23 April 2002

Rock "MVP" for IWU Women's Basketball

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Senior Brandi Rock has been selected as the "Most Valuable Player" for the Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team.

A 5-foot-6 guard from Roberts (Paxton-Buckley-Loda HS), Rock started 23 games, played in all 25 and led the team with 28.8 minutes per game. She was also the team's leader with 40 steals and was second in assists with 35. Her single-game highs were 13 points vs. Lindenwood, six rebounds (twice), and four assists (twice).

Rock also earned the team's "All-American Titan" honor, bestowed for sportsmanship, integrity, leadership and overall responsibility to basketball success.

The Titans finished with a 14-11 overall mark, the second straight winning season and ninth in the last 10 years, and were 8-6 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Juniors Katie Cantrell (Bloomington, Normal Community HS), Kristin Scott (Bloomington, Central Catholic HS) and Elisa Ettner (Marengo HS) were selected to serve as team captains next season.

Cantrell started the first 13 games before a broken clavicle shelved her for the remainder of the year. She averaged 10.5 points per game, led the team in scoring four times and had 19 against Eureka. After three seasons, she is seventh in career 3-point field goals at IWU (68), 16th with 222 field goals and 25th with 570 career points.

Ettner, a 5-foo-7 guard who was a second team all-CCIW selection, averaged 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds and was second on team with 29 steals. After three seasons, she is 10th all-time at IWU with 51 career 3-point field goals, 12th with 165 free throws, and 13th with 163 career assists.

The Titans' Cindy Uphoff (El Paso HS) closed her career as the school's 14th all-time leading scorer with 897 points and eighth top rebounder with 593. She also finished sixth in career free throws made (217) and eighth in career field goals (340). This season she averaged 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds, led thee team in scoring in three games and had her single-game highs of 17 points and nine rebounds in an 80-57 win over Aurora.

Head coach Mia Smith awarded letters to 16 players, 12 of whom return for next season. The letterwinners are, with hometowns and high schools:

SENIORS - Amy Gorzynski (Schiller Park, East Leyden HS); Andrea Palmer (Danville, First Baptist HS); Brandi Rock (Roberts, Paxton-Buckley-Loda HS); Cindy Uphoff (El Paso HS).

JUNIORS - Jen Birkholz (Forreston HS); Katie Cantrell (Bloomington, Normal Community HS); Elisa Ettner (Marengo HS); Emily Ettner (Marengo HS); Amanda Jones (Bloomington, Normal West HS); Kristin Scott (Bloomington, Central Catholic HS).

SOPHOMORES - Brooke Bailey (Byron HS); Claire Deveaux (Atlanta, Ga., Paideia HS); Jessie Freiburg (Quincy, Notre Dame HS); Jess Hough (Nokomis HS); Cassie Twaddle (Carthage HS).

FRESHMEN - Hannah Meharry (Tolono, Unity HS).