Oct. 15, 2008

Division I

For the second straight season the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball title game featured two first-timers.  After advancing to the third straight final four and fourth overall, Vanguard (Calif.) knocked off the top team in the country, Union (Tenn.) in the semifinals to advance to the championship game and capture its first title in school history.  The runner-up, Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.), defeated four top-seeds on its way to the finals before falling to Vanguard.

The 2007-08 championship tournament also saw three of the four No. 1 seeds lose in the first or second round, an eight seed knock off No. 1 in the first round for the second consecutive year and the No. 1 team in the country for all 11 regular season polls bounced out in the semifinal round.

In order to defend its title, Vanguard and head coach Russ Davis, the 2008 Rawlings-NAIA Coach of the Year, will have to replace two players that were an integral part of the championship team.  Jessica Richter and Melissa Cook, the top two scorers and rebounders on the team a year ago, graduated in 2008.  But the Lady Lions will return three starters including senior Lauren Gregory and sophomores Sarah Boyd and Paige Halberg.  Gregory is the top returning scorer and rebounder with 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while Boyd led the team with 153 assists and added 9.2 points per game.

Trevecca Nazarene returns a solid nucleus of players from last year's title game team including two starters.  Senior Jennifer Bognar averaged 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a year ago and averaged a double-double in the national tournament last season.  Junior Christian Gibson has started for the Trojans every game since she arrived as a freshman and will be the leader on the floor.  She averaged 7.0 points and 3.0 assists in 2007-08.  Also returning for Trevecca Nazarene is junior Abby Lawson and sophomore K.C. Van Atta.  Both appeared in every game last season and averaged over 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds. 

After posting a 35-1 record in 2007-08, Union (Tenn.) once again will be one of the top teams in Division I Women's Basketball.  The Lady Bulldogs return four starters led by the 2008 NAIA Player of the Year, Josephine Owino, junior Katelin Dudley and sophomore Kayla Hudson.  Owino was the team leader with 18.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.  Dudley was second after averaging 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds while Hudson added 10.9 points per game and led the team with 257 assists.  Union has won 56 of their last 59 games dating back to January of 2007.  Two of those three losses came in the national tournament semifinals to the eventual national champion.  "We are returning the best shooting team in Union history from 2007-08," said head coach Mark Campbell.  "We look to be deeper this season and more athletic on defense.  This team has a lot of experience in big games with the senior class being a part of Union's back-to-back NAIA National Titles in 2005 and 2006."

Lee (Tenn.), Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) and Oklahoma City will look to bounce back from a disappointing tournament last season as the No. 1 seeds.  All three teams have something to prove this year.

Lee lost several key players from the team that posted a 32-3 record last season.  The Flames will be led by junior Katie Nelson who averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.  Also returning for Lee is sophomore Brooke McKinnon.  She added 12.3 points per game and led the team with 102 assists.

Point Loma Nazarene lost seven players from last season.  The Sea Lions will depend on two returning starters in juniors Colleeen Planeta and Liah Ector to the lead the team in 2008-09.  Planeta averaged 10. 7 points and 5.7 rebounds while Ector added 7.0 points and 5.1 rebounds.

Oklahoma City returns three starters but will bring in six new faces this season.  Senior Chelsea Ledbetter will return for the Stars and will be the floor leader in 2008-09.  She averaged 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game a year ago.  Also returning for OCU are junior Laura Duncan and Breezy Martin.

Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) advanced to its second final four in school history last season.  The Lady Lions will return two starters from the 2007-08 team, including two-time All-American Jana Cross.  She led the team with 20.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.  Also returning for FHU are juniors Kristal Edney and Tara Deatheridge.  Edney was second in scoring (13.1 ppg) a year ago while Deatheridge added 7.5 points per game.

The 29th Annual NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championships will be held at the Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn. The 32-team, single elimination tournament will start with the first round games on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 and will end with the championship game on Tuesday, March 24, 2009.

The 2008-09 Preseason NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 will be announced on Monday, Oct. 27.

Division II

The 2007-08 season saw another Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) school capture the title in NAIA Division II Women's Basketball, making it seven out the last eight.  Northwestern (Iowa) took home its second national championship in school history with an 82-75 victory over Ozarks (Mo.).  The Red Raiders won their first title in 2001 defeating College of Idaho (formerly Albertson (Idaho)), 77-50.  For Ozarks, this is the third straight season finishing as the runner-up.

Northwestern also took home a few more awards along with the national title.  Debbie Remmerde became the all-time leading scorer in NAIA Division II women's basketball with 3,854 total points and was named NAIA Player of the Year for the second time in her career.  Head Coach Earl Woudstra was selected Rawlings-NAIA Coach of the Year.

The Red Raiders are looking to become the fifth team in Division II history to win back-to-back titles.  Woudstra will put a young team on the floor this season after replacing all five starters from last season including Remmerde and Amy Larson, a third team all-american and four-year starter.  Northwestern will be led by junior Randa Hulstein and sophomore Becca Hurley, who served key roles off the bench last season.  Hulstein averaged 9.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a year ago while Hurley appeared in all 37 games and averaged 7.5 points.  Also returning for the Red Raiders are junior Andrea Wedel and sophomore Kristin Neth.  Both appeared in 24 games last season.  "We will be very young, with no seniors, but may be a little quicker than the past couple of years," said Woudstra.  "We could become competitive in January and February."

Ozarks will look to bounce back after dropping the only game of the season that cost them the national title.  The Bobcats posted an impressive 31-1 record last season and will return three starters from that team including seniors Kayli Combs, Lindsy Murray and Josie Sparkman.  Combs was second on the team with 15.3 points per game, 107 assists and 62 steals.  Murray averaged 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds while Sparkman added 8.8 points per game.  Also returning for the Bobcats is senior Emily Nichols, who averaged in double figures off the bench with 10.1 points.  She also cleared 5.6 rebounds per game.  "With the mixture of returning players and the newcomers we have, our chances of success this season appear to be bright," said head coach George Wilson.  "Our experience should also serve us well and the winning tradition we have built through the years should also be a factor in our continuing success.  This should be another fun season for our players and fans."

Morningside (Iowa) will return four starters from the team that advanced to the final-four a year ago and will challenge for the national title this year.  Leading the Mustangs in 2008-09 are seniors Autumn Bartel and Dani Gass.  Bartel led the team in scoring last season with 12.8 points per game while Gass averaged 12.0 points and was the team leader in rebounds with 8.1 per game.  Also returning are juniors Brittany Williamson and Leslie Foral.  Both started over 30 games for the Mustangs in 2007-08.

Hastings (Neb.) will look to capture its fourth title, the most by any team in Division II Women's Basketball.  The Broncos also advanced to the final four and will return three key players under the direction of new head coach Jeff Dittman.  Junior Lindsay Ducey led the team in scoring (18.0 ppg) last season while senior Kay Broekemeir (12.6 ppg) and junior Heather McKeon (10.1 ppg) both averaged in double figures.  Hastings will also get senior leadership from Sarah Cambridge, who came off the bench in 36 games last season.  Junior Rachel Isherwood started all 36 games last season and led the team with 79 steals while adding 8.3 points per game.

Fans should also keep an eye on are Bethel (Ind.), Black Hills State (S.D.), Concordia (Neb.) and Minot State (N.D.).  All four teams advanced to the Elite Eight a year ago.  Bethel lost nine players from the 2007-08 team, including all five starters.  The Pilots will be led by seniors Brittney Cook and Kelsy McKee and sophomore Bekah Basinger.  Black Hills State and Concordia both will return nine letterwinners and two starters.  Juniors Brittany Fuhrman and Bayley Chevron will be the team leaders for Black Hills State this season.  Concordia will return the top two scorers from the 2007-08 team in seniors Whitney Stichka and Melissa Tinkham.  Minot State, the 2008 version of Cinderella, will bring back six letterwinners and three starters including LaShay Bagsby, Whitney Loftesnes and Sam Medcalf.

The 18th Annual NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Championships will be held at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa for the 11th straight season. The 32-team, single elimination tournament will start with the first round games on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 and will end with the championship game on Tuesday, March 17, 2009.

The 2008-09 Preseason NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 will be announced on Monday, Oct. 27.