2006-07 CCIW Women’s Basketball Preview

NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- When the women’s basketball season kicks off in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) this season, the conference will feature a number of talented teams vying for a spot in the CCIW and NCAA Tournaments respectively.

Wheaton was picked to win the conference title according to the CCIW Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. The Thunder took home seven of the eight first place votes (coaches may not vote for their own team) to win the poll. Illinois Wesleyan came in second, while Millikin and Carthage placed third and fourth respectively. North Central, North Park, Elmhurst and Augustana rounded out the poll.

Wheaton is coming off a conference title and return many of its top players from the 2005-06 season. One of those players is 2004 CCIW Player of the Year Jill Trenz. Trenz, a junior center and WBCA honorable mention all-American last season, helped lead her team to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Tournament, averaging 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. In addition, Trenz recorded 11 double-doubles on the season. Senior forwards Elizabeth Fox and Brittany Cooper return to team up with Trenz to make for an experienced and talented frontcourt. Fox tallied 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season, while Cooper averaged 10.2 points per game in 2005-06.

Illinois Wesleyan advanced to the championship game of the CCIW Women’s Basketball Tournament last season. The Titans return sophomore guard Mallory Heydorn, a second-team all-conference pick last season. Heydorn averaged 11.3 points and connected on 51 three-point field goals last season. Sophomore guard Claire Sheehan is also back after starting 12 games and averaging 7.2 points per game last season.

Millikin came away with the national title in 2004-05 and will look to get back there behind junior Lindsey Ippel. Ippel earned unanimous first-team all-conference honors last season and set Millikin’s sophomore scoring record (469 points) and led her team in both scoring (18.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.3 rebounds per game). Ippel’s teammate, junior Andrea Riebock, is also back after starting 23 of 25 games last season. Last season, Riebock averaged 6.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

Carthage surprised many with a young team last season and made the CCIW Women’s Basketball Tournament, losing to eventual champion Wheaton. The Lady Reds return sophomore point guard Shana Lieberman who earned third-team all-conference honors last season. Lieberman scored 10.8 points per game and dished out 3.31 assist per game last season. Junior center Lisa Gartelos is back after suffering a season-ending knee injury last December. Junior guards Erika Buchholz (8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds per game) and Carlie Janowiak (5.9 points, 4.8 rebounds) also return.

North Central will look to improve upon its 11-14 record from 2005-06 as senior forward Danielle Tinkoff returns after earning all-conference honors twice in her career. Tinkoff led the Cardinals in field goal percentage and points last season. Sophomore Brianne Parra is also back after finishing second on the team in field goal percentage and third in rebounds. Junior Katherine Menendez and sophomores Gia Navarra, Amber Cibrario and Kate Schmidt also return.

North Park returns nine letterwinners from a team that finished 13-13 last season and qualified for the CCIW Tournament. First-team all-conference pick Laura Mount returns after leading the team in scoring, steals and assists. All-conference pick Evelyne Peterson is also back after leading the Vikings in rebounding. Senior point guard Anna Mueller also returns. The Vikings lost Megan Slattery and Shandrel Young, but will look to senior Alex Coleman in the post while junior transfer Maggie Butler can play either guard or forward.

The Elmhurst Bluejays won 17 games last year, the most in 20 years, but will look to a number of new players after losing four starters to graduation. The lone returning starter is junior Candice Sutton. Sutton scored 7.3 points per game last season and was second on the team in assists. Eireann Neiheisel, a starter for two seasons, returns to the Bluejays after sitting out last season. As a sophomore, Neiheisel averaged 8.2 points per game. Sophomore Brittany Bobruk was a reserve last season, but will likely see time as a starter in the post. She averaged 6.4 points per game last season.

Augustana will enter the 2006-07 season with new head coach Bobbi Endress. Endress was the coach for two seasons at Edgewood College in Madison, Wis., before taking the Augustana job. Endress will move junior Becky Rehn from point guard to off guard in 2006-07, while senior Meghan O’Connell and sophomore Sarah Rachwalski will see time at point guard. Senior Kim Rymer started 24 games last season at the guard/forward spot. She was the team’s third leading scorer with 8.6 points per game. She also pulled down 4.6 rebounds per game and had 42 assists and 39 steals.