UW-Stevens Point's Nechuta Repeats as Player of the Year

NEWS RELEASE
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Matt Stanek * Sports Information Director * 780 Regent Street * Madison, WI 53715 * Phone: (608) 265-6406 * www.uwsa.edu/wiac/

RELEASED: Wednesday, March 2, 2005

UW-Stevens Point's Nechuta Repeats as Player of the Year

Madison, Wis.--For the second consecutive season, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point senior forward Amanda Nechuta has been named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Player of the Year to headline the 10 individuals voted to the 2004-05 all-WIAC Women's Basketball Team by the conference coaches.

Nechuta helped UW-Stevens Point to a share of their second straight WIAC regular season title and a 21-6 record, marking the fifth consecutive year the squad has compiled 20-plus wins. She is a three-time all-WIAC first team and all-defensive team selection and becomes the first two-time winner of the Player of the Year award.

Nechuta leads the conference in scoring (16.8), while ranking third in defensive rebounds (5.04), fifth in blocked shots (1.00), seventh in field goal percentage (.487), eighth in rebounding (6.8), 14th in free throw percentage (.707) and 15th in offensive rebounds (1.78).

Nechuta is one of 10 finalists for the Jostens National Player of the Year award and finished her career as UW-Stevens Point's all-time leader with 1,801 points, 681 field goals made and 120 games played. Her 120 career games played are a conference record, while the 1,801 career points rank third on the all-time list.

Nechuta has led the league in scoring the past three seasons and joins Kari Groshek (2002) as Pointers to win the conference's Player of the Year award.

Nechuta is joined on the first team by teammate Cassandra Schultz, who ranks second in the WIAC in assists (3.74), sixth in scoring (12.7), ninth in steals (1.96) and assist/turnover ratio (1.01) and 10th in field goal percentage (.437). She produced the highest scoring output in the conference this season with her 31 points against UW-Eau Claire on February 5.

UW-Oshkosh's Shannon Eggers and Brittany Herrick secured first team status after the squad compiled a 22-6 record for the school's fourth straight 21-plus win season. Eggers places third in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.387), sixth in assists (2.89) and free throw percentage (.760), ninth in blocked shots (.81), 10th in assist/turnover ratio (.95), 11th in scoring (11.2) and 12th in three-point field goals made (1.07).

Herrick led the Titans in scoring in 12 contests during the 2004-05 campaign, while ranking second in the WIAC in field goal percentage (.520), fifth in scoring (13.0), 11th in offensive rebounds (2.11), 12th in rebounding (6.1) and defensive rebounds (3.96) and 13th in free throw percentage (.708).

UW-Stout also landed two individuals on the first team after the squad claimed a share of the WIAC regular season title and registered 10-plus league victories for the ninth straight year. Kelsey Duoss leads the conference in blocked shots (3.07), defensive rebounds (5.36) and field goal percentage (.548), while placing second in rebounding (7.7), fourth in scoring (13.2) and ninth in offensive rebounds (2.32). Her 86 blocked shots this season established a school record.

The Blue Devils' Lindsey Erichsen is fifth in the WIAC in rebounding (7.0), offensive rebounds (2.64) and defensive rebounds (4.39), ninth in scoring (11.9), field goal percentage (.459) and free throw percentage (.730) and 12th in blocked shots (.68). She was a honorable mention pick in 2003 and 2002 and ranks fourth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,146 points.

UW-Eau Claire's Rachel Becker leads the conference in assists (5.11), while placing second in assist/turnover ratio (1.66), fifth in steals (2.44), 11th in free throw percentage (.727), 14th in defensive rebounds (3.70), 16th in scoring (10.2) and 18th in rebounding (5.0).

UW-La Crosse's Shawna Koss ranks second in the WIAC in three-point field goal percentage (.400), seventh in scoring (12.5) and three-point field goals made (1.36) and 11th in field goal percentage (.388). She led the team in scoring in 11 games this season.

UW-Platteville's Shannon Boatman leads the league in rebounding (8.0) and offensive rebounds (2.96), while placing second in offensive rebounds (5.04), fifth in blocked shots (1.00), sixth in field goal percentage (.498), 10th in scoring (11.5), 12th in free throw percentage (.725) and 13th in steals (1.77). She also registered a conference-leading eight double-doubles.

UW-River Falls' Erin Effle secured first team status for the second straight season after claiming honorable mention honors the previous two years, becoming the first Falcon to receive all-conference honors all four years. She places third in the conference in scoring (13.2), fourth in offensive rebounds (2.71), fifth in field goal percentage (.498), sixth in rebounding (6.9) and steals (2.38), seventh in blocked shots (.95) and eighth in defensive rebounds (4.14). Effle finished her career seventh on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,181 points.

Named to the 2004-05 honorable mention team were: UW-Eau Claire's Michelle Burns and Jessica Dickey, UW-La Crosse's Katy Searing, UW-Oshkosh's Michele Rosicky and Laurie Turtenwald, UW-Platteville's Holly Kaiser, UW-River Falls' Traci Reimann, UW-Stevens Point's Amy Scott, UW-Stout's Erin Churchill, UW-Superior's Stephanie Janigo and Shannon Johannes and UW-Whitewater's Nya Geschke and Jessica Wendt.

The 2004-05 five-member all-defensive team included: UW-Eau Claire's Katie Murphy, UW-Oshkosh's Laurie Turtenwald, UW-River Falls' Chantele Melgaard, UW-Stevens Point's Amanda Nechuta and UW-Stout's Kelsey Duoss. It is the third straight season that Nechuta has been recognized on the squad.

UW-Stout head coach Mark Thomas was voted the Coach of the Year by the conference coaches for the third time in his career (2005, 2002, 1993). He directed the Blue Devils to a share of the WIAC regular season title, the WIAC Tournament crown and a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Thomas became the league's all-time winningest coach earlier this season and carries a 308-165 record (.651 winning percentage) in his 18 seasons with the Blue Devils.

2004-05 All-WIAC Women's Basketball Team
First Team
Name, School, Year, Position, Height, Hometown (High School)
Rachel Becker, Eau Claire, Junior, Guard, 5-7, Gilmanton
Shannon Boatman, Platteville, Senior, Forward, 5-11, Darlington
Kelsey Duoss, Stout, Sophomore, Forward, 6-2, Janesville (Clinton)
Erin Effle, River Falls, Senior, Forward, 5-10, Rochester, Minn. (John Marshall)
Shannon Eggers, Oshkosh, Junior, Guard, 5-11, Council Bluffs, Iowa (Lewis Central)
Lindsey Erichsen, Stout, Senior, Forward, 6-0, Spring Valley, Minn. (Kingsland)
Brittany Herrick, Oshkosh, Junior, Forward, 5-11, Appleton (Xavier)
Shawna Koss, La Crosse, Junior, Guard, 5-10, Holmen (Melrose-Mindoro)
Amanda Nechuta, Stevens Point, Senior, Forward, 5-10, Mosinee
Cassandra Schultz, Stevens Point, Junior, Guard, 5-7, Hartford

Honorable Mention
Michelle Burns, Eau Claire, Freshman, Forward, 5-11, Eau Claire (North)
Erin Churchill, Stout, Senior, Guard, 5-8, Plum City
Jessica Dickey, Eau Claire, Senior, Guard, 5-9, White Bear Lake, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Nya Geschke, Whitewater, Senior, Forward, 5-10, Janesville (Parker)
Stephanie Janigo, Superior, Senior, Forward, 6-0, Brule (Northwestern)
Shannon Johannes, Superior, Senior, Guard, 5-6, Cold Spring, Minn. (Rocori)
Holly Kaiser, Platteville, Junior, Forward, 5-10, Hazel Green (Southwestern)
Traci Reimann, River Falls, Sophomore, Forward, 6-0, North Branch, Minn.
Michele Rosicky, Oshkosh, Senior, Guard, 5-6, Plover (SPASH)
Amy Scott, Stevens Point, Senior, Center, 6-2, Rosholt
Katy Searing, La Crosse, Sophomore, Forward, 5-11, Mukwonago
Laurie Turtenwald, Oshkosh, Senior, Guard, 5-7, West Allis (Hale)
Jessica Wendt, Whitewater, Sophomore, Forward, 6-1, Greenfield (Whitnall)

All-Defensive Team
Kelsey Duoss, Stout, Sophomore, Forward, 6-2, Janesville (Clinton)
Chantele Melgaard, River Falls, Junior, Guard, 5-8, Lakeville, Minn.
Katie Murphy, Eau Claire, Senior, Guard, 5-5, La Crosse (Aquinas)
Amanda Nechuta, Stevens Point, Senior, Forward, 5-10, Mosinee
Laurie Turtenwald, Oshkosh, Senior, Guard, 5-7, West Allis (Hale)

Player of the Year: Amanda Nechuta of Stevens Point
Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete: Erin Effle of River Falls
Coach of the Year: Mark Thomas of Stout

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