Minnesota Morris returns as the favorite in UMAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
2011 UMAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. 45 Points - University of Minnesota Morris (4 First Place Votes)
2. 41 Points - Northland College (1)
T-3. 31 Points - Martin Luther College (1)
T-3. 31 Points - Northwestern College
T-5. 28 Points - Bethany Lutheran College
T-5. 28 Points - College of St. Scholastica (2)
7. 13 Points - Presentation College
8. 7 Points - Crown College
ST. PAUL -- Winner of the last two Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season championships, the University of Minnesota Morris claimed 45 points to earn first place in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Cougars, who earned invitations to the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Tournaments, were one of four teams to earn first place votes in a poll that was across the board.
1. University of Minnesota Morris Cougars
2010-11 Overall Record: 21-7
2010-11 UMAC Record: 14-0
2010-11 UMAC Finish: 1st
Starters Returning: 2
Starters Lost: 3
University of Minnesota Morris head coach Tim Grove will have his work cut out for him as he enters his sixth season on the bench. The Cougars have lost just one UMAC game the last two seasons, but in 2011-12 must replace a trio of All-UMAC performers, led by 2011 Most Outstanding Player Steph Roggenbuck. An honorable mention all-American, Roggenbuck was worth nearly 19 points a night in UMAC play last season. Also gone is point guard Brandi Cresap, who led the NCAA is assist turnover ratio, with a 6.5 per game tally. To replace that production, the Cougars will look to a pair of returning starters, as well as a talented group of reserves who got valuable experience playing behind some of the best in the UMAC. Emily Mehr returns for her junior year after earning All-UMAC status in each of her first two seasons, while senior Jenni Noordmans returns after landing on the All-Defensive team last season. Mehr led the UMAC in field goal percentage in conference games, while ranking eighth in scoring. Also expected to contribute are Kelsey Erickson who handed out 62 assists, and Abby Fragodt who was second on the team in rebounds with 141.
2. Northland College LumberJills
2010-11 Overall Record: 14-12
2010-11 UMAC Record: 8-6
2010-11 UMAC Finish: 3rd
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 1
The 2011-2012 version of the Northland College women’s basketball team will not be lacking experience as the LumberJills return five seniors and three juniors. Northland graduated just one senior in All-UMAC forward Laura Fisher. The LumberJills return all of their shooters from of a team that has lead the UMAC in three-point shooting over the last two years. Leading the charge for Northland this year will be seniors Lulu Seelye, Maria Mackey, Ashley Runge, Kristin Zimmer and Rebecca Lake. Seelye, an honorable mention guard averaged10.1 points and 3.4 assists per game last season. Mackey led the LumberJills in scoring last season with 13.7 points per game and was one of the league’s top three-point shooters, but missed the final four games due to a broken hand. Runge, who may be Northland’s most consistent player, according to Wilson, contributed 10.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Both Zimmer and Lake contributed key minutes for the Jills last season as well.
T-3. Martin Luther College Knights
2010-11 Overall Record: 10-15
2010-11 UMAC Record: 7-7
2010-11 UMAC Finish: T-4th
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 1
The Martin Luther College women’s basketball team returns a wealth of experience and also adds several newcomers who hope to contribute for a team looking to surpass last season’s fourth-place conference finish. Erica Babinec and Sarah Free return to once again lead the back court, with Babinec coming off her third consecutive First Team All-UMAC selection in 2010-11. Babinec averaged 18.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while also leading the team in steals (51), assists (79) and free throws made (103). Free returns as the shooter to spread the floor for Babinec, while Brittney Gossen and Kadie Drake also return to bring energy to the backcourt. Freshman Alex Anthon also could see playing time early. The frontcourt returns starters Amanda Burk and Emily Boldt from a season ago, and also has several other strong options behind them. Burk led the Knights in rebounding, averaging 7.5 per game to go along with 11.6 points per game last season, while Boldt led the Knights with 50 blocked shots from her center position.
T-3. Northwestern College Eagles
2010-11 Overall Record: 16-11
2010-11 UMAC Record: 11-3
2010-11 UMAC Finish: 2nd
Starters Returning: 1
Starters Lost: 4
After competing for the UMAC regular season and tournament championships the last few years, Northwestern College will feature a young squad in 2011-12. The Eagles return just two players who had significant court time last year and will need to find an answer for the 22.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game that senior all-American Katie DeWitt averaged in 2010-11. Kristin Sczublewski is the lone senior on this year’s team. Sczublewski started 21 games at the point guard position in last year’s campaign, dishing out 99 assists to go with scoring 6.4 points per game. In just her sophomore season, UMAC Second Team All-Conference player Mollie Sir will be heavily relied upon for leadership after averaging 9.1 points per game off the bench in 2010-11. Sir’s forte is shooting, which was evidenced by her 41 percent mark behind the three-point line last year.
T-5. Bethany Lutheran College Vikings
2010-11 Overall Record: 9-15
2010-11 UMAC Record: 5-9
2010-11 UMAC Finish: 6th
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 2
Bethany Lutheran College brings back its biggest offensive threat in Jessica Englund who averaged 17.5 points per game last season. Englund also grabbed 11.4 boards per game and was named a UMAC First Team All-Conference selection in 2010-11. Anna Cepek also returns after contributing 12.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game a year ago. In addition to those two staples in the Vikings starting lineup, Kelsie Ammann is back for her junior season after maintaining a .349 shooting percentage behind the arc last year. Newcomers to look for on the Vikings roster include Shelby Wiederhoeft, Kasslin Swenson, and Dani Christie. Wiederhoeft was a three-time all-conference winner and scored over 1,000 points and had 1,000 rebounds in her high school career at Truman (Minn.). Swenson was named to the all-state tournament team in her senior year at Nicollet High School and was a four-time all-conference recipient. Christie was also an all-conference honoree in 2011 at Hutchinson, and was on the 2011 Leader Girls' Basketball All-Area Team.
T-5. College of St. Scholastica Saints
2010-11 Overall Record: 10-15
2010-11 UMAC Record: 7-7
2010-11 UMAC Finish: T-4th
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 2
The College of St. Scholastica will feature many new faces playing for head coach Stacy Deadrick this season. The Saints return just two starters from last year’s squad in addition to UMAC Freshman of the Year Kayla Heisler, who will also be back once the conference season begins. Laura Amys was the Saints’ sixth-man last season and will look to take leadership of the Saints as her and Taylor Fellbaum are the lone seniors on the team. Amys was named to the UMAC All-Defensive Team a season ago after leading the team with 31 blocked shots. The lone junior on the roster is North Dakota State College of Science transfer Haley Hoyer. Hoyer played in 61 games in two seasons with the Wildcats. She averaged 8.6 points per game as a sophomore and 8.4 points as a freshman. St. SCholastica brought in more athleticism through recruiting this year and Coach Deadrick hopes that it will pay off in the program’s first conference title since 1998.
7. Presentation College Saints
2010-11 Overall Record: 9-16
2010-11 UMAC Record: 4-10
2010-11 UMAC Finish: 7th
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 6
The 2011-12 Presentation College Women’s Basketball Team will attempt to make an appearance in the UMAC Tournament this season with the help of their four returners. Although having only four returning on the team, the newcomers will add depth to the bench and help the team get back to a winning record. Head coach Alaina Benson will look for leadership from last year’s returning starters and this year’s current captains, Kelli Boekelheide, Chelsea Voorhees, and Hannah Phillips. Boekelheide, a transfer from Mayville State at semester during the 2010-2011 season, averaged 9.1 points and 6.9 rebounds in just 16 contests. Voorhees averaged 8.1 points and grabbed 6.2 rebounds per game while starting 23 games. Phillips finished with an average of 11.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.7 steals per contest and was nationally ranked within the Top 20 in Division III for steals per game.
8. Crown College Storm
2010-11 Overall Record: 0-25
2010-11 UMAC Record: 0-14
2010-11 UMAC Finish: 8th
Starters Returning: 2
Starters Lost: 3
Crown College features a new head coach in Ryan Chmielewski, who will try to right the Storm’s ship after an 0-25 campaign in 2010-11. Chmielewski has four players returning to the roster in Judy Mundt, Misa Matetich, Kristen Stombaugh and Shouayee Moua. Mundt led Crown with 16.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last year, while Matetich contributed 7.6 points per game.
All eight UMAC teams will play a full slate of nonconference games before league contests kick off on January 10. At the conclusion of the 14-game conference schedule, the top four teams will compete in the conference tournament, with the winner earning the UMAC's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament.