UW-Whitewater Picked To Win Women’s Basketball Title

UW-Whitewater Picked To Win Women’s Basketball Title

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MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the defending champion, has been tabbed to win the 2019 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) women’s basketball title, based on a preseason poll conducted by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
 
The Warhawks, who enter the 2018-19 campaign ranked No. 21 in the D3hoops.com Preseason Poll, also won the WIAC tournament title for the second straight year and made the program’s 17th NCAA appearance. UW-Whitewater has won at least 20 games 10 of the last 11 years. Junior guard Camri Conley is the team’s leading returning scorer at 7.9 points per contest. She also grabbed 99 rebounds and had 35 assists and 29 steals. Senior forwards Olivia Freckmann and Sarah Schumacher contributed 7.3 and 6.5 points per contest, respectively. Freckmann was second on the team with 158 rebounds.  
 
UW-Whitewater is followed in the conference predictions by:  UW-Eau Claire; UW-Oshkosh; UW-La Crosse; UW-Stevens Point; UW-River Falls; UW-Stout; and UW-Platteville.
 
UW-Eau Claire brings back all five starters from last year’s squad that posted 18 wins – which were the most for the program since 21 victories in the 2011-12 season. Junior forward Anna Graaskamp finished second in the WIAC with a .532 field goal percentage (143-of-269) and third with 15.6 points per game. Junior guard Kelsey Bakken had a team-high 157 rebounds and 56 steals, while placing second with 10.4 points per contest. The 56 steals were fourth in the league. Junior guard Hallee Hoeppner and sophomore forward Katie Essen contributed 9.4 and 7.4 points per game, respectively.
 
UW-Oshkosh reached the championship game of the WIAC tournament for the fifth straight season a year ago and has accumulated at least 20 wins six consecutive seasons. Senior forward Isabella Samuels led the conference with a .618 field goal percentage (118-of-191) and was second on the team with 9.6 points per contest and 141 rebounds. Senior forward Melanie Schneider added 8.4 points per game, while junior guard Olivia Campbell finished second in the WIAC with 75 assists and produced a team-best 47 steals.
 
UW-La Crosse has posted back-to-back 16-win seasons for the best two-year stretch since the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Three starters return from last year, including junior guard Dani Craig, who finished second on the team with 9.4 points per contest and third with 100 rebounds. Junior guard Delaney Schoenenberger contributed 8.8 points per game and finished second on the squad with 43 three-point field goals made. Head coach Karen Middleton is five victories from reaching 100 in her career.
 
UW-Stevens Point has reached double digits in wins in 28 of 29 seasons under head coach Shirley Egner, who is the winningest coach in WIAC archives with 540 victories to her credit. Junior guard Carly Cerrato made a team-best 52 three-point field goals and was second on the team with 42 steals and 10.5 points per game. Sophomore guard Brooke Geier started all 26 games and chipped in 6.7 points per game, while finishing second on the squad with 60 assists.
 
Derek Staley will serve as the interim head coach at UW-River Falls, replacing Cindy Holbrook, who finished as the program’s all-time winningest coach with 251 wins. Prior to joining the Falcons, Staley was the head coach at UW-Marathon County. Junior forward Crystal Pearson is the leading returning scorer after producing 9.8 points per game and finishing fourth in the WIAC with a .529 field goal percentage (83-of-157).
 
UW-Stout welcomes Hannah Iverson as its new head coach, replacing Mark Thomas, who accumulated 472 victories – the second-highest mark in league history – in 31 seasons. Iverson was most recently the director of player development for women’s basketball at UW-Green Bay. The top-three scorers from a year ago return, including junior guard Kyncaide Diedrich, who led the conference with 15.9 points per game and was third with 74 assists. Senior guard Bailey Diersen was second with 15.2 points per contest and junior forward Amber Fabeck had 8.5.
 
UW-Platteville has three starters back, including senior guard Kassie Buchholz, who contributed 8.3 points per game and made a team-best 32 three-point field goals. Senior guard Morgan Horstman missed a majority of the 2017-18 campaign due to injury, but led the 2016-17 team with 12.9 points per contest.
 

2018-19 Preseason Predictions--Voted on by WIAC Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors 
 
2017-18 Record
1. UW-Whitewater (25-4 overall, 12-2 WIAC)
2. UW-Eau Claire (18-9, 9-5)
3. UW-Oshkosh (21-6, 9-5)
4. UW-La Crosse (16-10, 9-5)
5. UW-Stevens Point (14-12, 8-6)
6. UW-River Falls (16-10, 7-7)
7. UW-Stout (7-18, 0-14)
8. UW-Platteville (6-19, 2-12)

 
Team Nuggets

UW-Eau Claire
Head Coach:  Tonja Englund; 19th season at UWEC; 315-180
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  7/5
Starters Returning/Lost:  5/0
Returning All-WIAC:  Anna Graaskamp, Jr., F (2017-First, 2018-First); Kelsey Bakken, Jr., G (2018-Honorable, 2018-Defensive)
 
Notable Returning Players:  Maddie Dunathan, Sr., G; Katie Essen, So., F; Brooke Harris, Jr., F; Hallee Hoeppner, Jr., G
 

UW-La Crosse
Head Coach:  Karen Middleton; 9th season (3rd at UWL); 95-142 (overall) / 32-21 (at UWL)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  9/10
Starters Returning/Lost:  3/2
Returning All-WIAC:  Dani Craig, Jr., G (2018-Honorable); Delaney Schoenenberger, Jr., G (2018-Honorable)

Notable Returning Players:  Shayla Karge, So., F; Ava Kramer, So., G
 

UW-Oshkosh
Head Coach:  Brad Fischer; 7th season at UWO; 139-33
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  9/5
Starters Returning/Lost:  3/2
Returning All-WIAC:  Isabella Samuels, Sr., F (2018-Honorable); Melanie Schneider, Sr., F (2018-Honorable); Olivia Campbell, Jr., G (2018-Defensive)

Notable Returning Players:  Nikki Arneson, So., F; Leah Porath, So., G; Chloe Pustina, Sr., G; Karsyn Rueth, So., F
 

UW-Platteville
Head Coach:  Megan Wilson; 9th season at UWP; 64-138
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  10/7
Starters Returning/Lost:  3/2
Returning All-WIAC:  Morgan Horstman, Sr., G (2017-Honorable)

Notable Returning Players:  Kassie Buchholz, Sr., G
 

UW-River Falls
Head Coach (Interim):  Derek Staley; 1st season at UWRF; 0-0
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  9/7
Starters Returning/Lost:  1/4
Returning All-WIAC:  Crystal Pearson, Jr., F (2018-Honorable)

Notable Returning Players:  Taylor Paulsrud, Sr., F
 
 
UW-Stevens Point
Head Coach:  Shirley Egner; 30th season at UWSP; 540-241
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  8/4
Starters Returning/Lost:  2/3
Returning All-WIAC:  None

Notable Returning Players:  Carly Cerrato, Jr., G; Brooke Geier, Sr., G 


UW-Stout
Head Coach:  Hannah Iverson; 1st season at UWS; 0-0
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  13/4
Starters Returning/Lost:  3/2
Returning All-WIAC:  Kyncaide Diedrich, Jr., G (2017-Honorable, 2018-First, 2018-Defensive); Bailey Diersen, Sr., G (2018-Honorable)

Notable Returning Players:  Amber Fabeck, Jr., F; Carolyn Feddema, Sr., G; Becky Fesenmaier, Jr., G; Emily Jacques, Jr., F


UW-Whitewater
Head Coach:  Keri Carollo; 17th season at UWW; 314-138
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  15/8
Starters Returning/Lost:  2/3
Returning All-WIAC:  None
 
Notable Returning Players:  Camri Conley, Jr., G; Olivia Freckmann, Sr., F; Becky Raeder, Jr., G; Sarah Schumacher, Sr., F
 
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