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University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Sweeps Big Ten Women's Basketball Awards
2/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Whalen, a 5-8 point guard from Hutchinson, Minn., joins Ohio State's Tracey Hall as the only sophomores to earn the Big Ten's top honor. Whalen led the Big Ten's most potent offense by averaging 22.0 points per game and by shooting a 56.4 field goal percentage. There is much more to Whalen, however, than being just a scoring threat. The first player to earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors five times in a single season, Whalen ranked among the Big Ten leaders in assists (5.3, third), steals (2.7, fourth) and rebounding by guards (5.4 , first). She adds her unanimous first-team All-Big Ten accolades to the honorable mention award she earned her rookie season.
Whalen is the third Minnesota player to earn Big Ten Player of the Year honors, joining Laura Coenen (the first Big Ten Player of the Year in 1983) and Carol Ann Shudlick (1994).
McCarville is the first Golden Gopher to be selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. A 6-2 center from Stevens Point, Wis., McCarville (left) is also a second-team All-Big Ten honoree. The Gophers' second-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game and top rebounder at 7.5 boards an outing, McCarville make the paint her home in her rookie season. Of her six double-doubles this season, five came in Big Ten play. In conference games only, McCarville was ranked 14th in scoring average (15.1 ppg.), second in field goal percentage (.591), third in rebounding 8.2 rpg.) and tenth in blocked shots (1.00 bpg.).
Coach Oldfield is the mastermind behind the best single-season turnaround in Big Ten history. Oldfield, in her first season at Minnesota and the youngest Big Ten head coach at the age of 31, transformed a Golden Gopher program which had won just eight Big Ten games in the previous six seasons to a second-place finish with an 11-5 mark this season. The 10-win swing from 1-15 in 2000-01 to 11-5 in 2001-02 is the largest in Big Ten history. Minnesota captured the most wins (21) in school history during the NCAA era and its first top-20 national ranking in 19 years. Oldfield and her Gophers have been the talk of the Twin Cities this season, drawing the top four attendance figures in school history, including crowds of 12,142 versus Michigan State on Feb. 24 and 11,389 against Indiana on Jan. 27. Oldfield is the first Golden Gopher mentor to capture the Big Ten Coach of the Year award.
Whalen and Oldfield are candidates for other postseason honors as well. Whalen is one of 11 players up for the Conseco Nancy Lieberman Step Up Award, honoring the nation's top collegiate point guard in NCAA Division I women's basketball. Oldfield is among 20 finalists for the Naismith Women's Basketball Coach of the Year award.
Minnesota enters the Big Ten Conference Tournament with a 21-6 record and a No. 17 national ranking in the Associated Press poll. The Golden Gophers, the tournament's third seed, await the winner of the Wisconsin/ Northwestern game for a quarterfinal clash on Friday.
2001-02 All-Big Ten Women's Basketball Team (As selected by the Coaches) First Team ^ Second Team ^ Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota * Cindy Dallas, Illinois Lindsey Meder, Iowa * Heather Cassady, Indiana Kelly Mazzante, Penn State * LeeAnn Bies, Michigan Shereka Wright, Purdue * Alayne Ingram, Michigan Iveta Marcauskaite, Illinois Syreeta Blomfield, Michigan State Jill Chapman, Indiana Janel McCarville, Minnesota Kelly Komara, Purdue Courtney Coleman, Ohio State Tamara Moore, Wisconsin Rashana Barnes, Penn State Jessie Stomski, Wisconsin Laura Meadows, Purdue * Unanimous selection ^ Nine honorees due to ties Honorable Mention: Shavonna Hunter, Illinois; Jennie Lillis, Iowa; Jennifer Smith, Michigan; Sarah Kwasinski, Northwestern; Tomeka Brown, Ohio State; Jess Strom, Penn State; Mary Jo Noon, Purdue. Coaches' All-Freshman Team: Angelina Williams, Illinois; Kristin Haynie, Michigan State; Janel McCarville, Minnesota; Sarah Kwasinski, Northwestern; Jess Strom, Penn State. Player of the Year: Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota Freshman of the Year: Janel McCarville, Minnesota Defensive Player of the Year: Kelly Komara, Purdue Coach of the Year: Brenda Oldfield, Minnesota 2001-02 All-Big Ten Women's Basketball Team (As selected by the Media) First Team ^ Second Team ^ Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota * Cindy Dallas, Illinois Kelly Mazzante, Penn State * LeeAnn Bies, Michigan Lindsey Meder, Iowa Jennie Lillis, Iowa Shereka Wright, Purdue Alayne Ingram, Michigan Iveta Marcauskaite, Illinois Syreeta Blomfield, Michigan State Jill Chapman, Indiana Janel McCarville, Minnesota Kelly Komara, Purdue Courtney Coleman, Ohio State Jessie Stomski, Wisconsin Tamara Moore, Wisconsin * Unanimous selection Honorable Mention: Heather Cassady, Indiana; Sarah Kwasinski, Northwestern; Rashana Barnes, Jess Strom, Penn State; Laura Meadows, Mary Jo Noon, Purdue. Player of the Year: Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota Freshman of the Year: Janel McCarville, Minnesota Coach of the Year: Brenda Oldfield, Minnesota *
