WBB News

Morningside College enjoyed another banner women’s basketball season during the recently completed 2012-13 campaign.

The Mustangs captured Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season and post-season tournament championships and made their sixth Final Four appearance at the NAIA Division II National Tournament in the last 10 years on their way to a final record of 31-5. Morningside’s season ended with a one-point loss when the Mustangs lost 65-64 against eventual NAIA II National Champion Indiana Wesleyan University in the national semifinals.

The Mustangs broke one school record this season. The record breaking performance came on Feb. 2 when the Mustangs made 21 3-point field goals in a 114-49 victory against Nebraska Wesleyan University to break their former mark of 19 3-pointers in a game against Doane College on Feb. 9, 2008.

Chelsie Trask, a 5-9 senior guard from Rockford, Iowa, was the Mustangs’ leading scorer with an average of 13.5 points per game. Trask topped the Mustangs with 25 double figure scoring performances and was their leading scorer in 14 of their 36 contests. She had the Mustangs’ top individual scoring performance of the season with a career-high 35 points in the Mustangs’ 79-63 victory against Hastings College in their regular season finale. Trask was the Mustangs’ best free throw shooter with a team-high 109 free throws in 130 attempts for 83.8 percent and was their co-leader in 3-point shooting accuracy with 76 treys in 191 attempts for 39.8 percent.

Trask, a four-year starter, three-time first-team All-GPAC performer, and two-time NAIA Division II First-Team All-American, finished her career as the fourth leading scorer and 25th leading rebounder in Morningside history with 1,859 career points and 440 career rebounds, respectively.

Ashlynn Muhl, a 6-0 sophomore forward from Minneota, Minn., was the Mustangs’ leading rebounder with an average of 7.4 caroms per game as well as their second leading scorer with a norm of 11.5 points per contest. Muhl was the Mustangs’ leading rebounder in 21 of their 36 games. She had a team-high six double-doubles and seven double figure rebounding performances, including a 20-board haul in the Mustangs’ 89-65 victory against city rival Briar Cliff University in the semifinals of the GPAC Post-Season Tournament for the team’s top individual rebound total of the season. Aside from leading the team in rebounding, Muhl also topped the Mustangs with 30 blocked shots and led the team’s starters in field goal accuracy with 155 hoops in 278 attempts for 55.8 percent.

The Mustangs’ most prolific 3-point shooter was Bobbi McManaman, a 5-8 senior guard from Hawarden, Iowa, who bombed in a team-high 80 3-point field goals in 201 attempts for 39.8 percent to share the team’s 3-point shooting accuracy title with Trask. McManaman was the top scorer off the Mustangs’ bench with an average of 7.8 points per game and 13 double figure scoring performances, including three at the NAIA II National Tournament. McManaman averaged 9.5 points per game and drilled 72 of 169 3-point field goal attempts for 42.6 percent over the final 27 games of the season. She finished her career as the 40th leading scorer in Morningside history with 729 career points.

Jessica Tietz, a 6-2 freshman center from Bancroft, Neb., led the Mustangs in field goal accuracy with 93 field goals in 166 attempts for 56.0 percent en route to a 6.4-point scoring average off the bench. She shot 50 percent or higher from the field in 23 of her 33 games played.

Shelby Beaudette, a 5-7 senior guard from Walthill, Neb., was the Mustangs’ top playmaker with a team-high 111 assists for an average of 3.1 per game to compliment a 7.5-point scoring average. Beaudette reached the 1,000-point milestone during the season and finished her career as the 22nd leading scorer and 33rd leading rebounder in Morningside history with 1,080 points and 388 rebounds, respectively.

Leann Osten, a 5-6 junior guard from Columbus, Neb., was the Mustangs’ top takeaway artist with a team-high 66 steals for an average of 1.8 per game. Osten averaged 5.9 points per game and raised her career scoring total to 612 points to climb into 48th place on Morningside’s all-time scoring chart.

Hanna Blum, a 5-10 senior forward from Gretna, Neb., was one of the Mustangs’ top scorers and rebounders with averages of 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in her first season in the starting lineup. Blum finished her career as the 47th leading scorer and 38th leading rebounder in Morningside history with 618 points and 328 rebounds, respectively.

Morningside posted a 31-5 record during the 2012-13 season for its school-record 10th consecutive 20-win season and made its 11th consecutive appearance in the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The Mustangs have a 297-61 record for a .830 winning percentage over the last 10 seasons and were NAIA Division II National Champions in 2004, 2005, and 2009.

Chelsie Trask, a 5-9 senior guard from Rockford, Ill., received the Most Valuable Player Award for Morningside College’s 2012-13 women’s basketball season when the Mustangs held their post-season awards banquet.

Trask was the Mustangs’ leading scorer with an average of 13.5 points per game and led the team in scoring in 14 of their 36 contests. Trask scored a career-high 35 points in a 79-63 victory against Hastings College in Morningside’s regular season finale for the Mustangs’ top individual scoring performance of the season. Aside from leading the Mustangs in scoring, Trask ranked second on the team with 94 assists and 57 steals for averages of 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals per contest to go along with a norm of 3.0 rebounds per game.

Trask, a four-year starter, two-time NAIA Division II first-team All-American, and three-time first-team All-GPAC performer, finished her career as the fourth leading scorer in Morningside history with 1,859 points.

Trask and Ashlynn Muhl, a 6-0 sophomore forward from Minneota, Minn., were named the Mustangs’ Co-Offensive MVPs. Muhl was the Mustangs’ second leading scorer and top rebounder with averages of 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. She was the Mustangs’ leading rebounder in 22 of their 36 contests, including a 20-board haul in an 89-65 victory against city rival Briar Cliff University in the semifinals of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Post-Season Tournament for the Mustangs’ top single-game rebounding performance of the season. Muhl led the Mustangs with six double-doubles and seven double figure rebounding performances. Aside from leading the Mustangs in rebounding, Muhl also topped the team with 30 blocked shots and in field goal accuracy with 155 hoops in 278 attempts for 55.8 percent.

Leann Osten, a 5-6 junior guard from Columbus, Neb., received the Mustangs’ Defensive MVP Award. Osten led the Mustangs with 66 steals for an average of 1.8 per game. She also dealt 83 assists for a norm of 2.3 per game to compliment averages of 5.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Morningside’s other award winners were:

Hustle Award – Osten.

Sixth-Man Award – Bobbi McManaman, a 5-8 senior guard from Hawarden, Iowa.

Most Improved Award – Jessica Tietz, a 6-2 freshman center from Bancroft, Neb.

Athlete Award – Shelby Beaudette, a 5-7 senior guard from Walthill, Neb.

Morningside posted a 31-5 record and was ranked No. 1 n the nation in the final regular season NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll. The Mustangs won the GPAC’s regular season and post-season tournament championships en route to an 11th consecutive berth in the NAIA Division II National Tournament, where they made their sixth Final Four appearance in the last 10 years and lost 65-64 against eventual NAIA II National Champion Indiana Wesleyan University in the semifinals. Morningside won NAIA Division II National Championships in 2004, 2005, and 2009.

Morningside College head women’s basketball coach Jamie Sale announced the names of three recruits who will enroll at Morningside this fall and compete for the Mustangs.

Lexi Ackerman, a 5-9 guard from Rock Rapids, Iowa, who has led the state of Iowa in assists each of the past two seasons. Ackerman is a senior at Central Lyon Community High School, where she helped lead the school to Iowa’s Class 1A state championship this past season. Ackerman was named the captain of the Class 1A All-State Tournament Team and was a first-team all-state selection of both the Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) and the Des Moines Register. She also received first-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa and All-Siouxland Conference honors.

Ackerman averaged 16.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 3.3 steals per game and drilled 18 of 29 field goal attempts for 62.1 percent in Central Lyon’s three state tournament contests. She posted a double-double of 25 points and 16 rebounds in Central Lyon’s opening round 67-43 triumph against Earlham. Ackerman contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, and five assists to help lead Central Lyon to a 63-61 win against Newell-Fonda in the state championship game.

For the season, Ackerman averaged 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 5.0 steals per game and drilled 179 of 353 field goal attempts for 50.7 percent. She led the state with 232 assists and finished sixth in the state with 140 steals.

Ackerman also received first-team INA all-state laurels as a junior in addition to first-team All-Siouxland Conference and second-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors. She led the state with 168 assists and was eighth with 123 steals for averages of 6.7 assists and 4.9 steals per game. Ackerman also averaged 13.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest and made 123 of 265 field goal attempts for 46.4 percent.

Ackerman received first-team All-Siouxland Conference and fourth-team Sioux City Journal All-Northwest Iowa honors as a sophomore when she averaged 12.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. She had 91 assists and 87 steals for norms of 4.0 assists and 3.8 steals per contest and made 110 of 259 field goal attempts for 42.5 percent.

Katie Gubbels, a 5-7 guard from Laurel, Neb. Gubbels is a senior at Laurel-Concord/Coleridge High School, where she earned honorable mention Class C-2 all-state recognition from the Omaha World-Herald this past season. She averaged 7.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.1 steals per game. Gubbels finished the campaign with 75 steals for the sixth highest single-season total in Laurel-Concord/Coleridge history. She had at least one steal in 21 of the team’s 24 contests and had a season’s high seven steals in games against Ponca and Wakefield. Gubbels also had her season’s scoring high of 13 points in the Ponca game and had a season’s high eight rebounds against Wayne.

Sara Heywood, a 5-8 guard from Estherville, Iowa. Heywood is a senior at Estherville-Lincoln Central High School, where she earned first-team All-Lakes Conference honors and helped lead the team to a runner-up finish at this year’s Class 3A state tournament. She averaged 8.7 points per game and had 68 assists and 66 steals for averages of 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals per contest. Heywood led Estherville-Lincoln Central with her 68 assists and also topped the team in field goal accuracy with 88 hoops in 168 attempts for 52.4 percent. Heywood made 20 of 55 3-point field goal attempts for 36.4 percent and 29 of 41 free throw attempts for 70.7 percent.

She averaged 7.1 points, 2.6 steals, and 2.1 assists per game as a junior en route to second-team All-Lakes Conference honors. Heywood made 70 of 167 field goal attempts for 41.9 percent and was her team’s most prolific and accurate 3-point threat with a team-high 30 3-point field goals in 85 attempts for 35.3 percent. Heywood also received second-team All-Lakes Conference recognition as a sophomore when she averaged 5.3 points and 2.4 steals per game.

The recruits will join a Morningside team that posted a 31-5 record and won the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season and post-season tournament championships this past season. The Mustangs advanced to the Final Four of the NAIA Division II National Tournament for the sixth time in the last 10 years, where they lost 65-64 against eventual NAIA II National Champion Indiana Wesleyan University in the semifinals. The Mustangs have a 297-61 record for a .830 winning percentage over the last 10 seasons and were NAIA Division II National Champions in 2004, 2005, and 2009.

Chelsie Trask, a 5-9 senior guard from Rockford, Iowa, was named to the 2012-13 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball All-America First Team.

Trask is one of three repeat first-team selections from last year’s team along with Kendra De Jong of Northwestern College and Morgan Smith of College of the Ozarks.

Trask was the leading scorer with an average of 13.5 points per game for a Morningside team that reached the semifinals of this year’s NAIA Division II National Tournament, where the Mustangs lost 65-64 against eventual NAIA II National Champion Indiana Wesleyan University. She was the Mustangs’ leading scorer in 14 of their 36 contests. Trask had 10 scoring performances of 20 points or more, including a career-high 35 points in a 79-63 victory against Hastings College in Morningside’s regular season finale for the Mustangs’ top individual scoring performance of the season.

Aside from leading the Mustangs in scoring, Trask ranked second on the team with 94 assists and 57 steals for averages of 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals per contest to go along with a norm of 3.0 rebounds per game. Trask was the Mustangs’ best free throw shooter with a team-high 109 free throws in 130 attempts for 83.8 percent and finished the season with a streak of 37 made free throws in 40 attempts for 92.5 percent. Trask made 150 of 341 field goal attempts for a career-high 44.0 percent and 76 of 191 3-point field goal attempts for a career-high 39.8 percent.

Trask, a four-year starter and three-time first-team All-GPAC performer, finished her career as the fourth leading scorer and 25th leading rebounder in Morningside history with 1,859 points and 440 rebounds, respectively. She averaged 13.6 points per game over her career.

In addition to Trask, the Mustangs placed Ashlynn Muhl, a 6-0 sophomore forward from Minneota, Minn., on the NAIA Division II All-America honorable mention list.

Muhl, who received first-team all-tournament honors at the NAIA II National Tournament, was the Mustangs’ second leading scorer and top rebounder with averages of 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. She was the Mustangs’ leading rebounder in 22 of their 36 contests, including a 20-board haul in an 89-65 victory against city rival Briar Cliff University in the semifinals of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Post-Season Tournament for the Mustangs’ top single-game rebounding performance of the season. Muhl led the Mustangs with six double-doubles and seven double figure rebounding performances. She scored a season’s high 22 points in games against Briar Cliff and Dakota Wesleyan University.

Aside from leading the Mustangs in rebounding, Muhl also topped the team with 30 blocked shots and in field goal accuracy with 155 hoops in 278 attempts for 55.8 percent. Muhl converted 92 of 135 free throw attempts for 68.1 percent and had 22 assists and 45 steals.

Morningside finished the season with a record of 31-5 and was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the final regular season NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll. The Mustangs won the GPAC’s regular season and post-season tournament championships en route to an 11th consecutive berth in the NAIA Division II National Tournament, where they made their sixth Final Four appearance in the last 10 years. Morningside won NAIA Division II National Championships in 2004, 2005, and 2009.

Click here for the complete 2012-13 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball All-America Team.

Morningside College is ranked No. 3 in the nation in the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Post-Season Poll.

The Mustangs, who were ranked No. 1 in the final regular season poll, finished the season with a record of 31-5 and reached the Final Four at the NAIA Division II National Tournament, where they lost 65-64 against eventual NAIA II National Champion Indiana Wesleyan University in the semifinals.

Morningside is one of four teams from the GPAC ranked in the post-season NAIA Top 25. Northwestern College is ranked fourth, Concordia University is ninth, and Briar Cliff University is 12th.

Click here for the complete NAIA II Women's Basketball Post-Season Poll.

Ashlynn Muhl, a 6-0 sophomore forward from Minneota, Minn., was named to the all-tournament first-team at the 2013 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament held March 6-12 at Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

Muhl averaged 12.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game and made 11 of 25 field goal attempts for 44.0 percent and 16 of 21 free throw attempts for 76.2 percent in three national tournament contests.

Muhl, who sat out the Mustangs’ opening round 92-43 victory against Webber International University, was Morningside’s leading rebounder in its second round, quarterfinal, and semifinal round contests.

She had 16 points and nine rebounds in Morningside’s 69-47 second round victory against College of Idaho, 11 points and eight rebounds in a 71-60 triumph against Bethel College in the quarterfinals, and 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in a 65-64 loss against eventual NAIA Division II National Champion Indiana Wesleyan University in the semifinals.

Morningside finished the season with a record of 31-5. The Mustangs were the 2012-13 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season and post-season tournament champions and were ranked No. 1 in the nation in the final regular season NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll.

Indiana Wesleyan University ended Morningside’s hopes for a national championship when the fourth-ranked Wildcats defeated the top ranked Mustangs 65-64 in the NAIA Division II National Tournament semifinals at Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

The Mustangs, regular season and post-season champions of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), bowed out with a record of 31-5. Indiana Wesleyan, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation in seven consecutive polls before it lost 54-48 against the University of Saint Francis in the Crossroads League’s post-season tournament, will take a 34-3 record into the NAIA II National Championship Game against No. 6 Davenport University.

Indiana Wesleyan’s victory snapped a 15-game winning streak for Morningside as well as the GPAC’s five-year reign of national championships after Davenport took out three-time defending champion Northwestern College 74-68 earlier in the evening. Indiana Wesleyan won the NAIA II national crown in 2007, marking the only time in the past 12 years that the title didn’t go to a team from the GPAC.

Indiana Wesleyan entered Monday’s semifinal against Morningside leading the nation in scoring defense with an average of 47.4 points per game. The Wildcats held the Mustangs to their second lowest point total of the season and their defensive ability was on display at the start of the game when they held the Mustangs without a field goal for the first six minutes. The Wildcats led wire-to-wire; in fact, after Paige Smith made the first basket of the game the closest the Mustangs got was the final one-point differential after Bobbi McManaman made a 3-pointer at the final horn.

McManaman led the Mustangs with 19 points to finish just two tallies shy of her career scoring high. She drilled four of seven 3-point shots and provided the Mustangs with a double figure scoring performance off the bench in eight of their last 11 games of the season, including three of their national tournament contests.

Ashlynn Muhl went for her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with a game-high four blocked shots, while freshman Allison Bachman sparked the Mustangs off the bench with a season’s high nine points behind a perfect three-for-three shooting display from the 3-point arc.

Morningside’s Leann Osten dealt five assists to share game honors with Indiana Wesleyan’s Claire Ray.

Indiana Wesleyan outrebounded the Mustangs 35-32 despite Muhl’s 13-board haul. Paige Smith, a NAIA II honorable mention All-American last year, led the Wildcats with eight rebounds to go along with a game-high 24 points behind a 10-for-14 shooting performance from the field. Taylor Goshert joined her in double figures with 13 points.

The game opened like something out of a Wes Craven horror production for the Mustangs when they fell behind by 17 points in the first six minutes. The Mustangs’ nightmarish start saw them misfire on their first six shots of the game, while Indiana Wesleyan made its first six shots and scored on its first seven possessions.

Smith did much of the Wildcats’ early damage by scoring eight of their first 12 points before Indiana Wesleyan’s outside shooters began to heat up. After Goshert and Claire Ray struck for back-to-back 3-pointers, the Wildcats had a shocking 18-1 lead with 13:55 left in the first half.

Bachman finally took the lid off the basket when she made a 3-pointer with 13:40 left in the half for the Mustangs’ first field goal of the game.

The Mustangs still trailed by 16 points, 29-13, with 9:52 left in the half before the Mustangs began to chip away at their deficit and whittled the margin below 10 points by the intermission.

Indiana Wesleyan led 39-30 at the break following an opening 20 minutes where it sizzled the nets at a 60.0 percent shooting pace compared to a chilly 35.7 percent effort by the Mustangs. Smith had 17 points for the Wildcats in the first half, while Muhl was the Mustangs’ leading performer with seven points and nine rebounds.

Morningside carved the deficit to six points, 49-43, on a 3-pointer by Bachman with 13:17 left in the game, but the Wildcats answered with an 8-0 scoring run to push the margin back to 57-43 when Ray put back her own miss with 9:08 left.

The Mustangs refused to go away and closed within five points, when McManaman struck from 3point range with 3:47 left in the game. Morningside trimmed its deficit to three points, 62-59, with 46.2 seconds left.

Indiana Wesleyan protected its lead by converting three of six free throw attempts during the last 45 seconds, while McManaman made a 3-pointer at the final buzzer to make it a one-point game at the end.

Top-ranked Morningside advanced to the Final Four of the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament and gave head coach Jamie Sale his 400th career victory in the process with a 71-60 victory over No. 11 Bethel College in the NAIA Quarterfinals at Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

Morningside won its 15th game in a row and improved to 31-4 on the season, while Bethel bowed out at 27-8.

The win puts the Mustangs in the NAIA II Final Four for the sixth time during the Sale era. The victory put Sale’s career record at 400-115, including a 321-95 mark in 12 years at Morningside. Sale guided Morningside to NAIA II National Championships in 2005, 2005, and 2009 and now has them knocking on the door again.

The Mustangs will try to get one step closer to a national title when they meet fourth-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University in the semifinals. The Wildcats, who were ranked No. 1 in the nation in seven of this season’s 12 polls, won the NAIA II title in 2007, marking the only time in the last 12 years where the national championship didn’t go to a team from the GPAC. The Mustangs won this year’s GPAC regular season and post-season tournament championships, while Indiana Wesleyan was this year’s co-champion of the Crossroads League.

Bethel, which finished third in this year’s Crossroads League regular season standings, got off to a miserable start in Saturday’s quarterfinals when it made just three of its first 22 shots and fell behind by 17 points in the first half before it rallied all the way back to make it a two-point game midway through the second half.

Chelsie Trask scored a game-high 15 points for the Mustangs and was joined in double figures by Bobbi McManaman with 12 points and Ashlynn Muhl with 11. Hanna Blum and Jessica Tietz each added eight points and Shelby Beaudette was right behind with seven.

Trask led the Mustangs in scoring for the 14th time this season, while McManaman gave the Mustangs her seventh double figure scoring performance off the bench in the last 10 games.

Morningside dominated the boards with a 52-29 rebounding advantage, including eight caroms each from Blum and Muhl.

Blum added a game-high four assists and was often the player providing the defensive pressure that prevented the Pilots’ best player, Laura Johnson, from being a factor for most of the night.

Johnson, this year’s Crossroads League Player of the Year, brought an 18.8-point scoring average into the tournament, but was held to nine points and only three field goals in 15 attempts. As a team, the Pilots shot only 32.3 percent, including a woeful 23.3 percent effort in the first half.

Morningside flustered the Pilots early and opened a double figure advantage just over five minutes into the game when Bobbi McManaman swished a 3-pointer from the baseline to give the Mustangs a 15-3 lead at the 14:54 mark of the first half.

The Mustangs increased their lead to 17 points when a conventional three-point play by Jessica Tietz made the score 26-9 with 5:36 left in the half. The Pilot shooters then began to heat up after a miserable opening 15 minutes where they made only three of 22 field goal attempts for 13.6 percent.

Bethel reeled off 10 consecutive points and closed within seven points when a 3-pointer from the baseline by Katy Stuppy made it 26-19 with 3:02 left before the intermission. The Pilots made five of their last eight shots of the half and went into the break trailing 32-23.

Bethel went on a 15-8 scoring run to start the second half. Alyshia Harvey capped the Pilots’ run with a fast break layup that made it a two point game, 40-38, with 11:56 left in the contest.

The Mustangs answered with seven straight points, including a conventional three-point play by Ashlynn Muhl, to open the lead back to nine points, 47-38, with 10:03 left, but the Pilots refused to go away.

Bethel closed within six points on two occasions and then crept back within four points, 54-50, when Harvey made a 3-pointer with 4:57 left in the game.

Trask, who came up big to shut down a second half College of Idaho rally in Friday’s second round, came up big again when the Mustang All-American answered from 3-point range to pad the Mustangs’ lead to 57-50. The Mustangs pushed their lead back into double figures when Hanna Blum made a jump shot with 3:44 left to make it a 61-50 game.

Five members of Morningside College’s women’s basketball team have been named 2012-13 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

The Mustangs were one of six teams to have five players named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

The Mustangs’ Daktronics-NAIA Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athletes are:

Shelby Beaudette, a 5-7 senior guard from Walthill, Neb. Beaudette has a 3.77 cumulative grade point average (GPA) with majors in biology and chemistry.

Hanna Blum, a 5-10 senior forward from Gretna, Neb. Blum has a 3.79 cumulative GPA with majors in elementary education and special education.

Randi Ebert, a 5-4 senior guard from Moville, Iowa. Ebert has a 3.50 cumulative GPA with majors in elementary education and special education.

Leann Osten, a 5-6 junior guard from Columbus, Neb. Osten has a 3.97 cumulative GPA with majors in elementary education and special education.

Meredith Wahl, a 5-9 junior guard from Crete, Neb. Wahl has a 3.51 cumulative GPA with a major in nursing.

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

Click here for the complete list of 2012-13 Daktronics-NAIA Women's Basketball Scholar-Athletes.

No. 1-ranked Morningside advanced to the Elite Eight of the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament with a 69-47 victory over No. 17 College of Idaho in second round action at Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

The Mustangs will take a 30-4 record and a 14-game winning streak into the quarterfinals, where they will meet 11th-ranked Bethel College of Indiana.

A win against Bethel in the quarterfinals would enable Morningside head coach Jamie Sale to reach the 400-victory plateau for his career.

Morningside pressured College of Idaho into a miserable 27.0 percent shooting performance from the field, including a woeful zero-for-18 effort from beyond the 3-point arc.

Chelsie Trask led the Mustangs with a game-high 17 points, while Ashlynn Muhl, who sat out the Mustangs’ opening round victory against Webber International with an injury, was right behind with 16 points. Shelby Beaudette joined them in double figures with 12 tallies, while Hanna Blum just missed double figures with eight tallies.

Muhl led the Mustangs with nine rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 49-38 College of Idaho advantage on the boards.

The key to the Mustangs’ victory was the first 11 minutes of the game when they took a 12-3 lead during a stretch where the Lady Yotes committed six turnovers and made only one of their first 13 shots of the game.

The Mustangs took their first double figure lead at 15-5 after a 3-pointer by Bobbi McManaman. Morningside eventually pushed its lead to 14 points after a free throw by Chelsie Trask made it 29-15 with 2:29 left in the half before the Mustangs took a 31-20 advantage into the intermission.

The Mustangs’ signature pressure defense took its toll on College of Idaho in the first half, which was reflected in the statistics as the Lady Yotes made only nine of 29 field goal attempts for 31.3 percent to go along with 11 turnovers.

College of Idaho outscored the Mustangs 18-11 over the first 12 minutes of the second half and rallied within four points, 42-38, when Felicity Jones made a pair of free throws with 8:14 left in the game.

The Mustangs answered with an 11-1 scoring run to expand their lead to 14 points at 53-39 with 4:50 left. Trask, a returning first-team All-American, was the main contributor during the run when she scored seven of her game-high 17 points with a 3-point field goal, a free throw, and a conventional 3-point play. The other points during the run came on a basket by Beaudette and a put back by Muhl.

Morningside continued to pull away pushed its lead over the 20-point mark when a scoop shot by Allison Bachman made it 67-46 with 47 seconds left. The biggest differential in the game was the final score which came after a basket by Kalene Anderson.

No. 1-ranked Morningside had too much firepower for unranked Webber International University when the Mustangs blasted the Warriors 92-43 in first round action in the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament at Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.

The Mustangs rolled to their 13th win in a row and will take a 29-4 record into the second round, where they will No. 17 College of Idaho.

The Mustangs played without sophomore forward Ashlynn Muhl, their leading rebounder and a first-team All-Great Plains Athletic Conference performer, who is sidelined with a knee injury. Morningside didn’t need their top inside presence in the first round contest as they overpowered a Webber International team that entered the tourney with a 15-13 record for the least number of wins in the 32-team field.

Morningside outrebounded the Warriors 57-49, had 12 different players score, and pressured its opponent into a woeful 21.7 percent shooting performance.

Chelsie Trask and Bobbi McManaman shared Morningside scoring honors with 12 points each. For McManaman, it was her sixth double figure scoring performance off the bench in the last eight games. Leann Osten and Nicole Rauner just missed double figures with nine points each, while Hanna Blum and Allison Bachman each had eight, followed by Jessica Tietz and Mandy Osborne each with seven. The eight points by Bachman was her season’s high.

Tietz and Osborne shared Mustang rebounding honors with nine caroms each, a career high for both. Kalene Anderson added seven rebounds to finish one off her season’s best.

The Mustangs held a slim 11-8 advantage at the 14-minute mark of the first half before they put the game away by outscoring the Warriors 27-6 over the duration of the half, including a 10-0 run over the last three minutes to take a 38-14 lead into the intermission.

Trask led the Mustangs with 12 points at the break to almost match the Warriors’ total by herself and was one of eight Morningside players that scored in the first half.

Webber International shot just 15.6 percent from the field in the first half with five field goals in 32 attempts.

It only got worse for Webber International in the second half when the Mustangs increased their lead to a game-high 54 points on three different occasions, the last time at 89-34 with 2:10 left to play after a basket by Osborne.

Chelsie Trask, a 5-9 senior guard from Rockford, Iowa; and Ashlynn Muhl, a 6-0 sophomore forward from Minneota, Minn., have been named to the 2012-13 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball First Team as selected by the league’s head coaches.

In addition to their two first-team All-GPAC selections, Morningside’s Jessica Tietz was named the GPAC Freshman of the Year and Jamie Sale was named the Hauff-Mid-America Sports/GPAC Coach of the Year after he guided the Mustangs to GPAC regular season and post-season tournament championships and an 11th consecutive NAIA Division II National Tournament appearance. Sale is the winningest women’s basketball coach in Morningside history with a 318-95 career record for a .770 winning percentage.

Trask received first-team All-GPAC honors for the third year in a row. She is the leading scorer with an average of 13.7 points per game for a Morningside team that will take a 28-4 record and a 12-game winning streak into the NAIA Division II National Tournament.

Trask has the Mustangs’ top individual scoring performance of the campaign with a career-high 35 points in the Mustangs’ 66-44 triumph against Hastings College in their regular season finale. Aside from leading the Mustangs in scoring, Trask is also averaging 3.0 rebounds per game and is second on the team with 86 assists and 52 steals for averages of 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She is the Mustangs’ co-leader with 68 3-point field goals in 171 attempts for 39.8 percent and the team’s best free throw shooter with 93 free throws in 111 attempts for 83.8 percent. Trask has made 138 of 312 field goal attempts for 44.2 percent.

Trask will enter the NAIA Division II National Tournament as the fourth leading scorer in Morningside history with 1,811 career points.

Muhl is the Mustangs’ leading rebounder and second leading scorer with averages of 7.2 rebounds and 11.4 points per game. She has been the Mustangs’ leading rebounder in 18 of their 32 contests, including a 20-board haul against Briar Cliff University in the GPAC Post-Season Tournament Semifinals for the team’s top individual total of the season. Muhl also leads the Mustangs with 24 blocked shots and has made 144 of 253 field goal attempts for 56.9 percent to lead the team in field goal accuracy. She has converted 76 of 114 free throw attempts for 66.7 percent.

Morningside’s Shelby Beaudette and Hanna Blum were named to the All-GPAC Second Team.

Beaudette, a 5-7 senior guard from Walthill, Neb., is averaging 7.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game and is the team leader with 103 assists for an average of 3.2 per game. She has made 91 of 233 field goal attempts for 39.1 percent, 30 of 91 3-point field goal attempts for 33.0 percent, and 32 of 42 free throw attempts for 76.2 percent.

Beaudette will enter the NAIA II National Tournament as the 22nd leading scorer in Morningside history with 1,054 career points.

Blum is averaging 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and is the Mustangs’ most accurate 3-point shooter with 32 3-point field goals in 73 attempts for 43.8 percent. She has made 98 of 203 field goal attempts for 48.3 percent and 43 of 72 free throw attempts for 59.7 percent.

The Mustangs’ Bobbi McManaman and Jessica Tietz were each named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list.
McManaman, a 5-8 senior guard from Hawarden, Iowa, is averaging 7.3 points and 1.8 rebounds per game and is the Mustangs’ co-leader with 68 3-point field goals in 171 attempts for 39.8 percent.

Tietz, the GPAC Freshman of the Year, is averaging 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and is second on the team with 19 blocked shots. She has made 84 of 149 field goal attempts for 56.4 percent.

Morningside won NAIA Division II National Championships in 2004, 2005, and 2009. The Mustangs have posted a school-record 10 consecutive 20-win seasons and have won six GPAC regular season championships and four GPAC Post-Season Tournament championships during that span.

Click here for the complete 2012-13 All-GPAC Women's Basketball Team.

Morningside added the GPAC Post-Season Tournament Championship to its regular season GPAC title when the second-ranked Mustangs edged No. 8 Northwestern 78-73 on GPAC Championship Tuesday in the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center.

The Mustangs defeated the three-time reigning NAIA Division II National Champion Red Raiders for the third time this season and for the sixth time in a row dating back to last season.

Morningside improved its record to 28-4 and will take a 12-game winning streak into the upcoming NAIA Division II National Tournament slated for March 6-12 in Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena. Northwestern had an eight-game winning streak snapped and will take a 23-7 record into the national tourney.

Shelby Beaudette, who beat Northwestern with last second shots twice during the regular season, led the Mustangs with 16 points behind a seven-for-11 shooting performance from the field. Although the Mustangs didn’t need another last second shot from Beaudette to win the game, the Mustang senior did provide a key 3-pointer with 24 seconds left after the Red Raiders had crept within 74-73.

Beaudette was one of five Morningside players who scored in double figures. Ashlynn Muhl and Bobbi McManaman each contributed 14 points, Chelsie Trask had 12, and Hanna Blum had 11. The Mustangs completed their scoring summary with six points from Jordyn Wollenburg and five from Leann Osten. The 14 points by McManaman was her fifth double figure scoring performance off the bench in the last seven games.

Northwestern, which entered the game second nationally in team rebounding margin, won the board battle 43-30 to outrebound the Mustangs for the first time in their three contests this season. Muhl, McManaman, and Wollenburg shared Morningside honors with four rebounds each, while Northwestern’s Kendra De Jong led all performers with 11 caroms to go along with a game-high 20 points

Trask dealt a game-high six assists, while McManaman and Wollenburg shared game honors with three steals.

Northwestern led by three points on three different occasions early in the first half before Morningside took a 10-9 lead on a layup by Muhl at the 15:54 mark. The Mustangs led for the rest of the half, including a 13-point bulge at one point when a 3-pointer by Beaudette completed a 15-2 Morningside scoring run that put the hosts up 27-14 with 11:23 left in the half.

The Red Raiders went on a 17-7 run of their own to close within 34-31 before Morningside stretched the lead to 40-34 at the intermission.

Northwestern closed within one point four times in the second half, the last two after 3-pointers by Alli Dunkelberger, who scored all 19 of her points in the second half. The Red Raiders crept within one point for the last time when Dunkelberger struck from 3-point range with 43.5 seconds left to make it a 74-73 contest before Beaudette burned the Red Raiders again with her pivotal 3-pointer.

Morningside used a furious 22-point scoring run in the second half to blow past Hastings and win the GPAC women’s basketball championship outright with a 79-63 on Feb. 16 in the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center.

The fourth-ranked Mustang won their ninth game in a row to finish the regular season with a record of 25-4, including a 17-3 mark in the GAPC to finish atop the league standings by a one-game margin over runner-up Concordia. The Mustangs won their sixth conference title during the Jamie Sale coaching era and the first since their 38-0 2008-09 NAIA Division II National Championship season. The GPAC regular season championship also locked up a NAIA Division II National Tournament berth for the Mustangs, who will make their 11th consecutive national tourney appearance.

Morningside and Hastings will meet again on Wednesday when the GPAC Post-Season Tournament begins with quarterfinal round contests at the sites of the top four seeds.

On a day when the Mustangs honored their seniors, Chelsie Trask responded with a career-high 35 points and fellow senior Bobbi McManaman chipped in with 18 for one of the top scoring efforts of her career. Both players were on fire from 3-point range as McManaman bombed in six of eight 3-point shots and Trask found the range on six of her 10 3-point shots.

Trask and McManaman were at their best during a pivotal second half stretch when they combined for all of Morningside’s points when the Mustangs reeled off 22 unanswered points to turn the game around. The Mustangs’ 22-point run came right after the Broncos had gone on a 10-point run of their own to take a 51-47 lead with 11:44 left in the game.

Trask stopped the Broncos’ run when she made a 3-pointer with 11:02 left in the game to end a five-minute Morningside scoring drought. McManaman then struck for three-pointers on three consecutive trips down the floor to shoot the Mustangs into a 59-51 lead with 8:58 left in the game. A basket by Trask, another 3-pointer by McManaman, and a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws by Trask capped a streak of 22 consecutive Morningside points to give the hosts an insurmountable 69-51 lead with 5:29 left.

Trask scored eight points in the first four minutes of the game to shoot the Mustangs into an early 12-5 lead, but from there the Broncos went on a 28-7 scoring run and opened a 14-point lead, 33-19, when Laurel Zwiener made a layup with 6:27 left in the half. Led by six more points from Trask, the Mustangs closed within 39-33 by the intermission.

Hastings shot a sizzling 57.1 percent from the field in the first half and had only three turnovers in the opening 20 minutes against the Mustangs’ vaunted pressure defense.

Trask stayed hot with a 3-pointer to open the second half and the Mustangs took a 42-41 lead on a basket by Leann Osten with 17:06 left in the game. The Mustangs went up 47-41 when Shelby Beaudette made a layup with 16:22 left to complete a 14-2 Morningside scoring run to open the second half.

Hastings answered with a 10-0 scoring run of its own to go up 51-47 to set up the Mustangs’ deciding 22-point run.

Morningside finished the contest with 13 3-point field goals in 22 attempts for a sizzling 59.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Mustangs’ torrid 3-point shooting and 42-21 rebounding advantage were too much for Hastings to overcome. Hanna Blum led the Mustangs’ domination of the boards with a season’s high nine caroms and Trask matched her season’s high with seven rebounds.

Beaudette led the winners with a game-high five assists.

Ashlynn Muhl, a 6-0 sophomore forward from Taunton, Minn., has been named the Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for Dec. 3-9.

Muhl averaged 14.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game and drilled 15 of 25 field goal attempts for 60.0 percent to help lead the Mustangs to a 3-0 record last week.

Muhl had a pair of double-doubles with 12 points and 14 rebounds in a 66-47 victory against William Penn University and 22 points and 12 rebounds in a 74-59 win against Dakota Wesleyan. She finished the week with 10 points and four rebounds in a 69-48 triumph against Doane College.

Morningside will take a 9-1 record into a Wednesday home game against Dordt College.

Morningside College is ranked fifth nationally in the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Pre-Season Poll released on Oct. 23.

The Mustangs return 12 letterwinners, including four starters, from a team that posted a 26-9 record last season en route to a 10th consecutive NAIA Division II National Tournament appearance
Morningside is one of five teams from the GPAC ranked in the NAIA II Pre-Season Top 25. Concordia University is ranked No. 1, Northwestern College is second, Briar Cliff University is eighth, and Hastings College is 16th.

Morningside will open the 2012-13 campaign with a 5:30 p.m. home game against Viterbo University on Friday, Nov. 2.

Click here for the complete NAIA Division II Pre-Season Top 25.

Morningside is picked for a third place finish in the GPAC Women’s Basketball Coaches Pre-Season Poll.

Morningside will open the 2012-13 campaign with a 5:30 p.m. home game against Viterbo University on Friday, Nov. 2.

Click here for the complete 2012-13 GPAC Women’s Basketball Coaches Pre-Season Poll.