' hands for this year. Point guard and spark plug Stacie Anderson was to wrap up her career last season, but a knee injury in a 2000 summer league game knocked the 1999 all-conference player out for the season. Jessie Herrman was moved to the point, but was lost after six games. The injuries forced coach Mark Thomas, who enters his 15th year, to move all-around player Amy Zelinger to the point spot for much of the season, as well as give several other young players an opportunity to see valuable game time. Zelinger responded by leading the team in scoring (13 ppg) and was named to the all-WIAC team as well as the WIAC defensive team. Tanya Halbach came to play with a long range shot and earned honorable mention all-conference honors. Sara Kahl and Laura Verdegan earned their way to the starting rotation and post player Bonnie Thoe proved to be a force underneath in her rookie year. Thomas has been pleased with what he has seen from his 2001-02 edition, from the seniors all the way to the freshmen. "I really like
this group," Thomas said. "I like their attitude, their approach
to learning, their work ethic. There is a lot of interaction between the
classes. This is a group that is headed in the right direction, as far
as team chemistry goes." Freshmen Lindsey Erichsen, Anne Janiga and Ann Schachtner will all fit into the Blue Devils' game plan in the paint. Erichsen is a very good athlete that will be a presence in the paint, said Thomas. Janiga is very skilled and Schachtner gives Stout some physicalness in the low post the Blue Devils may have lacked in the past. Point guard Erin Churchill has a quality skill level both offensively and defensively that fits in well with the Stout game plan and wing guard Marquita Holder continues to improve daily. With so many regulars returning, it would seem that Stout would have a distinct advantage in league play, but not so, said Thomas. Thomas said that most teams return a solid core from very good teams last season. "It will be a real dogfight right to the end," Thomas said. "So many teams return quality players and starters. There are a lot of experienced players out there. We must be prepared mentally and physically every time we step out on the floor." UW-Stevens
Point But Pointers’ coach Shirley Egner is quick to point out that the Pointers have plenty of work ahead to challenge for a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. “We haven’t won anything yet,” Egner said. “We had a tremendous season last year, but we finished third in the standings and lost in the semifinals of the tournament.” However, virtually every player from that team returns and after tossing in a group of solid newcomers, Egner is smiling about the possibilities. “We keep saying that we want to pursue a championship,” she said. “We feel real good about this season. Our depth and versatility are our key strengths.” The depth starts in the frontcourt where the Pointers return a pair of first-team All-WIAC performers in Kari Groshek and Carry Boehning. Groshek is a three-year starter and ranked third in the league in scoring at 15.8 points per game and fourth in rebounding at 6.8 per game last season. Boehning averaged 13.7 points and ranked second in the WIAC at 7.0 rebounds per game. Senior forward Amie Schultz is also a three-year starter and averaged 7.8 points per game a year ago to give the Pointers plenty of experience in the starting lineup. “The experience we have is huge,” Egner said. “The more you play and learn the ins and outs of what it takes to play in this league, the more you’re experienced and prepared to take the court every night.” Junior Jessica Granger is a two-year returning starter at point guard and sophomore Andrea Kraemer started 25 games as a freshman. Granger scored 3.2 points per game, while Kraemer is the team’s top defender and averaged 5.0 points, including 9.3 points per game over the final six contests. Sophomore Tara Schmitt led the WIAC in free throw percentage at 84.5 last season and averaged 8.5 points as a solid backcourt mate with Granger. “Granger and Schmitt are like night and day,” Egner said. “Granger thinks pass, then score, while Schmitt scores and then passes. It’s great to have two very good point guards who bring such different strengths to the table.” The Pointers also return sophomore forward Cassandra Heuer, who scored 8.3 points per game, and juniors Megan Hodgson and Amanda Tosic, who give the team valuable minutes in the frontcourt. Sophomore Renee Schartner also provides depth in the backcourt after playing in 17 games last season. Freshman forward Amanda Nechuta, who was a second-team AP All-State selection last year at Mosinee High School, will likely see time, along with former D.C. Everest High School standout Leah Cheyka. Both Nechuta and Cheyka are 5-10 forwards. For how successful a season the Pointers enjoyed last year, including wins over every WIAC team and wins at UW-Oshkosh and UW-Eau Claire, the season still ended in heartbreak in an 80-78 loss to UW-Platteville in the WIAC semifinals. “Our kids hurt for a very long time after that loss,” Egner said. “It was painful, but it built character. We’ll have that in the back of our mind when we get down the stretch this season.” The hope for Egner is that the Pointers will have plenty of big games late in the season to use those valuable experiences from last season. “Our seniors are very focused and determined to do whatever it takes to get that championship,” Egner said. “With the depth and experience we have coming back this season, you’ve got to be excited.” UW-Eau
Claire But for second-year head coach Tonja Englund, the athleticism of her players has her excited as she looks to reload in an effort to maintain the Eau Claire tradition. Gone are WIAC player of the year Vanessa Schley, two-year All-Conference point guard Jessie Brantner, four-year starter and two-year All-WIAC Defensive team post player Megan Murphy and two-year starter Meagan Whatley. With their departure go more than two-thirds of last year's scoring and more than half of last year's rebounds and steals. Yet this year's squad is "Ready to Shine," as their team theme has become, with some new looks, and not necessarily just in personnel but in style of play. Englund's 16-player roster still includes 10 lettermen plus one transfer, one redshirt freshman and four true freshmen. From the freshmen class to the senior class, every player on the roster brings some contribution to the table. Englund will have the luxury of fielding a quick lineup or a big lineup because of the versatility in talent. Two freshmen could be in the starting lineup when the Blugolds take the floor November 16 against Illinois College in Decatur. Either Lindsey Williams or Katie Murphy, the younger sister of graduated WIAC Scholar-Athlete Megan Murphy, will open at the point, but both should get plenty of playing time. While they may not provide the scoring punch that Brantner did, they both can pressure the ball and will create scoring opportunities for the players around them. The team's only two seniors, co-captains Sarah Hughes and Ann Bauer, will continue to make their presence known with their physical play inside as they have the past three seasons. Hughes averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds a game last year while Bauer contributed 2.3 points and 2.5 rebounds. They will also provide leadership for the youthful and talented squad. Englund will look to play an uptempo style which will start with pressure in the backcourt. The team will be extremely young at the perimeter and outside shooting is a question mark going into the campaign but the Golds have an abundance of depth at the post with a lot of physical players inside. One of the most physical, sophomore Brooke Wozniak, will not even begin practice until she completes her season as a starter with the Blugold volleyball team. Janel Soppeland and Kristi Channing could shoulder a great deal of the team's scoring this season with Channing picking up where Schley left off last season as a threat both inside and outside and at the charity stripe. She averaged 5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while playing just over nine minutes per outing last year. Soppeland will provide the team's only experience on the perimeter where she has become dangerous as a shooter as well as off the dribble. She is the leading returning scorer with a 7.2 average but also averaged 4.8 rebounds and had a team-high 56 steals. The pair could be among the best in the league this season. Redshirt freshman Emilee Planert has asserted herself at the No. 2 position and has shown Englund that she is one of the more versatile players on the team. She plays hard-nosed defense, runs the floor well and sees the floor well offensively. Sophomore Laura Tamm, fundamentally one of the soundest and most explosive players on the team, will see a lot of minutes at that spot as well. At 6-1, sophomore Becca Spaeth will provide the Blugolds with one of their tallest post players in some time. Her off-season weight training has made her a much strong player who can also fly up and down the court. Spaeth and Channing will provide the Blugolds with a great inside-outside combination. Among the players who have the ability to fill the void in perimeter shooting are junior Kelly Guay, sophomore Meredith Maaske and freshman Joanna Leafblad. Andrea Sydow has been out of basketball for a year but was a junior college All-American on Anoka-Ramsey's national championship teams of 1999 and 2000. Laura Camacho, who lettered as a freshman, is a valuable team leader in addition to being a backup post at 6-1. Ashley Smith is a talented freshman who was the Lumberjack Conference player of the year at Park Falls. The Blugolds are coming off a 23-6 season in which they were ranked No. 8 nationally in the final D3hoops.com poll, shared the regular season conference championship and won the postseason conference tournament title. They lost their second round NCAA tournament game to Washington University, the eventual national champion. The Blugold tradition that Englund is seeking to extend is 14 consecutive winning seasons, 10 straight 20-victory seasons and NCAA tournament participation in 12 of the past 13 seasons. Carthage Carthage returns 15 letterwinners and four starters from last year. Forward Rachel Newman leads returnees. Newman was named third-team All-CCIW last year with a team-leading 15.6 scoring average and 5.6 rebounds. She scored in double figures in 22 of 25 games. The three other returning starters are guard Angela Beyer (So., 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds), center Lindsey Mangawan (So., 8.8 points, 9.3 rebounds) and guard Jenny Olson (So., 8.4 points 3.2 rebounds, .825 free-throw percentage). UW-Oshkosh UW-Oshkosh began its preparation for the 2001-02 campaign last May by traveling to Italy for three games against some heralded international competition. The Titans went winless in their international contests, but their cultural experience of visiting Milan, Rome and the Vatican City will be one that will last a lifetime. UW-Oshkosh's starting lineup from a year ago is virtually intact this season with forward Jenny Deuster and guards Melissa Schweitzer, Kristin Steckmesser and Jamie Turtenwald all returning. Steckmesser, a senior who has started 55 games during her UW-Oshkosh career, is the most distinguished of the returning starters. Last year, she received All-WIAC first team accolades after averaging 12.4 points, 3.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per contest while totaling 41 steals, 41 three-point field goals and a 77.1% free throw percentage. Prior to receiving a medical redshirt for the 1999-2000 season, Steckmesser averaged 11.9 points, 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game in 1998-99 and 5.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest in 1997-98. Steckmesser enters the upcoming season with 142 three-point field goals, the second-highest total in school history. Schweitzer, a junior, averaged 11.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game a year ago while shooting 53.6% from the field and blocking a team-high 26 shots. Two years ago, she played in all 29 games for the Titans, averaging 4.6 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest. Turtenwald, a senior, returns to direct the offense for another season after averaging 8.8 points, 4.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game a year ago. Last season, she shot 47.1% (33-for-70) behind the three-point line to rank second in the WIAC. Two years ago, Turtenwald averaged 5.7 points per game and three years ago 2.6. In all, she has played in 80 games, including 39 starts. Deuster, a senior, has also played valuable minutes for the Titans during her career. Last year she made 16 starts, averaging 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 54.4% from the field. Two years ago, Deuster started 17 games and averaged 7.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest. Three years ago, she played in all 29 games and averaged 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per outing. The Titans also welcome back sophomore guard Kaaren Albrecht, junior forward Jodi Bushman and junior guard Brenda Utech, all key reserves from last year's team. UW-Oshkosh received a severe setback during the summer when sophomore forward Abby Holler injured her knee. Holler, who was expected to contend for a starting position, will be lost for the 2001-02 season. Among the newcomers expected to compete for extensive playing time is sophomore Kay Mikolajczak, a talented transfer from UW-Eau Claire, which shared the WIAC title with the Titans last season. Since women's basketball began as an intercollegiate sport at UW-Oshkosh with the 1971-72 season the Titans have built a highly successful pillar at the conference and national levels. The Titans have won one NCAA Division III championship, claimed nine WIAC titles, made 10 NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and been victorious in 560 of their 740 games played. New this season for UW-Oshkosh is a new home, the 5,600-seat Kolf Sports Center. The Titans have played some games there in the past, but nothing like their former home of 1,600-seat Albee Hall, where they had been victorious in 216 of their last 256 games. Benedictine Last season the Lady Eagles finished smack in the middle of the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference with a 7-5 record in conference and an overall record of 16-9. With every starter returning for the new year, the Lady Eagles can only be expected to improve. Most importantly all three captains from last year’s squad return to the court this season. Jen Olson, Morgan Bahe and Val Pesch are all seniors this year and have played significant roles since entering the Benedictine program. Olson and Bahe were each selected to the NIIC all-conference team. Olson, a power forward, led the Lady Eagles in both scoring and rebounding for the second straight season. During the 2000-2001 campaign Olson averaged 16.8 points per game and 13.8 rebounds per game. Leading the Lady Eagles in seven statistical categories, including minutes played, field goal percentage, and blocks, as well as being honored as an Academic All-District, Olson is a true leader both on and off the floor. Bahe started at the point position for Benedictine last season. She led the team with 112 assists and finished second in scoring averaging 15 points per contest. Bahe also received Academic All-District recognition last season. Pesch overcame a torn ACL from her sophomore season to start 18 games for the Lady Eagles last year. She ranked third on the team in steals with 21 steals in just 20 games for the Lady Eagles. Pesch was a NIIC all-conference honorable mention last season. Also returning for Benedictine this year is sophomore Erin McGunnigal and junior Kari Pfeifer. McGunnigal played in all 25 games during her freshmen campaign, starting 22 games at the center position. Finishing second on the team in rebounding and third in blocks, McGunnigal is a presence in the paint for the Lady Eagles. She was also a NIIC all-conference honorable mention at the conclusion of last season. Pfeifer set the single game record for Division III women’s basketball last year with 11 three-point field goals on just sixteen attempts in a game against Concordia University last year. In the game Pfeifer poured in 37 points in the team’s last game of the season. Also returning for the Lady Eagles are junior Lindsay Mosshammer and sophomores Corrie Bebar, Lindsey Keigley, Julie Robinson and Dalena Sass, who will be key contributors during the 2001-2002 campaign. Even though there are all the familiar faces on the Lady Eagles team, Benedictine hired a new coach for the 2001-2002 season. Chris Hitchcock has been given the job as the Lady Eagles’ head coach. Hitchcock has been an assistant coach for the last seven years at Hanover in Indiana despite being just 26 years old. |
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