|
Mustangs Ranked No. 1 In NAIA Pre-Season Poll
Mustangs Tabbed No. 1 By GPAC Coaches
Nov. 21 - at Midland Lutheran College, 2 p.m., Fremont, NE
Nov. 24- vs. Dakota Wesleyan University, 6 p.m., Sioux City, IA
 Jamie Sale, a 1995 graduate of the University of Nebraska, is in his ninth season as the Mustangs’ head coach. He has led Morningside to three NAIA Division II National Championships and is the winningest women’s basketball coach in Morningside history with a 217-68 record for a .761 winning percentage. Sale was named the NAIA Division II National Coach of the Year in 2004, 2005, and 2009 after he led the Mustangs to NAIA II National Championships each of those seasons. He led Morningside to a 38-0 record in 2008-09 when the Mustangs became only the second team in history to win the NAIA II title with an undefeated record. Sale, named the GPAC Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2009, has guided the Mustangs to eight consecutive NAIA Division II National Tournament appearances, five consecutive GPAC regular season championships, and is the only coach in Morningside history to direct the team to six consecutive 20-win seasons. The Mustangs have won each of the last two GPAC regular season championships with perfect 18-0 records to become only the second and third teams in league history to win the title with an undefeated record. Morningside was the GPAC regular season co-champion and the GPAC post-season tournament champion in 2005-06 to become the first team in league history to win both titles in the same season, a feat the Mustangs repeated in 2008-09. Sale’s 2003-04 team posted a 34-4 record and defeated Cedarville University 87-74 in the national tournament championship game. His 2004-05 team finished 35-3 and defeated Cedarville 75-65 in the title game. Sale guided the Mustangs to a 17-16 record and an appearance in the NAIA Division II National Tournament in 2002-03 for the school’s first winning season since the 1992-93 campaign and its first national tournament appearance since 1986. Sale, who was previously the head coach at Briar Cliff University, has a 296-88 career record for a .771 winning percentage in the collegiate ranks. Sale compiled a three-year record of 79-20 for a .798 winning percentage at Briar Cliff to establish a school record for career winning percentage. He led the Chargers to three Sweet 16 or higher finishes at the NAIA Division II National Tournament, including a Final Four berth in 2001. Sale was named the 1999 NAIA Division II Midwest Region Independent Coach of the Year after he led Briar Cliff to a 24-8 record.
Morningside Mustangs (3-4)
G- Tanaeya Worden, 5-6, Jr., Sioux City, IA, 17.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg
G- Shelby Beaudette, 5-7, Fr., Walthill, NE, 3.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
G- Leslie Foral, 5-10, Sr., Chadron, NE, 10.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg
G- Brittney Alfredson, 5-11, So., Moville, IA, 3.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg
F- Brittany Williamson, 6-0, Sr., Ruthven, IA, 10.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Midland Lutheran Warriors (3-4 Record)
G- Megan Torkelson, 5-4, Jr., Terril, IA, 11.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg
G- Sharlay Butler, 5-7, Sr., Boise, ID, 3.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg
C- Kelli Hermsmeyer, 5-11, So., Scotia, NE, 14.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg
F- Danielle Stephan, 6-0, Fr., Lakewood, CO, 4.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
F- Kerry Butkze, 5-10, Sr., Staplehurst, NE, 8.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Dakota Wesleyan Tigers (2-4 Record)
G- Ashley Johnson, 5-3, Sr., Mount Vernon, SD, 7.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
G- Allison Johnson, 5-6, Sr., Mount Vernon, SD, 12.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg
G- Maggie Malloy, 5-9, So., Parkston, SD, 12.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg
F- Ashley Mailey, 6-0, Jr., Dell Rapids, SD, 7.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg
F- Angela Noteboom, 5-10, Sr., Corsica, SD, 10.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Morningside is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the NAIA Division II pre-season poll.
1.Morningside (Iowa), 38-0, 436 points; 2.Northwestern (Iowa), 26-9, 413; 3.Davenport (Mich.), 31-3, 409; 4.Hastings (Neb.), 27-8, 384; 5.Shawnee State (Ohio), 31-1, 381; 6.Jamestown (N.D.), 20-10, 368; 7.College of the Ozarks (Mo.), 29-6, 337; 8.Bethel (Ind.), 23-9, 323; 9.Black Hills State (N.D.), 26-8, 312; 10.Dickinson State (N.D.), 26-7, 308; 11.Cedarville (Ohio), 21-9, 294; 12.College of Idaho, 29-5, 290; 13.Sterling (Kan.), 27-6, 278; 14.Indiana Wesleyan, 24-10, 233; 15.Sioux Falls (S.D.), 18-13, 227; 16.Saint Francis (Ind.), 15-16, 216; 17.Aquinas (Mich.), 19-11, 215; 18.Southern Oregon, 29-7, 213; 19.Southwestern (Kan.), 18-10, 197; 20.Saint Ambrose (Iowa), 20-11, 142; 21.Concordia (Ore.), 29-4, 141; 22.Concordia (Neb.), 26-9, 121; 23.Taylor (Ind.)., 21-12, 115; 24.Cardinal Stritch (Wis.), 20-11, 84; 25.Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.), 16-9, 77.
Morningside received seven of a possible 13 first place votes to top the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Pre-Season Poll.
1.Morningside, 139 points; 2.Northwestern, 137; 3.Hastings, 118; 4.Sioux Falls, 101; 5.Concordia, 99; 6.Mount Marty, 89; 7.Briar Cliff, 76; 8.Doane, 70; 9.Dordt, 65; 10.Dakota Wesleyan, 43; 11.Midland Lutheran, 37; 12.Dana, 22; 13.Nebraska Wesleyan, 18.
Morningside avenged a 103-94 overtime loss against Minot State University in its season opener with an 81-71 triumph last Sunday in the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center. Brittany Williamson scored 15 points to lead a group of five Mustangs in double figures. Laura Nelson was next with 14 points, followed by Tanaeya Worden with 11, and Leslie Foral and Roni Miller, each with 10. All 11 Morningside players who saw action on the court broke into the scoring column. Shelby Beaudette was next with seven points, followed by Chelsie Trask, five; Katie Sponder, four; Sarah Culp, two; Mackenzi Mendlik, two; and Brittany Alfredson, one. Miller led the Mustangs, who were outboarded by a 45-37 margin, with six rebounds. Foral had game-high totals of five assists and four steals.
 |
Laura Nelson |
Brittany Williamson, a 6-0 junior forward from Ruthven, Iowa, is the 19th leading scorer in Morningside history with 1,044 career points and the 22nd leading rebounder in the Morningside annals with 444 career rebounds. She is 90 points behind the college’s 18th place scoring total of 1,134 career points by Nicole Newberg, who played at Morningside from 1990-94, and eight rebounds behind the 21st place total of 452 career rebounds by Lisa Erwin (1981-85). Williamson has averaged 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game during her collegiate career.
Laura Nelson, a 5-10 junior guard from Jefferson, Iowa, is the 34th leading scorer in Morningside history with 755 career points. She is only two points behind the 33rd place total of 757 points by Colleen Holland, who played at Morningside from 1990-94. Nelson has averaged 7.9 points per game during her Morningside career.
Leslie Foral, a 5-10 junior guard from Chadron, Neb., is the 35th leading scorer in Morningside history with 739 career points and the 23rd leading rebounder with 426 career caroms. Foral has averaged 6.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game during her Morningside career.
Morningside won its third NAIA Division II National Championship in the last six years when it went 38-0 last season to become only the second team in history to win the NAIA II title with an undefeated record. The Mustangs were also NAIA II National Champions in 2004 and 2005. . . Morningside has posted six consecutive 20-win seasons, including four 30-win campaigns, for the first time in school history. The Mustangs had records of 34-4 in 2003-04, 35-3 in 2004-05, 28-7 in 2005-06, 22-11 in 2006-07, 33-4 in 2007-08, and 38-0 in 2008-09. . .Morningside has won either a share of the GPAC regular season championship or won the title outright each of the past five seasons. Morningside won the 2007-08 and 2008-09 GPAC crowns with perfect 18-0 records. The Mustangs posted a 28-7 overall record in 2005-06 and were GPAC regular season co-champions and the GPAC post-season tournament champion to become the first team in league history to win both titles in the same season and repeated that accomplishment in 2008-09. The Mustangs were also GPAC regular season champions in 2006-07 and 2004-05 and GPAC post-season tournament champions in 2004. . .Morningside has a 193-33 record for a .854 winning percentage since the start of the 2003-04 campaign. During that span the Mustangs are 87-8 for a .916 winning percentage on their home court. . .Morningside has won 36 consecutive regular season GPAC games dating back to the start of the 2007-08 campaign.
 With their 3-4 record, the Mustangs are below .500 seven games into the season for the first time since they also started 3-4 in the 2002-03 campaign. . .Morningside has made 61 of 199 3-point field goal attempts for 30.7 percent and is averaging 8.7 3-point field goals per game. The Mustangs ranked 10th nationally last season with an average of 8.5 3-point field goals per game. . .The Mustangs are averaging 78.1 points per game following a 2008-09 season where they were the fifth highest scoring team in the nation with an average of 78.5 points per game. The Mustangs’ defensive average of 77.0 points per game is up significantly from their average of 60.7 ppg from a year ago. . .Morningside has pressured its opposition into an average of 22.1 turnovers per game.
 Brittany Williamson, a 6-0 senior forward from Ruthven, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ leading scorer with 15 points in last Sunday’s victory against Minot State. Williamson drilled six of 10 field goal attempts against the Beavers and has made 20 of 35 floor shots for 57.1 percent over the last five games. For the season she has made 28 of 54 attempts to lead the Mustangs in field goal accuracy at 51.9 percent. She is also one of the Mustangs’ best free throw shooters with a 14-for-17 showing for 82.4 percent. She has made 13 of 14 attempts for 92.9 percent over the last four games. Williamson is averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game to rank second on the team in both categories.
Williamson is the Mustangs’ top returning scorer and rebounder from last season after she ranked second on the team in both categories with career-high averages of 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game en route to second-team All-GPAC honors. Williamson led the Mustangs with 30 blocked shots.
She stepped into the Mustangs’ starting lineup as a sophomore and averaged 9.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and led the team with 19 blocked shots. Williamson had a huge performance in the first round of the NAIA Division II National Tournament when she dominated the game with career highs of 30 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Mustangs to a 104-80 triumph against Berea College. The 30 points and 16 rebounds were the Mustangs’ highest individual totals of the season. Williamson made 55 of 70 free throw attempts for a career-high 78.6 percent.
Williamson averaged 5.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game as a freshman.
She has averaged 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game during her Morningside career.
Williamson averaged 19.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocked shots per game and made 27 of 59 3-point field goal attempts for 45.8 percent at Emmetsburg High School during her senior campaign to earn second-team Class 2A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association. She scored in double figures in all 24 of the E-Hawks’ games with a season’s high of 35 points against Okoboji. Her top rebounding effort was an 18-board haul against Clarion-Goldfield.
Roni Miller, a 5-11 senior forward from Lawton, Iowa, came off the bench to lead the Mustangs with six rebounds to go along with a 10-point scoring performance in their win against Minot State. Miller led the Mustangs in rebounding for the third game in a row and for the fifth time in the team’s first seven contests. The 10 points against Minot State was her third double figure scoring performance off the bench this season and her second in a row after she had scored a season’s high 12 points in the Mustangs’ 78-63 loss at Grand View University on Nov. 13. Miller made four of six field goal attempts in both the Grand View and Minot State games and has made 10 of 16 floor shots for 62.5 percent over her last three games. Miller is averaging 7.1 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game off the Mustangs’ bench.
She was the top performer off the Mustangs’ bench last season with averages of 7.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as well as the team leader in field goal accuracy with 89 hoops in 160 attempts for 53.0 percent. She led the Mustangs with seven double figure scoring performances off the bench, including an 11-point performance against Hastings in the NAIA II National Championship Game.
Miller came on strong over the second half of her sophomore season to become one of the Mustangs’ most productive reserves with averages of 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Miller provided 10 double figure scoring performances off the bench, including a season’s high 18 points to go along with a season’s high eight rebounds to lead the Mustangs to a 70-62 victory against St. Ambrose University in the second round of the NAIA II National Tournament. Miller topped the Mustangs in field goal accuracy with 83 hoops in 158 attempts for 52.5 percent.
She has averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and made 189 of 364 field goal attempts for 51.9 percent during her Morningside career.
Miller graduated from Lawton-Bronson High School as its all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 782 career points and 747 career rebounds, respectively. She averaged 12.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game as a senior to earn fifth-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors.
 Leslie Foral, a 5-10 senior guard from Chadron, Neb., had game-high totals of five assists and four steals to go along with 10 points and five rebounds in the Mustangs’ win against Minot State. Foral had a perfect shooting performance against the Beavers. She was three-for-three from the field, including two hoops from beyond the 3-point arc, and two-for-two from the foul line. Foral scored 14 points to go along with a game-high six steals and a team-high five rebounds in the Mustangs’ loss at Grand View. Foral has scored in double figures in each of the Mustangs’ last three contests to raise her season’s average to a career-high 10.0 points per game to rank second on the team. She leads the Mustangs with 22 assists and 22 steals for norms of 3.1 per game and is the team’s third leading rebounder at 4.9 rpg. Foral leads the Mustangs in free throw accuracy with 21 gift shots in 25 attempts for 84.0 percent and is one of the Mustangs’ top 3-point threats with seven 3-pointers in 16 attempts for 43.8 percent. She has made 21 of 42 overall field goal attempts for 50.0 percent. Foral has made 16 of 18 free throw attempts for 88.9 percent over the last six games.
She is in her fourth season as a member of the Mustangs’ starting lineup. Foral earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors last season when she averaged 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and had 106 steals for an average of 2.8 per game. She was one of the Mustangs’ best free throw shooters with 67 gift shots in 88 attempts for 76.1 percent.
Foral also earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors as a sophomore when she averaged 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and made 59 of 76 free throw attempts for 77.6 percent.
She averaged 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game and made 42 of 56 free throw attempts for 75.0 percent as a freshman to earn honorable mention All-GPAC recognition.
Foral has made 189 of 245 free throw attempts for 77.1 percent and averaged 6.4 points and 2.1 steals per game during her Morningside career.
Foral earned second-team Class C-1 all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald as a prep senior when she helped lead Chadron High School to its second consecutive state championship. She averaged 13.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and set school records with 142 assists and 119 steals for averages of 5.9 assists and 5.0 steals per game last season. Foral, who was named the Scottsbluff Star-Herald’s 2006 Player of the Year, had season’s highs of 26 points in games against Nebraska City and Alliance, 13 rebounds against Perkins County, 14 assists against Red Cloud (S.D.), and 11 steals against Mitchell. Foral amassed a school-record 253 steals during her Chadron career. She ranks second in school history with 251 career assists and is fourth on the school’s all-time scoring chart with 793 career points.
Tanaeya Worden, a 5-6 junior guard from Sioux City, led the Mustangs in scoring for the fifth time this season when she scored 18 points to go along with three steals in the Mustangs’ Nov. 13 game at Grand View. Worden is the Mustangs’ leading scorer with an average of 17.1 points per game and has the team’s top individual scoring performance so far this season with 28 points in the season’s opener against Minot State. She has scored in double figures in six of the first seven games and has made a team-high 15 3-point field goals in 45 attempts for 33.3 percent. Worden is second on the team with 14 steals for an average of 2.0 per game.
She joined the Mustangs this year as a transfer from NCAA Division II Christian Brothers University, where she led the team in scoring last season with an average of 14.8 points per game. She also topped Christian Brothers with 38 3-point field goals and with 54 steals for an average of 2.3 per game to compliment averages of 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. She had 17 double figure scoring performances, including a season’s high 33 points against Harding University.
Worden originally attended Southern Illinois University, where she averaged 5.8 points per game as a freshman.
Worden helped lead Sioux City North High School to Iowa’s Class 4A state championship when she was a prep senior. She scored 1,236 points during her North career, which was the third highest five-on-five girl’s basketball total in Sioux City history. Worden averaged 15.0 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.2 steals per game as a senior to earn first-team Class 4A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and the Des Moines Register. She was a first-team INA and a second-team Des Moines Register all-stater as a junior when she averaged 13.8 points per game and led North with 90 steals and 83 assists.
 Katie Sponder, a 5-9 senior guard from Le Mars, Iowa, came off the bench to lead the Mustangs with five rebounds in their loss at Grand View. Sponder has been one of the Mustangs’ most productive reserves with averages of 5.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and has supplied two double figure scoring performances off the bench so far this season. She is one of the Mustangs’ best players at getting to the free throw line and has made 18 of 24 attempts for 75.0 percent. Sponder ranks third on the team with 11 steals.
Sponder was one of the Mustangs’ most productive players off the bench last season when she averaged 3.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Sponder had three double figure scoring performances off the bench, including a career-high 14 points in the season opener against Mayville State University.
She averaged 2.8 points per game and made 25 of 31 free throw attempts for 80.6 percent off the Mustangs’ bench as a sophomore.
Sponder graduated from Le Mars Community High School as its second leading all-time scorer with 1,111 career points and she also ranks second in Lady Bulldog history with 243 career steals. Sponder averaged 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 steals, and 3.4 assists per game as a senior en route to third-team Class 3A Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) all-state honors and third-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa laurels. She also received third-team INA all-state and third-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors as a junior when she averaged 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 3.1 steals per game.
Laura Nelson, a 5-10 senior guard from Jefferson, Iowa, had her top scoring performance of the season when she came off the bench to score 14 points for her first double figure scoring performance of the season in the Mustangs’ win against Minot State. Nelson raised her scoring average to 7.4 points per game.
Nelson was the NAIA II national leader last year with 125 3-point field goals. Nelson, a second-team All-GPAC selection, made 125 of 333 3-point field goal attempts for 37.5 percent and ranked fourth nationally with an average of 3.3 3-pointers per game. She made a school-record 10 3-point field goals in a 94-71 win against Dakota State University on Dec. 30 of last season en route to a career-high 30 points for the Mustangs’ top individual scoring performance of the season. Nelson was the Mustangs’ third leading scorer last season with an average of 11.7 points per game in her first campaign as a starter.
Nelson averaged 5.9 points per game off the bench during the 2007-08 campaign. Nelson made 59 of 151 3-point attempts for 39.1 percent and had nine double figure scoring performances off the bench, including a season’s high 18 points in a 111-47 win against College of St. Mary.
She averaged 3.3 points per game and made 11 of 30 3-point field goal attempts for 36.7 percent as a freshman.
Nelson has made 209 of 560 3-point field goal attempts for 37.3 percent and averaged 7.9 points per game during her Morningside career.
Nelson earned third-team Class 2A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association as a senior when she averaged 13.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game at Jefferson-Scranton High School. Nelson scored a season’s high 33 points against Winterset for the second highest single-game scoring total in Jefferson-Scranton history. Nelson made a school-record 14 field goals in the Winterset game.
 Shelby Beaudette, a 5-7 freshman guard from Walthill, Neb., matched her season’s highs with seven points and three rebounds to go along with two assists in the Mustangs’ win against Minot State while making the first start of her collegiate career. She also had seven points and three steals in the Mustangs’ 84-53 victory against Mount Mercy College on Nov. 6. Beaudette has made nine of 16 field goal attempts for 56.3 percent over the last four games after she had misfired on her first five attempts for the season.
Beaudette scored a school-record 1,722 points during her career at Bancroft-Rosalie High School, where she led the team to back-to-back Nebraska Class D-1 state championships in 2008 and 2009. She averaged 16.1 points per game during a four-year varsity career. Beaudette was a three-time first-team Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star all-stater and was named the honorary captain of the Omaha World-Herald’s Class D-1 all-state teams and Huskerland Prep’s Class D-1 Player of the Year following her senior and junior seasons. She averaged 15.8 points, 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.1 steals per game as a senior and a career-high 18.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a junior. Beaudette averaged 18.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 steals, and 3.1 assists per game as a sophomore en route to her first-team all-state honors. She cracked Bancroft-Rosalie’s starting lineup as a freshman and averaged 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Chelsie Trask, a 5-9 freshman guard from Rockford, Iowa, dealt a season’s high four assists in the Mustangs’ loss at Grand View. Trask is scoring at just under a double figure clip with an average of 9.6 points per game and leads the Mustangs in 3-point field goal accuracy with 12 treys in 27 attempts for 44.4 percent.
She was expected to be the Mustangs’ top newcomer last season before a pre-season knee injury forced her to the sidelines for the entire season.
Trask was the second leading scorer in the state of Iowa in 2007-08 when she averaged a school-record 25.7 points per game at Rockford High School, where she made a school-record 159 3-point field goals and graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,543 career points. She set Rockford single-game records with 45 points and eight 3-point field goals. Aside from averaging 25.7 points per game, Trask also averaged 6.6 rebounds, 3.5 steals, and 2.9 assists per game as a senior to earn first-team Class 2A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and second-team all-state laurels from the Des Moines Register. She was a second-team Class 2A INA all-stater as a junior when she averaged 24.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.7 steals per game.
 Brittany Alfredson, a 5-11 sophomore guard from Moville, Iowa, has averaged 3.7 points per game off the bench in the Mustangs’ first seven contests.
Alfredson earned second-team Class 1A all-state honors from the INA in addition to third-team Des Moines Register all-state and second-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors as a senior at Woodbury Central High School when she averaged a double-double with norms of 17.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. She also averaged 3.2 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.2 blocked shots per contest. Alfredson also averaged a double-double as a junior with averages of 17.5 points and 12.8 rebounds per game en route to third-team Des Moines Register all-state and third-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa laurels. She received fifth-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors as a sophomore.
Mackenzi Mendlik, a 5-7 senior guard from Denison, Iowa, is averaging 2.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game off the Mustangs’ bench.
Mendlik averaged 9.7 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.0 steals per game as a prep senior at Denison-Schleswig High School en route to honorable mention Omaha World-Herald Class 4A/3A All-Western Iowa honors.
Emily Christen, a 6-1 junior forward from Anselmo, Neb., will join the Mustangs following the conclusion of the NAIA Volleyball National Championships from Dec. 1-5. Christen earned first-team All-GPAC honors as a middle blocker this season by averaging 2.80 kills and 1.02 blocks per game. She earned second-team All-GPAC honors for the Mustangs’ NAIA National Tournament qualifying team last season.
Christen earned second-team Class D-1 all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald when she averaged 18.1 points per game as a prep senior at Anselmo-Merna High School.
 Midland Lutheran is a NAIA Division II member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). . .The Warriors posted an 8-22 record last season and finished 11th in the GPAC standings with a 3-15 league mark. . .The Warriors are averaging only 58.0 points per game and are shooting just 34.4 percent from the field as a team. . .Midland Lutheran dropped to 3-4 on the season after a 72-61 loss against College of Saint Mary on Tuesday in Omaha, Neb. Kelli Hermsmeyer led the Warriors with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. . .The Warriors’ top returning player is Kelli Hermsmeyer, a 5-11 sophomore center from Scotia, Neb., who earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors last year as a freshman when she averaged 11.5 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. She also led the team in field goal accuracy at 48.4 percent. Hermsmeyer is the Warriors’ leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. She has the Warriors’ top single game scoring and rebounding performances of the season with 22 points and 13 rebounds in a 73-68 win against Johnson & Wales University in their season’s opener. Hermsmeyer has collected a double figure rebound total in four of the team’s first seven games. She also leads the team in field goal shooting with 41 hoops in 91 attempts for 45.1 percent. Hermsmeyer averaged 16.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game as a prep senior at North Loup-Scotia High School to earn first-team Class D-2 all-state laurels from the Omaha World-Herald. She earned second-team Class D-1 all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald as a junior when she averaged 19.1 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. Hermsmeyer graduated from North Loup-Scotia as the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 1,158 points and 863 rebounds, respectively. . .Megan Torkelson, a 5-4 junior guard from Terril, Iowa, is scoring at a double figure clip with an average of 11.7 points per game to go along with 22 assists and a team-high 10 steals for norms of 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. She is the Warriors’ top 3-point threat with 13 treys in 34 attempts for 38.2 percent and is also the team’s best free throw shooter with 27 free throws in 38 attempts for 71.1 percent. Torkelson’s playing time was limited to 15 games last season due to a knee injury she suffered the previous spring. She has increased her scoring significantly this season after she averaged 3.7 points per game last winter and 3.8 points per game as a freshman. Torkelson earned first-team Class 1A all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association and second-team Des Moines Register all-state laurels as a senior at Graettinger-Terril High School. . .Kerry Butzke, a 5-10 senior forward from Seward, Neb., has dealt a team-high 24 assists for an average of 3.4 per game to compliment averages of 8.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Butzke has shooting figures of only 28.8 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from the free-throw line. She averaged 7.0 points per game as a part-time starter last season. . .Tricia Hoffman, a 5-9 sophomore forward from Homer, Neb., is one of the Warriors’ most productive players with averages of 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Her statistics are nearly identical to the 6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds she averaged last winter as a part-time starter. Hoffman was one of Nebraska’s top prep scorers when she averaged 24.8 points per game during her senior campaign at Homer High School en route to second-team Class C-2 all-state honors from the Omaha World-Herald. . .Carly Horky, a 5-10 senior forward from Fairbury, Neb., is the Warriors’ second leading rebounder with an average of 5.7 caroms per game to compliment a norm of 4.7 points per game. Horky has connected on only 30.6 percent of her field goal attempts. Horky has started five of the Warriors’ first seven games after she averaged 3.0 points per game in 22 contests coming off the bench last season. . .Danielle Stephan, a 6-0 freshman forward from Lakewood, Colo., has been the Warriors’ most productive newcomer with averages of 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. . .The Warriors suffered a major blow before the season began when Jami Thramer, a 5-10 sophomore forward from Omaha, Neb., suffered a back injury that will sideline her for the entire season. Thramer was one of the Warriors’ top players last year as a freshman when she led the team in rebounding with an average of 7.3 caroms per game. Thramer also averaged 8.0 points per game, led the team with 23 blocked shots, and ranked second on the team with 51 steals. . .Kristen Cameron, a 5-7 sophomore guard from Lyons, Neb., graduated from Lyons-Decatur Northeast High School as its all-time leading scorer with 913 career points. . .Joanne Bracker, a 1969 graduate of Dana College, is in her 39th season as the Warriors’ head coach. She is one of the winningest active coaches in the NAIA with a career record of 710-345 for a .673 winning percentage. Bracker was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1996 and was an inaugural inductee into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999. Bracker has coached Midland Lutheran to eight NAIA National Tournament appearances, most recently in 2000. She served on the selection committees for the 1992 and 1996 USA Olympic women’s basketball teams.
Morningside defeated Midland Lutheran 102-68 last season on Jan. 7 in Sioux City to open a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series.
Morningside shot 55.7 percent from the field, including a 13-for-28 showing from beyond the 3-point arc, in last year’s victory. The Mustangs had one of their most balanced scoring attacks of the season with six players in double figures. Autumn Bartel led the way with 16 points, followed by Leslie Foral with 15, Laura Nelson with 13, Brittany Williamson with 13, Dani Gass with 10, and Roni Miller with 10. Jami Thramer and Marcy Hauschild each scored 13 points for Midland Lutheran and Carly Horky added 10 tallies. The teams battled to a 31-31 rebounding standoff. Gass and Bartel each had seven rebounds for Morningside, while Thramer and Hauschild each had seven boards for the Warriors. Bartel dealt a game-high 10 assists and Foral had a game-high six steals.
Morningside has an all-time record of 196-70 against the current members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Morningside has won 36 consecutive regular season GPAC games dating back to the start of the 2007-08 campaign.
 Dakota Wesleyan is a NAIA Division II member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). . .The Tigers posted a 13-18 record last season and finished ninth in the GPAC with a 6-12 league record. . .Dakota Wesleyan’s record slipped to 2-4 when it lost 60-50 against Valley City State University last Saturday. Allison Johnson led the Tigers with 13 points, while Maggie Malloy and Angela Noteboom shared team rebounding honors with eight caroms each. . .Dakota Wesleyan is outrebounding its opposition by an average margin of 4.4 rebounds per game, but has offset that with an average of 22.0 turnovers per game. . .Dakota Wesleyan will open the GPAC season at Dordt College on Saturday prior to its game at Morningside. . .Allison Johnson, a 5-6 senior guard from Mount Vernon, S.D., is the Tigers’ leading scorer with an average of 12.7 points per game and one of their best free throw shooters with 15 gift shots in 18 attempts for 83.3 percent. Johnson earned second-team All-GPAC honors last season when she was the Tigers’ leading scorer with an average of 15.2 points per game as well as the team leader with 78 assists for an average of 2.6 per game. She made a team-high 64 3-point field goals. Johnson averaged 14.6 points per game and dealt a team-high 87 assists in 2007-08 to earn second-team All-GPAC honors. Johnson transferred to Dakota Wesleyan from NCAA Division II Northern State University, where she averaged 5.7 points per game in 29 contests during the 2006-07 season. She was a four-time all-stater during her prep career at Stickney-Mount Vernon High School, where she scored 1,759 career points. She averaged 16 points per game during the 2004-05 season en route to Mitchell Daily Republic Player of the Year honors. . .Maggie Malloy, a 5-9 sophomore guard from Parkston, S.D., is the Tigers’ leading rebounder and second leading scorer with averages of 5.2 rebounds and 12.5 points per game. She scored 20 points in the Tigers’ 84-79 victory against Dakota State University on Nov. 10 for one of the Tigers’ two top single-game scoring performances of the season. Malloy is shooting a sizzling 65.7 percent from the field with 23 field goals in 35 attempts. She is also the Tigers’ best 3-point shooter with nine treys in 17 attempts for 52.9 percent. Malloy received honorable mention All-GPAC recognition last year as a freshman after she averaged 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Malloy was a first-team all-stater and The South Dakota High School Coaches Association Class A Player of the Year as a senior at Parkston High School, where she graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,940 career points. Malloy averaged 22.3 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior. She was a second-team all-stater as a junior and sophomore. . .Angela Noteboom, a 5-10 senior forward from Corsica, S.D., is playing the most productive basketball of her career with averages of 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She went for a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 77-60 triumph against South Dakota Tech earlier this season. Noteboom is shooting a sizzling 62.9 percent from the field with 22 field goals in 35 attempts and has converted 15 of 20 free throw attempts for 75.0 percent. She has picked up her production dramatically after averaging 5.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last season and 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while coming off the bench as a sophomore. Noteboom averaged 18 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior at Corsica High School to earn third-team Class B all-state honors. Noteboom scored over 1,000 points during her prep career. . .Ashley Mailey, a 6-0 junior forward from Dell Rapids, S.D., is averaging 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game to mirror the 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game she averaged as a sophomore. Mailey played at Dakota State University as a freshman and averaged three points and three rebounds per game for the Lady T’s 2005-06 NAIA Division II National Tournament team. She averaged 10.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for a Dell Rapids High School team that won South Dakota’s Class A championship with a perfect 26-0 record. . .Ashley Johnson, a 5-3 senior guard from Mount Vernon, S.D., has a team-high nine steals and is averaging 7.8 points per game. Johnson has drilled eight of 16 3-point field goal attempts for 50.0 percent and converted 11 of 14 free throw attempts for 78.6 percent. Johnson, a four-year starter, averaged a career-high 8.8 points per game during her sophomore season. She earned first-team Class A all-state honors when she averaged 12 points, four rebounds, four steals, and three assists per game as a senior at Stickney-Mount Vernon High School. Johnson was a third-team all-stater as a junior when she helped lead Stickney-Mount Vernon to a 25-0 record and a state championship. . .Elizabeth Lamb, a 5-7 freshman guard from Onida, S.D., is the Tigers’ highest scoring newcomer with an average of 6.3 points per game. Lamb leads the Tigers with 17 assists for an average of 2.8 per game. She has made eight of 20 3-point field goal attempts for 40.0 percent and converted eight of nine free throw attempts for 88.9 percent. Lamb averaged 17.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last year at Sully Buttes High School to earn first-team Associated Press Class B all-state honors. She helped lead Sully Buttes to back-to-back Class B state championships in 2007 and 2008. . .Marie Olson, a 6-2 sophomore forward from Garretson, S.D., is one of the Tigers’ most productive reserves with averages of 5.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She has made 12 of 23 field goal attempts for 52.2 percent. . .Brittany Hills, a 5-9 freshman guard from Summit, S.D., is averaging 2.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game off the bench. She earned third-team Class B all-state honors from the Associated Press last year when she averaged 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for Summit High School’s state championship team. . .Hannah Downing, a 5-11 junior forward from Elk River, Minn., joined the Tigers this year as a transfer from Iowa Lakes Community College. . .Ashley Pommer, a 5-4 senior guard from De Smet, S.D., scored 1,028 points during her prep career at De Smet High School. . .Emily Bastian, a 5-11 senior forward from Henry, S.D., scored over 1,000 points and grabbed over 700 rebounds during her prep career at Henry High School. . .Ashley Broughton, a 5-9 junior forward from Corsica, S.D., joined the Tigers last year as a transfer from Dakota State. She is the sister of Preston Broughton, who earned NAIA Division II first-team All-America honors for the Tigers in 2008. . .Jessica Bartscher, a 5-6 sophomore guard from Bridgewater, S.D., scored over 1,000 points during her prep career at Bridgewater High School. . .Aaron Kahl, a 2000 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, is in his third season as Dakota Wesleyan’s head coach. Kahl, who has a 32-37 career record at Dakota Wesleyan, led the Tigers to a 17-15 record and a sixth place finish in the GPAC during the 2007—8 season after they had been tabbed for a 12th place finish in the GPAC’s pre-season poll. He was previously an assistant coach for six years at Gustavus Adolphus, serving as the top men’s assistant in 2006-07 and as the top women’s assistant from 2001-06.
Morningside defeated Dakota Wesleyan 85-53 last season on Jan. 28 in Sioux City for its eighth win in a row against the Tigers to increase its advantage in the all-time series to 13-2.
Morningside doubled the Tigers score 52-26 in the second half after it led just 33-27 at the intermission. The Mustangs pressured Dakota Wesleyan into a 37.0 percent shooting performance, but the Tigers turned the ball over only 15 times for one of the lowest turnover totals against the Mustangs all season. Morningside also took care of the ball with only six turnovers. Autumn Bartel scored a game-high 20 points for the Mustangs and was joined in double figures by Laura Nelson with 14 points and Dani Gass with 10 tallies to go along with game-high totals of 10 rebounds and six assists. Allison Johnson paced the Tigers with 12 points and was joined in twin figures by Jessica Deinert with 11 and Ashley Mailey with 10. The 10 rebounds by Gass along with nine rebounds by Brittany Williamson paced the Mustangs to a 38-34 advantage on the boards. Maggie Malloy led the Tigers with nine caroms.
Morningside will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., to compete in the Colorado College Classic on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 29 and 30. The Mustangs will face Milwaukee School of Engineering on Saturday and Wentworth University on Sunday. Both games are at 2 p.m. CST.
 Morningside College is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the NAIA Division II pre-season women’s basketball poll released on October 26.
The Mustangs are the reigning NAIA Division II National Champions after they posted a 38-0 record last season to become only the second team in history to win the NAIA II crown with an undefeated record. Morningside returns three starters – Leslie Foral, Laura Nelson, and Brittany Williamson – from last year’s championship team.
Morningside defeated Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) rival Hastings College 68-63 in last year’s national title game. Hastings is ranked fourth in the NAIA II pre-season poll, while the GPAC’s Northwestern College is ranked second. The University of Sioux Falls is ranked 15th and Concordia University is ranked 22nd to give the GPAC five schools in the NAIA pre-season Top 25.
Morningside will open the season this weekend with games at Minot State University on Friday and 10th-ranked Dickinson State University on Saturday. The Mustangs will go into the season riding a 55-game winning streak in regular season contests.
Click here for the complete NAIA II Pre-Season Top 25.
 Morningside has been tabbed the favorite to win the 2009-10 GPAC women’s basketball championship by the league’s head coaches.
The Mustangs received seven of a possible 13 first place votes and top the GPAC Coaches’ Pre-Season Poll with 139 points for a two-point margin over Northwestern College, which received the other six first place votes.
The Mustangs, who have won at least a share of the GPAC’s regular season championship for five years running, are coming off a banner 2008-09 season where they posted a 38-0 record and became only the second team in history to capture the NAIA Division II National Championship with an undefeated record.
Morningside returns 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from last year’s National Championship team.
The Mustangs will open the season on Oct. 30 with a 5:30 p.m. game against Minot State University in Minot, N.D.
Poll Results
|
