March 8, 2006
St. Louis, Mo. -
Senior center Cassie Hager (Perry, Iowa) has been named First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference for the second consecutive season. Junior forward Tara King (Ottumwa, Iowa) earned All-MVC accolades for the first time in her career, being named Second Team All-MVC. Hager also was a repeat selection for the MVC All-Defensive Team.
With the addition of Megan Liffick of Evansville, the 2006 All-Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball First Team boasts the same players who were honored on the preseason squad. Melanie Boeglin of Indiana State, Cassie Hager of UNI, Angie Janis of Creighton, Kari Koch of Missouri State and Jill Martin of Drake, along with Liffick, earned First-Team All-MVC honors in 2005-06, capping off the careers of five of the six honorees, as Boeglin, Hager, Janis, Koch and Liffick are seniors. The all-MVC team was announced Wednesday by the league office.
Hager, UNI's leading scorer for the past two seasons, recently scored her 1,000th career point against Drake (3/2). Hager ranks sixth in the league in scoring (16.0 ppg), sixth in rebounds (6.6 rpg), third in free throw percentage (.843), and fourth in defensive rebounds (4.48 rpg). She also has led the MVC in blocked shots the past three seasons, becoming the Valley's blocks leader, and currently ranks second in the nation in blocks (4.1 pg). Earlier this season, Hager was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Seven First Team.
King has averaged 14.1 points and 5.9 rebounds and leads the Valley in three-point percentage, shooting 47.4 percent from behind the arc. She is ranked fourth in the MVC in free throw percentage (.833) and has set UNI's record for career free throw percentage, making 84.0 percent (179-213) of her attempts. King has scored more than 30 points twice this season, averaging 15.9 points in MVC contests.
2006 All-Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Team
First Team
Melanie Boeglin, Indiana State,5-6, Sr., G, Terre Haute, Ind. (South)
Cassie Hager, UNI, 6-7, Sr., C, Perry, Iowa (Perry)
Angie Janis, Creighton, 6-1, Sr., F, Omaha, Neb. (Millard North)
Kari Koch, Missouri State, 5-8, Sr., G, Elsberry, Mo. (High)
Megan Liffick, Evansville, 5-10, Sr., G, Whiteland, Ind. (Whiteland)
Jill Martin, Drake, 6-1, Jr., F/C, Norwalk, Iowa (Norwalk)
Second Team
Holly Hallstrom, Illinois State, 6-2, Sr., C, Moline, Ill. (Moline/Kirkwood CC)
Tara King, UNI, 6-0, Jr., F, Ottumwa, Iowa (Ottumwa)
Carlai Moore, Southern Illinois, 6-1, Jr., F, Kansas City, Kan. (UMKC)
Kiki Stephens, Wichita State, 5-11, So., F, Tulsa, Okla. (Union)
Antionette Wells, Wichita State, 6-4, Jr., C, Kansas City, Mo. (Northeast)
Honorable-Mention Selections
Kristi Cirone, Illinois State, 5-8, Fr., G, Chicago, Ill. (Resurrection)
Sarah Klaassen, Missouri State, 5-9, Jr., G, Whitewater, Kan. (Remington)
Stephanie Lisch, Indiana State, 5-10, Jr., G, Belleville, Ill. (Althoff)
Rebekah Parker, Evansville, 5-10, So., G/F, Silver Lake, Ind. (Tippecanoe Valley)
Linda Sayavongchanh, Drake, 5-9, Sr., G, Des Moines, Iowa (Lincoln)
All-Freshman Team
Kristi Cirone, Illinois State, 5-8, G, Chicago, Ill. (Resurrection)
Kayli Combs, Missouri State, 5-6, G, Branson, Mo. (High)
Jasmine Gibson, Southern Illinois, 5-10, F, Kansas City, Mo. (North)
Jordann Plummer, Drake, 5-6, G, St. Louis, Mo. (Cardinal Ritter Col. Prep)
Whitney Rice, Wichita State, 5-7, G, Tulsa, Okla. (Jenks)
All-Defensive Team
Melanie Boeglin, Indiana State, 5-6, Sr., G, Terre Haute, Ind. (South)
Cassie Hager, UNI, 6-7, Sr., C, Perry, Iowa (Perry)
Kari Koch, Missouri State, 5-8, Sr., G, Elsberry, Mo. (Elsberry)
Linda Sayavongchanh, Drake, 5-9, Sr., G, Des Moines, Iowa (Lincoln)
Antionette Wells, Wichita State, 6-4, Jr., C, Kansas City, Mo. (Northeast)
