WIAC Women's Basketball
Athletes of the Week

Week of Feb. 18 - 24
Heidi Arciszewski, Junior (Thorp), Guard of UW-Eau Claire
Arciszewski helped UW-Eau Claire to a pair of wins during the week, including a crucial victory over rival UW-Stout that gave the Blugolds a share of the conference title.  In the 77-74 win over the Blue Devils, she poured in a conference season single-game high 30 points, shooting eight-of-13 from the field, including three-of-three from beyond the arc and 11-of-14 from the free throw stripe.  Arciszewski also grabbed five rebounds and added two assists and one steal in the contest.  Earlier in the week against UW-Platteville, she grabbed nine rebounds, dished out five assists and added four points and two steals.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Mackenzie Hunter, Junior, Forward, Eau Claire (Regis)
UW-Oshkosh, Whitney Tyriver, Senior, Guard, Oshkosh (West)
UW-Platteville, Lisa Wubben, Senior, Forward, Kieler (Southwestern)
UW-River Falls, Kelli Hilt, Sophomore, Guard, Lakeville, Minn. (North)
UW-Stevens Point, Laura Neuenfeldt, Senior, Guard, Two Rivers
UW-Stout, Julia Hirssig, Sophomore, Forward, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)
UW-Whitewater, Tiffany Morton, Junior, Forward, Beloit (Memorial)

Week of Feb. 11 - 17
Julia Hirssig, Sophomore (Rochester, Minn./Mayo), Forward of UW-Stout
Hirssig recorded a pair of double-doubles during the week in games played against UW-La Crosse and UW-Superior.  Against the Eagles, she totaled a game-high 26 points on 13-of-14 shooting from the field and grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds.  Her 13 field goals made rank as the second-highest performance in the conference this season.   Against the Yellowjackets, she scored 10 points and had 10 rebounds.  In the two games, Hirssig shot 17-of-21 from the field and blocked two shots.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Michelle Burns, Senior, Forward, Eau Claire (North)
UW-La Crosse, Lindsay Wahl, Junior, Center, Burnsville, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Erin Baganz, Freshman, Guard, Ashwaubenon
UW-Platteville, Lisa Grantman, Junior, Guard, Lomira
UW-River Falls, Caitlin Hunstock, Senior, Forward, Minneapolis, Minn. (South)
UW-Stevens Point, Haley Houghton, Senior, Guard, Wausau (East)
UW-Whitewater, Kelsey Hendrickson, Sophomore, Guard, Monroe

Week of Feb. 4 - 10
Tiffany Morton, Junior (Beloit/Memorial), Forward of UW-Whitewater
Morton helped UW-Whitewater to its first victory at UW-Stout in 13 years with an 83-72 triumph on February 9.  She poured in a game-high 22 points and grabbed a game-best 15 rebounds in 26 minutes of playing time.  Morton made seven-of-14 field goal attempts as the Warhawks emerged from Menomonie with a victory for the first time since a 72-56 win on February 18, 1995.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Rachel Muggenborg, Senior, Guard, West Salem
UW-La Crosse, Lindsay Wahl, Junior, Center, Burnsville, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Laura Ebbens, Freshman, Guard, Appleton (West)
UW-Platteville, Ange Vamstad, Freshman, Guard, Blanchardville (Pecatonica)
UW-River Falls, Krystal Parr, Sophomore, Guard, Bloomer
UW-Stevens Point, Laura Neuenfeldt, Senior, Guard, Two Rivers
UW-Stout, Lindsey Geissler, Senior, Guard, Thorp

Week of Jan. 28 - Feb. 3
Lindsey Buechner, Senior (Cross Plains/Middleton), Center of UW-Whitewater
Buechner helped the Warhawks to a pair of WIAC victories, including a win over No. 20-ranked UW-Eau Claire that vaulted UW-Whitewater into a tie for first-place in the league standings.  Against the Blugolds, she totaled a team-high 12 points to go along with six rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots in 22 minutes of playing time.  In a 99-87 overtime win at UW-La Crosse on January 30, Buechner poured in a team-best 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds to go along with four steals and two assists.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Heidi Arciszewski, Junior, Guard, Thorp
UW-La Crosse, Lindsay Wahl, Junior, Forward, Burnsville, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Whitney Tyriver, Senior, Guard, Oshkosh (West)
UW-Platteville, Lisa Wubben, Junior, Forward, Kieler (Southwestern)
UW-River Falls, Sarah Schoeneck, Freshman, Forward, Bloomington, Minn. (Jefferson)
UW-Stevens Point, Chelsea Kranz, Senior, Forward, Columbus
UW-Stout, Julia Hirssig, Sophomore, Forward, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)

Week of Jan. 21 - 27
Julia Hirssig, Sophomore (Rochester, Minn./Mayo), Forward of UW-Stout
Hirssig scored a career-high 21 points in a 69-61 win at UW-Platteville on January 26.  After the Pioneers came back to tie the game 54-54 with 6:47 left in the game, Hirssig scored eight points in those final minutes of the contest.  Three times UW-Platteville took a one point lead, and three times Hirssig scored to put the Blue Devils back on top.  In the game, Hirssig finished with seven rebounds and four steals. In only 13 total minutes in an 80-43 win over UW-Superior on January 23, Hirssig tallied 11 points, pulled down a team-high five rebounds and had two assists and three steals. On the week, Hirssig scored 32 points, shot 14-of-21 from the floor (66.7 percent), had 12 rebounds and seven steals.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Heidi Arciszewski, Junior, Guard, Thorp
UW-La Crosse, Mackenzie Hunter, Junior, Forward, Eau Claire (Regis)
UW-Oshkosh, Whitney Tyriver, Senior, Guard, Oshkosh (West)
UW-Platteville, Megan Guernsey, Sophomore, Guard, Lomira
UW-Whitewater, Nicole Bundy, Sophomore, Guard, Fredonia

Week of Jan. 14 - 20
Michelle Burns, Senior (Eau Claire/North), Forward of UW-Eau Claire
Burns helped the Blugolds remain unbeaten in the WIAC with two road wins and also became the 13th player in school history to top the 1,000-point mark for her career.  She registered a season-high 24 points in a 62-54 win at UW-Oshkosh, a place where none of the current Blugolds had ever won.  Burns followed that with an 18-point, 11- rebound performance in a 69-50 triumph at UW-River Falls to increase her career total to 1,011 points.  In 73 minutes of playing time, she hit 13-of-25 from the field (52.0 percent) and 16-of-18 from the free throw line (88.9 percent).  She also grabbed 18 rebounds and added two assists and two steals. 

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Lindsay Wahl, Sophomore, Forward, Burnsville, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Whitney Tyriver, Senior, Guard, Oshkosh (West)
UW-River Falls, Krystal Parr, Sophomore, Guard, Bloomer
UW-Stevens Point, Haley Houghton, Senior, Guard, Wausau (East)
UW-Stout, Julia Hirssig, Sophomore, Forward, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)
UW-Whitewater, Lindsey Buechner, Senior, Center, Cross Plains (Middleton)

Week of Jan. 7 - 13
Haley Houghton, Senior (Wausau/East), Guard of UW-Stevens Point
Houghton led the 11th-ranked Pointers to two conference wins and helped extend their winning streak to eight straight games.  In Wednesday’s 83-70 road win over UW-River Falls, Houghton tallied a game-high 19 points, connecting on 75 percent (six-for-eight) of her shots and grabbing five rebounds in 28 minutes of action.  In Saturday’s 78-51 victory over UW-Platteville, Houghton hit back-to-back three-pointers to lead the Pointers on a 13-0 run in the second half.  She led the Pointers with 13 points and had one assist and one steal.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Hannah Mesick, Freshman, Center, Chatfield, Minn.
UW-La Crosse, Lindsay Wahl, Junior, Center, Burnsville, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Tiffany Pugh, Freshman, Guard, Sturtevant (Waterford)
UW-Platteville, Vanessa Nemitz, Sophomore, Guard, Bloomington (River Ridge)
UW-River Falls, Kelli Hilt, Sophomore, Guard, Lakeville, Minn. (North)
UW-Stout, Lindsey Geissler, Senior, Guard, Thorp

Week of Dec. 31 - Jan. 6
Heidi Sonntag, Sophomore (Milwaukee/Wisconsin Lutheran), Guard of UW-Whitewater
In a 86-54 triumph at UW-River Falls on January 5, Sonntag recorded a game-high 27 points on six-of-eight shooting from the field, including five-of-six from the three-point arc.  She also converted 10-of-11 free throw attempts and added four steals, two assists and one rebound.   Sonntag scored 16 of her points in the first half when she hit all three of her long range attempts.  The Warhawks poured in a school-record 11 three-point field goals in the contest.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Mackenzie Hunter, Junior, Forward, Eau Claire (Regis)
UW-Oshkosh, Michelle Boeder, Freshman, Guard, Oshkosh (West)
UW-Platteville, Lisa Grantman, Junior, Guard, Lomira
UW-River Falls, Kelli Hilt, Junior, Guard, Lakeville, Minn. (North)
UW-Stevens Point, Ashley Baker, Junior, Forward, Pittsville
UW-Stout, Shelby Churchill, Freshman, Forward, Sheboygan (North)

Week of Dec. 17 - 30
Mackenzie Hunter, Junior (Eau Claire/Regis), Forward of UW-La Crosse
Hunter averaged 22.5 points and 5.5 rebounds as she helped UW-La Crosse win back-to-back games for the first time this season with two victories at the Land of Magic Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla.  She scored a season-high 24 points in a 85-76 victory over Bridgewater State College (Mass.), finishing 10-of-11 from the field.  Hunter also had five rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot.  She then finished with a game-best 21 points on nine-of-14 shooting from the field in a 68-61 win over Connecticut College and recorded six rebounds and four steals.  Bridgewater State entered the game with a 7-2 record, while Connecticut College was 8-2.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Heidi Arciszewski, Junior, Guard, Thorp
UW-Oshkosh, Tiffany Pugh, Freshman, Guard, Sturtevant (Waterford)
UW-Platteville, Lisa Wubben, Junior, Forward, Kieler (Southwestern)
UW-Stevens Point, Laura Neuenfeldt, Senior, Guard, Two Rivers
UW-Stout, Julia Hirssig, Sophomore, Forward, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)
UW-Whitewater, Kelsey Hendrickson, Sophomore, Guard, Monroe

Week of Dec. 10 - 16
Vanessa Nemitz, Sophomore (Bloomington/River Ridge), Guard of UW-Platteville
Nemitz scored a career-high 20 points, leading UW-Platteville to a 65-49 win over the University of Dubuque (Iowa) and avenging a loss to the Spartans from the previous year.  She made 7-of-12 shots from the field, including four-of-nine from three-point range, and two-of-two from the line.  Nemitz also had five rebounds, a block and a steal in 28 minutes.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Amanda Zenner, Senior, Guard, Medford
UW-Oshkosh, Erin Baganz, Freshman, Guard, Ashwaubenon
UW-River Falls, Tess Lardie, Freshman, Guard, Eagan, Minn.
UW-Stout, Danielle DeWitt, Sophomore, Guard, Green Bay (Bayport)
UW-Whitewater, Tiffany Morton, Junior, Forward, Beloit (Memorial)

Week of Dec. 3 - 9
Michelle Burns, Senior (Eau Claire/North), Forward of UW-Eau Claire
Burns helped UW-Eau Claire to road wins at UW-Platteville and UW-La Crosse during the week.  She scored a season-high and game-high 21 points against the Pioneers, hitting 10-of-13 shots from the field.  Burns was one of five players in double figures against the Eagles with 12 points and also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.  For the week, Burns was 15-of-25 from the field (60.0 percent) and two-of-two from the foul line.  She grabbed 13 rebounds and added two assists, one block and one steal.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Lindsay Wahl, Junior, Center, Burnsville, Minn.
UW-Oshkosh, Michelle Boeder, Freshman, Guard, Oshkosh (West)
UW-Platteville, Lisa Wubben, Junior, Forward, Kieler (Southwestern)
UW-River Falls, Jenna Hanson, Sophomore, Guard, Altoona
UW-Stevens Point, Ali Nicastro, Senior, Forward, Mondovi
UW-Stout, Lindsey Geissler, Senior, Guard, Thorp
UW-Whitewater, Tiffany Morton, Junior, Forward, Beloit (Memorial)

Week of Nov. 26 - Dec. 2
Kelsey Hendrickson, Sophomore (Monroe), Guard of UW-Whitewater
Hendrickson helped the Warhawks to a 2-0 record during the week against two ranked opponents.  In a 62-53 victory at No. 18-ranked University of Chicago (Ill.), she had a game-high 15 points on five-of-eight shooting from the field, including two-of-three on three-point attempts.  She also added three rebounds, two assists and one steal.  In a 75-71 triumph over No. 16-ranked UW-Stevens Point, Hendrickson had 11 points on four-of-five shooting from the field, including one-of-one from the three-point line.  She also dished out five assists to go along with four steals and had the go-ahead basket with eight seconds remaining in the contest.  In the two games, she was nine-for-13 from the field (69.2 percent) and four-of-six from the three-point line (66.7 percent).

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Heather Witt, Junior, Guard, Kendall (Royal)
UW-La Crosse, Anna Halat, Junior, Guard, Waukesha (South)
UW-Oshkosh, Erin Bagantz, Freshman, Guard, Ashwaubenon
UW-Platteville, Lisa Wubben, Junior, Forward, Kieler (Southwestern)
UW-River Falls, Krystal Parr, Sophomore, Guard, Bloomer
UW-Stevens Point, Laura Neuenfeldt, Senior, Guard, Two Rivers
UW-Stout, Julia Hirssig, Sophomore, Forward, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)

Week of Nov. 19 - 25
Chelsea Kranz, Senior (Columbus), Forward of UW-Stevens Point
Kranz averaged 16.0 points per game as the Pointers improved to 5-0 on the season picking up three non-conference wins during the week.  In Tuesday’s 90-42 win over Wisconsin Lutheran College, Kranz led the Pointers with 20 points and seven rebounds in 17 minutes.  Late in the first half she scored nine consecutive points for the Pointers over the span of four minutes.  The Pointers defeated North Central College (Ill.), 81-64, on Friday, as the Kranz chipped in 18 points on six-for-eight shooting.  Kranz added 10 points in the Pointers’ 65-54 win over Wheaton College (Ill.) on Saturday.  For the week, Kranz was 15-for-24 (62.5 percent) from the floor, 16-for-18 (89.0 percent) from the free throw line, grabbed 19 rebounds, had three blocked shots, two assists and two steals.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Heather Witt, Junior, Guard, Kendall (Royal)
UW-La Crosse, Mandy Stevens, Senior, Forward, Hartland (Arrowhead)
UW-Oshkosh, Tiffany Pugh, Freshman, Guard, Sturtevant
UW-Platteville, Lisa Wubben, Junior, Forward, Kieler (Southwestern)
UW-River Falls, Caitlin Hunstock, Senior, Forward, Minneapolis, Minn. (South)
UW-Stout, Julia Hirssig, Sophomore, Forward, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)
UW-Whitewater, Lindsey Buechner, Senior, Center, Cross Plains (Middleton)

Week of Nov. 12 - 18
Tiffany Morton, Junior (Beloit/Memorial), Forward of UW-Whitewater
Morton was named to the All-Tournament at the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament in Decatur, Ill. after leading the Warhawks to the team title.  Against No. 13-ranked Millikin University, she scored a game-high 21 points on nine-of-13 shooting from the field and three-of-three from the free-throw line.   Morton also added five rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot in 19 minutes of playing time.   In the championship game against Maryville College (Mo.), Morton totaled 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked three shots and had one steal in 23 minutes.   In the two games, she shot 64.0 percent from the field (16-of-25), 100.0 percent from the free-throw line (10-of-10) and had 16 rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals.

Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Heidi Arciszewski, Junior, Guard, Thorp
UW-La Crosse, Mackenzie Hunter, Junior, Forward, Eau Claire (Regis)
UW-Oshkosh, Whitney Tyriver, Senior, Guard, Oshkosh (West)
UW-Platteville, Lisa Wubben, Junior, Forward, Kieler (Southwestern)
UW-River Falls, Caitlin Hunstock, Senior, Forward, Minneapolis, Minn. (South)
UW-Stevens Point, Janell Van Gomple, Junior, Guard, DeForest
UW-Stout, Julia Hirssig, Sophomore, Forward, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)

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