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March 9, 2010

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Three Western Washington University players have been named to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Star Women's Basketball Team announced today.

Selected to the first team were junior guard Amanda Dunbar (Jr., Marysville/Marysville-Pilchuck) and senior center Jessica Summers (Blaine). Senior forward Willow Cabe (McCleary/Elma) was a second-team pick. Dunbar and Summers were both second-team choices last year.

All three are averaging better than 14 points a game.

Dunbar is the league's top scorer at 17.3 points a game, the best mark by any Viking since the 1995-96 season. She ranks No.5 nationally in both treys per game (3.3) and in 3-point accuracy at a near school-record pace of 47.1 percent (88-of-187), with her 88 3-pointers being a school single-season record.

Summers is averaging 16.1 points and 8.9 rebounds, sharing the GNAC lead in rebounds and being fourth in scoring.

Cabe is contributing 14.1 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Dunbar has scored double-figure points in a team-high 23 games, Summers 22 and Cabe 21.

Seattle Pacific guard Daesha Henderson was the GNAC Player of the Year. Coach of the Year honors went to SPU's Julie Van Beek, who directed the Falcons to the GNAC title.

Alaska Anchorage forward Kelsie Gourdin and Montana State Billings guard Sarah McNamee tied for GNAC Newcomer of the Year honors. Northwest Nazarene guard Heather Adams was voted the GNAC Freshman of the Year.

The Vikings, 23-4 and the No.3 seed in the West Regional of the NCAA Division II National Tournament, faces Chico State in an opening-round game Friday (12:30 p.m.) at Seattle Pacific University's Royal Brougham Pavilion.

GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Women's Basketball: SPU's Henderson Selected GNAC Player-of-the-Year

SPOKANE, Wash. - Seattle Pacific guard Daesha Henderson has been selected the 2009-10 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player-of-the-Year.

Henderson, who was one of two repeaters from last year's first team and the only unanimous selection to the all-star team, was a near unanimous pick for Player-of-the-Year honors receiving eight of a possible nine first-place votes.

Though only ranked 10th in the conference in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game, Henderson led the Falcons on both ends of the court and often made contributions that didn't necessarily show up on the stat sheet.

"Daesha is a very, very complete player - that's why she's so good," SPU head coach Julie van Beek, who was voted the GNAC Coach-of-the-Year, said. "She usually guards the other team's toughest offensive threat on the perimeter. And you know that every night the other team has to worry about her.

"Either she is going to be scoring or getting the assist. She's definitely the person who makes our team who we are. She sets the whole tone for our team."

Henderson was ranked in the Top 10 in four GNAC categories, winning the conference steal title (2.5) and finishing fourth in three-pointers (1.9) and seventh in assists (2.7) in addition to her No. 10 scoring rank.

With Henderson leading the way, Seattle Pacific won its fourth straight GNAC title finishing with a 24-3 record under van Beek, who improved her record at SPU in five seasons to 120-24.

Van Beek, who has an overall record of 282-143 in 14 seasons as a collegiate head coach, earned her second GNAC Coach-of-the-Year award. The 1989 graduate of Northwest Nazarene University was also selected two years ago.

Three other players won special awards. Alaska Anchorage forward Kelsie Gourdin, who averaged 9.2 points and 4.3 rebounds and led the Seawolves in blocks with 21, and Montana State Billings guard Sarah McNamee who netted 12.6 points per game and had 64 assists, tied in the balloting for GNAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors. Both players had identical totals of four first-place votes and 17 ballot points.

Northwest Nazarene guard Heather Adams was voted the GNAC Freshman-of-the-Year. She was the Crusaders' assist leader with 62 and also averaged 5.4 points per game.

Joining Henderson on the conference's first-team all-star team were Western Washington guard Amanda Dunbar, Northwest Nazarene guard Lindsay Brady, forward Nicci Miller of Alaska Anchorage, post Jessica Summers of Western Washington and forward Katie Torland of Western Oregon.

In addition to Henderson, Torland was the only other repeater from last year's first team. Both Dunbar and Summers were second team selections a year ago.

This year's second team included Tamar Gruwell of Alaska Anchorage, Megan Hoisington of Seattle Pacific, Western Washington's Willow Cabe, Kayla Ryan of Montana State Billings and Dara Zack of Saint Martin's. Zack was a first-team pick in 2008-09.

Five other players - Janee Olds and Kristin Hein of Northwest Nazarene, Hanna Johansson and Gourdin of Alaska Anchorage and Sophie Russell of Central Washington - earned honorable mention honors.

2009-10 GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

FIRST TEAM: +*Daesha Henderson, Seattle Pacific (G, 5-8, Sr., Snohomish, WA); Amanda Dunbar, Western Washington (G, 5-9, Jr., Marysville, WA); Lindsay Brady, Northwest Nazarene (G, 5-8, Sr., Boise, ID); Nicci Miller, Alaska Anchorage (F, 5-10, Sr., Denver, CO); *Katie Torland, Western Oregon (F, 5-10, Sr., Burns, OR); Jessica Summers, Western Washington (P, 6-1, Sr., Blaine, WA).

SECOND TEAM: Tamar Gruwell, Alaska Anchorage (G, 5-8, Sr., Fairfield, CA); Megan Hoisington, Seattle Pacific (F, 5-11, Sr., Bremerton, WA); Willow Cabe, Western Washington (F, 6-1, Sr., Elma, WA); Dara Zack, Saint Martin's (F, 5-10, Jr., Spokane, WA); Kayla Ryan, MSU Billings (C, 6-1, Jr., Big Timber, MT).

HONORABLE MENTION: Janee Olds, Northwest Nazarene (G, 5-8, Sr., Coos Bay, OR); Kristin Hein, Northwest Nazarene (F, 5-11, Sr., Tualatin, OR); Hanna Johansson, Alaska Anchorage (F, 6-2, So., Gothenburg, Sweden); Kelsie Gourdin, Alaska Anchorage (F, 5-10, Jr., Littleton, CO); Sophie Russell, Central Washington (W, 5-10, So., Lacey, WA).

SPECIAL AWARDS: Player-of-the-Year - Daesha Henderson, Seattle Pacific. Newcomer-of-the-Year - Kelsie Gourdin, Alaska Anchorage, and Sarah McNamee, MSU Billings (G, 5-9, Jr., Miles City, MT). Freshman-of-the-Year - Heather Adams, Northwest Nazarene (G, 5-7, Fr., Boise, ID). Coach-of-the-Year - Julie van Beek, Seattle Pacific.