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The record-setting performances helped lead the Mustangs to a 33-4 record, a fourth consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season championship, and the semifinals of the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The Mustangs won the GPAC regular season championship with an 18-0 record to become only the second team in history to win the nation’s premier NAIA II women’s basketball league title with an unblemished record.

Morningside reeled off 27 consecutive victories starting with a 102-89 victory against Iowa Wesleyan College on Nov. 17 and ending with an 87-57 triumph against Mount Marty College on March 1 to shatter its former winning streak record of 17 games during the Mustangs’ national championship 2003-04 season. The Mustangs won a school-record 17 consecutive games away from home from Nov. 20 to March 15 to break their previous road winning streak record of 12 games during a stretch that spanned over the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.

The ability to get to the free throw line was pivotal in the Mustangs’ success as they made 585 of 782 free throw attempts to break their former single-season records of 572 free throws in 2003-04 and 743 free throw attempts in 2004-05. Morningside also set a new single-season record with 1,436 rebounds to break its former standard of 1,415 rebounds in 1988-89.

The Mustangs broke their previous record of 17 3-point field goals in a game twice this season. They broke the record for the first time with 18 treys in a 97-60 win against Pacific University on Dec. 20 and then increased the record to 19 3-pointers in a 104-62 victory against Doane College on Feb. 9. Morningside also had 30 assists in the win against Doane to tie a single-game record previously set against Johnson & Wales University on Jan. 13, 2006.

Morningside tied a single-game record with 69 rebounds in a 104-80 triumph against Berea College on March 12 in the first round of the NAIA II National Tournament to tie a record first set against Westmar College in 1988-89.

Autumn Bartel, a 5-8 junior guard from Cherokee, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ leading scorer this season with an average of 12.8 points per game to climb into 16th place on Morningside’s all-time scoring list with 1,155 career points. Bartel is 29th on the Mustangs’ all-time rebounding list with 348 career caroms.

Dani Gass, a 5-10 junior guard from Sioux City, was the Mustangs’ leading rebounder with an average of 8.1 caroms per game to compliment a scoring average of 12.0 points per game. She climbed into seventh place on Morningside’s all-time scoring list with 1,362 career points and seventh place on the college’s all-time rebounding list with 807 career rebounds. Aside from leading the Mustangs in rebounding, Gass also topped the team with 195 assists and 109 steals for averages of 5.3 assists and 2.9 steals per game.

Kristi Tighe, a 5-6 senior guard from Homer, Neb., was the Mustangs’ most prolific and accurate 3-point field goal shooter. Tighe, who averaged 10.0 points per game off the Mustangs’ bench, made a team-high 91 3-point field goals in 219 attempts for 41.6 percent. She finished her career as the 39th leading scorer in Morningside history with 574 career points.

Roni Miller, a 5-11 sophomore forward from Lawton, Iowa, led the Mustangs in field goal accuracy with 83 field goals in 158 attempts for 52.5 percent en route to a 6.2-point scoring average off the Mustangs’ bench.

The Mustangs’ best free throw shooter was J.J. Hall, a 5-9 sophomore guard from Exeter, Neb., who converted 60 of 74 free throw attempts for 81.1 percent. Hall averaged 12.5 points per game while increasing her career scoring total to 762 points for the 30th highest total in Morningside history.

Brittany Williamson, a 6-0 sophomore forward from Ruthven, Iowa, led the Mustangs with 19 blocked shots and had the team’s top single-game scoring and rebounding totals of the season with a 30-point, 16-rebound performance in Morningside’s national tournament victory against Berea. Williamson moved into 44th place on Morningside’s all-time scoring list with 523 career points.

Alisha Willey, a 5-11 senior forward from Onawa, Iowa, also moved up the Mustangs’ all-time scoring list this season. She finished her career in 40th place with 560 career points.

Gass A Repeat First-Team All-American

Dani Gass

Dani Gass, a 5-10 junior guard from Sioux City, has been named to the 2008 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball All-America First-Team announced on Tuesday.

Gass, named to the All-America first-team for the second year in a row, averaged 12.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for a Morningside team that finished the season with a 33-4 record and reached the semifinals of the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The Mustangs were the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season champions with a perfect 18-0 league record.

Gass had her top two individual scoring performances of the season in the Mustangs’ last two games of the season with 22 points in the NAIA II quarterfinals against Minot State University and 25 points in the semifinals against Northwestern College.

Aside from her scoring and rebounding exploits, Gass dealt a career-high 195 assists and had 109 steals for averages of 5.3 assists and 2.9 steals per game. She made 141 of 311 field goal attempts for 45.3 percent, 17 of 53 3-point field goal attempts for 32.1 percent, and 145 of 183 free throw attempts for 79.2 percent.

Gass is the seventh leading scorer and rebounder in Morningside history with 1,362 career points and 807 career rebounds, respectively. Gass, who also has career totals of 483 assists and 310 steals, has averaged 13.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.0 steals per game during her 105-game collegiate career.

In addition to Gass, the Mustangs’ Autumn Bartel and J.J. Hall were named NAIA Division II honorable mention All-Americans.


Autumn Bartel	J.J. Hall

Bartel, a 5-8 junior guard from Cherokee, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ leading scorer this season with an average of 12.8 points per game to compliment a norm of 3.0 rebounds per game. She had career highs of 129 assists and 93 steals for averages of 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per contest. Bartel made 171 of 398 field goal attempts for 43.0 percent, 57 of 139 3-point field goal attempts for 41.0 percent, and 76 of 100 free throw attempts for 76.0 percent.

Bartel is the 16th leading scorer and 29th leading rebounder in Morningside history with 1,155 career points and 348 career rebounds, respectively. She has averaged 11.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game over her 104-game collegiate career.

Hall, a 5-9 sophomore guard from Exeter, Neb., averaged 12.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. She also had 94 steals for a norm of 2.7 per game. Hall was the Mustangs’ best free throw shooter with 60 free throws in 74 attempts for 81.1 percent and led the team’s starters in field goal accuracy with 149 field goals in 299 attempts for 49.8 percent. She made 81 of 197 3-point field goal attempts for 41.1 percent.

Hall is the 30th leading scorer in Morningside history with 762 career points. She has averaged 11.2 points per game over her 68-game Morningside career.

Click here for the complete 2008 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball All-America Team.

Four Mustangs Named NAIA Scholar-Athletes


Autumn Bartel	Mackenzi Mendlik

Kristi Tighe	Brittany Williamson

Morningside’s Autumn Bartel, Mackenzi Mendlik, Kristi Tighe, and Brittany Williamson have been named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes in the sport of women’s basketball.

Bartel, a junior from Cherokee, Iowa, has a 3.85 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and is majoring in biology. Bartel was the Mustangs’ leading scorer this season with an average of 12.8 points per game to go along with norms of 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game.

Mendlik, a junior from Denison, Iowa, has a 3.76 cumulative GPA and is majoring in biology. She averaged 1.3 points and 1.1 rebounds per game in 24 contests.

Tighe, a senior from Homer, Neb., has a 3.94 cumulative GPA and is majoring in nursing. Tighe was the top scorer off the Mustangs’ bench with an average of 10.0 points per game and was the team leader with 91 3-point field goals.

Williamson, a junior from Ruthven, Iowa, has a 3.89 cumulative GPA and is majoring in chemistry. Williamson averaged 9.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

Student-athletes must be of at least junior status and have a minimum GPA of 3.50 in order to be eligible for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.

The Mustangs posted a 33-4 record during the 2007-08 season. Morningside was the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season champion with an unblemished 18-0 record and reached the semifinals of the NAIA Division II National Tournament.

Click here for the complete list of Daktronics-NAIA Women's Basketball Scholar-Athletes.

Mustang Season Ends In Semifinals Against Northwestern

Dani Gass scored a season's high 25 points.

Cold shooting by Morningside combined with a sizzling shooting performance by its opponent proved to be a bad combination when the second-ranked Mustangs lost 93-69 against No. 3 Northwestern in a highly anticipated NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball semifinal on Monday in Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

Northwestern, which handed the Mustangs three of their four defeats this season, will take a 34-2 record against No. 1-ranked College of the Ozarks (35-1) in Tuesday’s National Championship Game at 6:30 p.m. The Bobcats have been the national runner-up each of the past two years.

The bright spot for the Mustangs, who bowed out at 33-4, is that they will return all five starters and all but three seniors next year from this season’s GPAC championship squad. Northwestern, meanwhile, will graduate all five starters from a team that was built to win for this season.

Morningside shot just 34.2 percent for the contest and finished with its second lowest scoring total of the season. Northwestern drilled 57.4 percent of its attempts, including a torrid 15-for-22 effort for 68.2 percent to dash any Mustang comeback hopes. The Red Raiders’ 93 points were the most the Mustangs allowed all season.

Mustang All-American Dani Gass ended her season with a season’s high 25 points to finish just two shy of her career high of 27 points, which came against Cedarville University when Morningside was eliminated from last year’s national tourney.

Autumn Bartel and Laura Nelson chipped in with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

National scoring leader Debbie Remmerde paced Northwestern with 30 points behind an 11-for-14 shooting display from the field, including a seven-for-10 effort from beyond the 3-point arc. Amy Larson also had a big night with 25 points and Miranda Boekhout added 15.

Aside from their sizzling shooting performance, the Red Raiders also dominated the boards by a 50-28 margin behind a game-high 11 caroms from Randa Hulstein. Gass led the Mustangs with nine rebounds to lead the team on the boards for the 31st time in their 36 games.

Gass had a game-high seven steals and the Red Raiders’ Mandy Carr dealt a game-high six assists.

The Red Raiders handed Morningside its only two defeats over its final 32 games. The teams’ three previous games this season had been decided by a combined margin of nine points, but Northwestern ran away from the Mustangs early in Monday’s semifinal after an opening half where Morningside shot only 29.0 percent from the field. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, drilled 50.0 percent of their attempts; including an eight-for-14 showing from beyond the 3-point arc, and received a combined 29 points from Remmerde and Larson to take a 44-26 lead into the intermission.

The Red Raiders led 6-0 before Gass put the Mustangs on the scoreboard with a pair of free throws with 17:49 left. The Mustangs misfired on their first eight shots of the game and didn’t make their first field goal until Bartel scored from underneath at the 15:18 mark to pull the Mustangs within 9-4.

Northwestern pushed the margin to double figures on an inside score by Hulstein to make it 17-7 with 12:40 left in the half. The Red Raiders opened it up to 18 points, 36-18, when Becca Hurley made a 3-pointer from the baseline with 6:43 left in the half.

The opening half was eerily similar to the opening half of the Red Raiders’ 83-79 win against Morningside in the GPAC Tournament championship game on March 4. Northwestern raced to 16-point leads in the first and second halves, only to hold off a furious Morningside rally that saw the Mustangs close within two points late in the game. But the rally never came Monday until it was too late as Northwestern continued to build its lead once the second half started.

Northwestern pushed the margin to 25 points when Remmerde struck from 3-point distance to make it 55-30 with 17:34 left. The margin eventually reached 27 points, 72-45, on a 3-pointer by Boekhout with 9:58 left.

The Mustangs then made their charge with a 20-5 run to close within 77-65 with 4:12 left on a 3-pointer by Bartel.

Box Score

Mustangs Move On To Semifinals After Thrilling Finish


Dani Gass	J.J. Hall

Morningside held off a serious upset challenge from unranked Minot State University to reach the semifinals of the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament with an 87-86 victory in Saturday’s quarterfinals in Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

The second-ranked Mustangs will take a 33-3 record into Monday’s semifinals against third-ranked Northwestern College (33-2) at 8 p.m. The Red Raiders defeated Morningside 83-79 two weeks ago in the GPAC Tournament championship game to hand the Mustangs their only defeat in their last 31 games.

Minot State, the last team to make the tournament field, had already knocked off No. 7 Shawnee State and No. 19 William Jewell to reach the quarterfinals and came within a videotape review of taking down the GPAC champion Mustangs after they outscored them 50-38 in the second half.

For a few anxious moments the Beavers thought they had an 88-87 victory after the officials counted a put back shot by Brittni Walker that appeared to leave her hand after the final horn had sounded. The officials reviewed the play on the television monitor before the basket was waved off and the Mustangs were on their way to the semifinals.

All-American Dani Gass led the Mustangs with a season’s high 22 points, including the deciding points when she made a pair of free throws with 15.6 seconds left to put them in front 87-86. She was joined in double figures by J.J. Hall with 18 points, Autumn Bartel with 17, and Brittany Williamson with 12. Bartel also dealt a game-high seven assists and Hall led all performers with five steals.

Lashay Bagsby scored a game-high 30 points for the Beavers, which was 18 over her regular season average. Walker chipped in with 18 points to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds and Kendra Meyer added 15 tallies.

Minot State dominated the boards in the second half and finished with a 44-31 rebounding advantage.

Morningside seemed to be in control when a Bartel 3-pointer put the Mustangs in front 69-60 with 8:50 left in the game, but the Beavers refused to go away and rallied to take their first lead of the game, 84-82, on a basket by Meyer with 1:06 left.

Gass took a feed from Bartel and converted a 3-point play in the paint to put the Mustangs back in front 85-84 with 50 seconds left, but Minot State came right back with another basket by Meyer to go up 86-85 with 37 seconds left.

Gass’ two pressure free throws with 15.6 seconds left put the Mustangs in front to stay, but not before the Beavers were able to get off four more shots in the waning seconds along with the one that didn’t count after the horn.

While the Mustangs were unable to stop their opponent at the defensive end of the floor for much of the second half, it was the Beavers who were unable to make the defensive stops in the first half. Hall shot the Mustangs to an early 9-2 advantage when she connected from 3-point range on three of the Mustangs’ first four possessions. The Mustangs stretched their lead into double figures for the first time when Kristi Tighe connected from 3-point range with 13:10 left in the opening half to make it a 24-14 game.

After Tighe’s 3-pointer, neither team scored for over four minutes before Bagsby scored off an offensive rebound with 8:41 left in the half to cut Mustangs’ advantage to 24-16. Minot State eventually crawled back within three points, 29-26, on a basket by Heather Lizotte with 5:45 left in the half.

The Mustangs pushed their lead back into double figures when Tighe made a layup with 3:38 left to make it 39-28 and Morningside extended the margin to 13 points, 49-36, by the intermission.

Bartel, Hall, Gass, and Williamson all had nine points at the break, while Bagsby accounted for almost half of the Beavers’ offense with 17 points.

The Mustangs drilled 55.9 percent of their first half shots and maintained their torrid shooting to open the second half and scored on three straight possessions with 3-pointers by Hall and Bartel and a basket by Leslie Foral to push their lead to 17 points, 58-43, with 16:30 left for their biggest cushion of the game.

Minot State rallied with a 13-3 run to close within 61-56 with 10:49 left.

Gass scored to stop the Minot State rally and Bartel struck from 3-point range to put the Mustangs back in front by 10 points, 66-56. The Beavers closed within 66-60 and Bartel answered from 3-point range again to extend the Mustangs’ lead to 69-60 with 8:50 left.

Minot State refused to quit and rallied to tie the score when Whitney Loftesnes struck from 3-point range to tie the game at 82-82 with 2:04 left and set up the thrilling finish.

Box Score

On To The Elite Eight


Roni Miller	Autumn Bartel

Morningside’s women’s basketball team has advanced to the Elite Eight at the NAIA Division II National Tournament after a 70-62 victory against St. Ambrose University in Friday’s second round action in Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

The second-ranked Mustangs will take a 32-3 record into a 6 p.m. Saturday quarterfinal against unranked Minot State University. The Beavers upset No. 7 Shawnee State 94-82 in the opening round and then knocked off No. 19 William Jewell 94-93 in double overtime in Friday’s second round.

The Mustangs posted their 29th victory in their last 30 games with Friday’s triumph. It was Morningside’s second triumph against St. Ambrose this season following a 76-65 triumph back in November at the St. Ambrose Jim Fox Invitational.

Morningside shot just 37.7 percent from the field in the rematch. St. Ambrose wasn’t much better at 38.6 percent, plus turned the ball over 25 times compared to 15 miscues by the Mustangs.

Brittany Williamson was the Mustangs’ standout in their opening round triumph against Berea College with career highs of 30 points and 16 rebounds. It was her backup, Roni Miller, who led the way in the win against St. Ambrose. Miller came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points and grab eight rebounds to match a career high.

The Mustangs received 13 points each from Dani Gass and Kristi Tighe, while Autumn Bartel added 12 points to go along with a game-high five assists and a career-high seven steals.

Miller’s eight rebounds helped the Mustangs claim a 39-38 advantage on the boards.

Miller gave the Mustangs their biggest lead of the first half, 21-7, when they went up by 14 points. However, St. Ambrose answered with a 12-1 run and closed within three points, 22-19, on a 3-pointer by Casey Breitbach.

The Bees stayed within striking distance throughout the second half. Morningside led by only six points, 63-57, before a technical fall was assessed against the Bees’ bench. J.J. Hall made both free throws after the technical, and then Autumn Bartel fed Dani Gass for a basket in the paint to give the Mustangs some additional breathing room with a 67-57 advantage.

Box Score

Mustangs Roll In National Tourney Opener


Brittany Williamson	J.J. Hall

Morningside advanced to the second round of the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament with a 104-80 victory against Berea College in Wednesday’s first round action in Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

The second-ranked Mustangs, who posted their 28th victory in their last 29 games, will take a 31-3 record into a second round contest on Friday at 5:45 p.m. against 15th ranked St. Ambrose University (29-5). Morningside defeated St. Ambrose 76-65 in its second game of the season on Nov. 3 at the St. Ambrose Jim Fox Invitational

Berea entered the tournament as the highest scoring team in the nation with an average or 94.8 points per game, but it was the Mustangs who were the offensive juggernaut. In fact, they were on pace to break the national tournament single-game scoring record of 112 points by Briar Cliff in 1997 before the Mustangs cleared their bench with ample time left in the game.

The Lady Mountaineers, who closed out a 21-12 season, shot just 32.2 percent, including a chilly 30.4 percent showing in the first half when they fell behind by a 56-35 margin at the intermission.

Brittany Williamson dominated the game with career highs of 30 points and 16 rebounds for the Mustangs’ top individual scoring and rebounding performances of the season. Williamson, whose previous high was 27 points in this season’s win against St. Ambrose, misfired on only two of 12 floor shots and was a perfect eight-for-eight from the free-throw line. She was also an intimidator on defense with three blocked shots.

J.J. Hall also had a big night with 20 points and Alisha Willey led the bench brigade with 11 tallies.

Berea led the nation in team rebounds per game with an average of 49.6 per game, but was no match for the Mustangs, who dominated the boards by a 69-47 margin to tie a school record for most rebounds in a game previously set against Westmar University in 1996. Williamson led the way with her career-high 16 caroms. Dani Gass also made double figures with 10 rebounds and Roni Miller matched her career best with eight boards.

Berea entered the game as the national leader with an average of 13.6 3-point field goals per game, but the Lady Mountaineers didn’t make their second 3-pointer of the game until there were four minutes left in the opening half. Berea finished the contest with 11 3-pointers in 43 attempts for 25.6 percent.

Morningside took control with a 20-3 scoring run in the first half when it turned a 22-16 advantage into an insurmountable 45-21 bulge. The Mustangs eventually led by 27 points, 54-27, after a three-point play by All-American Dani Gass with 1:36 left in the half before taking their 56-35 lead into the intermission.

The Mustangs stretched their advantage to 30 points, 76-46, on a 3-pointer from the baseline by Laura Nelson with 12:03 left in the game. Morningside reached the century mark when Katie Sponder made the front end of a two-shot foul with 1:18 left to put the Mustangs up 100-77.

Box Score

Mustangs Place Two On All-GPAC First-Team; Sale Is GPAC Coach Of The Year


Dani Gass	J.J. Hall

Dani Gass, a 5-10 junior guard from Sioux City, and J.J. Hall, a 5-9 sophomore guard from Exeter, Neb., have both been named to the All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball First-Team as selected by the league’s head coaches.

In addition, the Mustangs’ Jamie Sale has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year after he guided the Mustangs to the GPAC regular season title with a perfect 18-0 league record. Sale’s Mustangs will take a 30-3 record and a No. 2 national ranking into the NAIA Division II National Tournament to be held March 12-18 in Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

Gass, named to the All-GPAC first-team for the third year in a row, is averaging 11.5 points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game. She leads the Mustangs with 182 assists and 96 steals for averages of 5.5 assists and 2.9 steals per game. Gass has made 120 of 266 field goal attempts for 45.1 percent and 125 of 157 free throw attempts for 79.6 percent.

She is the 10th leading scorer and ninth leading rebounder in Morningside history with 1,298 career points and 776 career rebounds, respectively.

Hall moved up from last year’s All-GPAC second-team. She is averaging 12.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game and has 80 steals for an average of 2.6 per game. Hall has made 134 of 262 field goal attempts for 51.1 percent, 73 of 172 3-point field goal attempts for 42.4 percent, and 48 of 58 free throw attempts for a team-high 82.8 percent.

Hall is the 32nd leading scorer in Morningside history with 712 career points.

Autumn Bartel

In addition to their two first-team selections, the Mustangs’ Autumn Bartel was named to the All-GPAC second-team. Bartel, a 5-8 junior guard from Cherokee, Iowa, is the Mustangs’ leading scorer with an average of 12.8 points per game to compliment a norm of 3.0 rebounds per contest. She has 111 assists and 83 steals for averages of 3.4 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Bartel has made 151 of 350 field goal attempts for 43.1 percent, 51 of 122 3-point field goal attempts for 41.8 percent, and 70 of 93 free throw attempts for 75.3 percent.

Bartel, who also received second-team All-GPAC honors as a freshman, is the 18th leading scorer in Morningside history with 1,103 career points.

Morningside’s Leslie Foral and Kristi Tighe were each named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list.

Foral, a 5-11 sophomore guard from Chadron, Neb., is averaging 6.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game to go along with 72 assists and 65 steals.

Tighe, a 5-7 senior guard from Homer, Neb., is the top scorer off the Mustangs’ bench with an average of 10.4 points per game. Tighe is also averaging 2.4 rebounds per contest and is the Mustangs’ most prolific 3-point field goal shooter with 84 treys in 195 attempts for 43.1 percent.

Click here for the complete 2008 All-GPAC Women's Basketball Team.

Gass Is GPAC Player Of The Week

Photo of Dani Gass Dani Gass, a 5-10 junior guard from Sioux City, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Player of the Week after she helped lead the Mustangs to a pair of victories last week to wrap up the GPAC’s regular season championship with a perfect 18-0 league slate.

Gass averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 3.0 steals per game and made 20 of 24 free throw attempts for 83.3 percent in the two triumphs.

She matched her season’s scoring high with 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds and nine assists when Morningside edged Northwestern College 88-86 in last Wednesday’s showdown between a pair of national powers that each entered the contest with perfect 16-0 records in the GPAC. Gass scored 16 points, including 14 in the second half, to go along with eight rebounds, eight assists, and four steals when the Mustangs defeated Dordt College 72-70 last Saturday. She made 10 of 11 free throw attempts in the second half, including a pair of gift shots with 1:04 left in the game to break a 70-70 tie.

Morningside, ranked third in the nation in the NAIA Division II ranks, will take a 28-2 record and a school-record 25-game winning streak into the GPAC’s post-season tournament. The Mustangs, who have already qualified for the NAIA Division II National Tournament as the GPAC’s regular season champion, will host a quarterfinal round game on Thursday between the winner of Tuesday’s first round contest between Briar Cliff University and Dordt.

Hall Named GPAC Player Of The Week

Photo of J.J. Hall J.J. Hall, a 5-9 sophomore guard from Exeter, Neb., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for Feb. 11-17.

Hall had her two highest scoring performances of the season with 21 points in each of the Mustangs’ victories last week against the University of Sioux Falls and Dana College.

She made seven of nine field goal attempts, including a five-for-six showing from beyond the 3-point arc, in the Mustangs’ 92-66 win at Sioux Falls and drilled eight of 11 floor shots in Morningside’s 115-61 win against Dana. Hall also had a game-high five steals in the Sioux Falls game.

Hall is the leading scorer with an average of 13.0 points per game for a Morningside team that has a 26-2 record and is ranked third nationally in the NAIA Division II. The Mustangs are riding a school-record 23-game winning streak and are the co-leaders in the GPAC with a 16-0 league record. Morningside will host Northwestern College, the other team with a 16-0 mark in the GPAC, to a 6 p.m. contest on Wednesday in the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center.

Bartel Receives Academic All-District Recognition

Photo of Autumn Bartel Autumn Bartel, a 5-8 junior guard from Cherokee, Iowa, has been named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-District VII women’s basketball third-team as selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Bartel has a 3.85 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and is majoring in biology. She is the leading scorer with an average of 12.3 points per game for a Morningside team that has a 23-2 record and is ranked third in the nation in the NAIA Division II. Bartel has scored 987 points during her Morningside career to put her 13 points shy of becoming the 18th women’s basketball player in Morningside history to score 1,000 career points.

Student-athletes must be of at least sophomore status and have a minimum GPA of 3.20 in order to be eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic honors.

Miller Named GPAC Player Of The Week

Photo of Roni Miller Roni Miller, a 5-11 sophomore forward from Lawton, Iowa, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Miller gave the Mustangs her most productive game of the season in one of the team’s biggest games of the season when she came off the bench to lead them with career highs of 16 points and eight rebounds in last Saturday’s 74-68 win at eighth-ranked Concordia University to hand the Bulldogs their first home court defeat since Feb. 3 of last season.

The 16 points was Miller’s seventh double figure scoring performance off the bench this season to tie her with Laura Nelson and Kristi Tighe for team honors. She has five double figure scoring performances in the last six games and has collected eight rebounds in three of the Mustangs’ last four contests. Miller has averaged 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game over the Mustangs’ last six contests to raise her season’s averages to 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. She leads the Mustangs in field goal accuracy with 53 hoops in 101 attempts for 52.5 percent. Miller has shot 50.0 percent or higher from the field in 15 of her 23 games.

Mustangs Announce Two Recruits

Morningside head coach Jamie Sale has announced the names of two recruits who will join the Mustangs next season.

They are:

Brittany Alfredson, a senior at Woodbury Central High School of Moville, Iowa. Alfredson, a 5-11 forward, is the top scorer and rebounder for a Woodbury Central team that is currently ranked No. 8 in the state in Iowa’s Class 1A ranks. She is averaging a double-double with norms of 18.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Alfredson has 43 assists, 37 steals, and 17 blocked shots for averages of 3.1 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.2 blocked shots per game.

She earned second-team Class 1A all-state honors from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association (IGCA) and was a third-team Des Moines Register all-state selection last season when she averaged 17.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.9 steals, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Alfredson made 155 of 273 field goal attempts for 56.8 percent, 13 of 37 3-point field goal attempts for 35.1 percent, and 96 of 125 free throw attempts for 76.8 percent. Alfredson, a two-time first-team All-Maple Valley Conference performer, earned third-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors as a junior and was a fifth-team selection as a sophomore.

Nicole Pothen, a 5-8 senior guard at Bethlehem Academy High School in Faribault, Minn. Pothen is averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.1 steals per game so far this season.

As a junior she received All-Gopher Conference honors and was named Bethlehem Academy’s Most Valuable Player. Pothen averaged 16.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game during her junior campaign. She also had a whopping 120 steals for an average of 4.6 per game and 64 assists for a norm of 2.5 per contest. Pothen had seven scoring performances of 20 points or higher as a junior, including a season’s high 24 points in outings against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and Leroy-Ostrander. Her top rebounding effort of the season was a 10-board haul against Medford/El Shaddai. Pothen had a season’s high 12 steals against Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton.

She also received All-Gopher Conference laurels as a sophomore.

Gass Is GPAC Player Of The Week

Photo of Dani Gass Dani Gass, a 5-10 junior guard from Sioux City, has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Gass averaged 12.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game while leading the fourth-ranked Mustangs to a pair of victories last week, including a 71-64 triumph at No. 6 Hastings College.

She had game highs of 19 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists in the Mustangs’ win against Hastings last Saturday. Earlier in the week she had five points, eight rebounds, and a game-high seven assists in a 77-48 victory against the University of Sioux Falls on Jan. 16.

Nelson Named GPAC Player Of The Week

Photo of Laura Nelson Laura Nelson, a 5-10 sophomore guard from Jefferson, Iowa, have been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 7-13.

Nelson was the leading scorer in both of the Morningside women’s triumphs last week with 15 points in an 86-60 win against Midland Lutheran and 17 points in an 87-51 triumph against Briar Cliff. She finished just one point shy of her career scoring high in the Briar Cliff game. Nelson made 10 of 14 3-point field goal attempts in the two victories as the Mustangs extended their winning streak to 14 games and climbed to 17-2 on the season. Morningside is ranked fourth nationally in the NAIA Division II.