Seniors Amanda Behnke and Katie LaViolette were selected as the NSIC Co-Players of the Year and were joined by NSIC Defensive Player of the Year Mary Schroeder and NSIC Coach of the Year Paul Fessler to receive high honors from the Northern Sun coaches as the NSIC All-Conference teams were released. Senior Kelly Lund was named all-NSIC third team and junior Candace Olstad was an honorable mention all-NSIC pick.
Full 2007-08 All-NSIC Release
NSIC Co-Player of the Year
#44 Amanda Behnke
(C, 6-2, Sr., Eagan, Minn. / St. Croix Lutheran HS)
Concordia University -St. Paul
The NSIC Preseason Player of the Year and defending NSIC Player of the Year didn’t disappoint in 2007-08, as Amanda Behnke shares Player of the Year honors with her point guard, Katie LaViolette. In 2007-08 Behnke captured the NSIC Scoring Title, averaging 16.6 points per game during 18 league games to lead the Golden Bears to their second consecutive Northern Sun title. She also averaged 8.7 rebounds and shot 52.6% from the floor during conference play while posting 17 blocks and 23 steals as well. Overall, Behnke is averaging a league-high 17.0 points and her 8.5 rebounds are second while maintaining a 54.6% field goal pct. throughout the year. She amassed 10 double-doubles including a 26 point, 18 rebound effort against Bemidji State. She has 11 20-plus point games, 12 double-digit rebound games and five 20 point/10 rebound games on the year. Her 1,381 points in three seasons at Concordia ranks 10th on the school all-time scoring list, while she has scored 1,555 in her collegiate career. She also ranks 2nd in career rebounds (Division II-era only) with 688. Last year, Behnke’s 551 points were a single-season record and with 458 this year, she is within striking distance of her own mark.
NSIC Co-Player of the Year
#21 Katie LaViolette
(G, 5-9, Sr., Manitowoc, Wis. / Manitowoc Lutheran HS)
Concordia-St. Paul
LaViolette shares NSIC Player of the Year honors with the player who has helped her garner the 12th-most assists in NCAA Division II history throughout her career (743). She is also one of seven players in Div. II history to achieve 1,000 career points, 700 career assists and 400 career rebounds (1,008/743/428). Her 3.71 assist-turnover ratio leads the nation while her 230 assists on the season rank 2nd in Division II this year, and her 8.5 assists per game are third. In one of her best career-performances, LaViolette narrowly missed a triple-double as she scored a career-high 25 points, had nine rebounds and nine assists while making 17-18 at the line to set a school record for most free throws made in a game. She has the most assists in NSIC history (including all career games), the NSIC single season record of 159 set in 06-07 and the NSIC Tournament single game and tournament average records while also holding the Concordia single season record (297 in 06-07, 4th in Div. II history) and career record (743). She has six double-doubles and 10 games with at least 10 assists on the year.
NSIC Defensive Player of the Year
#15 Mary Schroeder
(G, 6-1, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn. / St. Anthony Village HS)
Concordia University-St. Paul
Schroeder repeats as NSIC Defensive Player of the Year and has carved a reputation around the league as being a shut-down defender, taking responsibility to stifle and frustrate opponents’ top wing scoring threats throughout her career. In her four years at Concordia, Schroeder has compiled 42 steals and 51 blocked shots. Her 0.74 blocks per game this season are 11th in the NSIC, impressive for a guard, and she had a career-high five blocked shots in a 78-77 road victory at Wayne State earlier this year.
NSIC Coach of the Year
Paul Fessler
Concordia-St. Paul
Fessler repeats as NSIC Coach of the Year after leading the Golden Bears to defend their league regular season title from a year ago. With three NSIC regular season titles in eight years at the helm of the program, Fessler’s repeat in 07-08 was the first time his squad has ever defended a title, including the NSIC Tournament (2005 and 2007). His Golden Bears, who ascended all the way to No. 2 in the nation behind a school record 18-0 start (best start ever and longest winning streak), carry their No. 8 national ranking and No. 3 regional ranking into the NSIC Tournament as the top seed as they look to sweep both league championships for the second straight season. He has guided Concordia to seven consecutive 20-plus win seasons and will have his team looking for a sixth-straight bid to the NCAA Tournament in just their sixth year of eligibility for the big dance. His 16-2 league mark also propelled him to another milestone: 100 career wins in NSIC play with a 100-34 mark (.746).
NSIC Co-Freshman of the Year
#23 Jamie Zelinsky
(F, 5-11, Fr., Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Park Center HS)
Minnesota, Crookston
Jamie Zelinsky started all 27 games during the Golden Eagles 2007-08 campaign. She led the team in minutes played, averaging 28.8 minutes per game. Offensively, Zelinsky was third in the NSIC in scoring with 15.8 points per game and was second on the team in assists with 82. She shot 39% from the field, 41% from three-point range and 72.5% from the free-throw line. Defensively, she was third on the team in rebounds with 110, third in blocks with 13 and second in steals with 42. In NSIC games only, Zelinsky ranked fifth in points per game (15.1), ninth in the conference in steals (1.39) and 11th in assists (2.83).
NSIC Co-Freshman of the Year
#23 Jodie Boss
(C, 6-4, Fr., Columbus, Neb. / Columbus HS)
Wayne State
Jodie Boss set a single season blocked shot record at WSC with 72 blocks and leads the NSIC in blocks at 2.67 per game (3.00 in NSIC league games). She ranks sixth in NCAA Division II in blocked shots per game and set a new single game record with 10 blocked shots vs. then #3 Concordia-St. Paul on 1/18/08. Boss is averaging 7.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.67 blocked shots per game, shooting 48.7 percent (73-150) from the field and 62 percent (57-92) from the free throw line.
All-NSIC Third Team
#33 Kelly Lund
(G, 5-10, Sr., New Brighton, Minn. / Irondale HS)
Concordia University-St. Paul
Kelly Lund caught fire in February, going through a four game stretch where she averaged 20.0 points. In the month of February, Lund has seen her scoring average hike from 7.5 to 9.7 ppg in eight games, averaging 14.8 per game during the stretch in which she shot 56.9% (37-65) from the field, 60.0% (15-25) from three-point range and 87.9% (29-33) from the stripe. For the season, Lund is shooting 40.2% (40-98) from three-point range and 85.9% (61-71) from the line. Lund was an all-NSIC honorable mention selection a year ago.
All-NSIC Honorable Mention
#23 Candace Olstad
(F, 6-0, Jr., Elgin, Minn. / Elgin-Millville HS)
Concordia University-St. Paul
Candace Olstad has developed into one of the Golden Bears' most consistent players in 2007-08. On a team with six senior contributors, the junior has displayed her experience on the floor, averaging 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. Her scoring average has stayed at 11.3 or above all season and her rebound average has never dipped below 6.4. She shoots 51.2% from the floor and 50.0% from behind the arc. She has four double-doubles including a 20 point, 14 rebound effort at Minnesota Crookston. Last year C.Olstad was an NSIC all-Academic selection and an NSIC all-tournament pick.
