Four Basketball Players Earn Preseason All-American Accolades

     Preseason expectations are high for the UW-Stevens Point men�s and women�s basketball teams as each team features two preseason Division III All-Americans as selected by D3hoops.com.

     Senior Jason Kalsow is a preseason first-team men�s All-American, while senior Nick Bennett is a fourth-team selection.

     For the women�s team, senior Amanda Nechuta is a first-team preseason All-American and senior Amy Scott is a fourth-team pick.

     Kalsow, a 6-7 forward, was a second-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches last season after leading the NCAA Division III championship team in points, rebounds and assists. He hit the game-winning shot the Pointers� 84-82 title game win over Williams (Mass.).

     Bennett, a 6-5 guard, was the Most Outstanding Player at the Division III final four after scoring 30 points in the championship game victory over Williams. He averaged 25.5 points per game and shot 60 percent from three-point range in the six NCAA tournament games.

     Nechuta, a 5-10 forward, earned first-team Kodak All-American honors and led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in scoring for the second straight year while scoring a single-season school record 617 points.

     Scott, a 6-2 center, ranked third in the WIAC in field goal percentage and was second on the team in scoring as the Pointers reached the Division III final four for the second time in three years.

     The women�s team hosts Concordia (Wis.) on Friday at 8 p.m. in its season opener, while the men play Southwestern (Texas) on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Chicago Midway Classic.

Three Earn WIAC Athlete of the Week Honors

     UW-Stevens Point landed three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Athletes of the Week for their performances last weekend.

     Women�s swimmer Elizabeth Herder, men�s swimmer Alex Anderson and wrestler Cody Koenig all earned the conference�s weekly award.

     Herder, a Junction City native who attended Stevens Point Area Senior High, won three events and swam on a winning relay in the Pointers� loss to St. Cloud State on Saturday.

     Anderson, a La Crosse native who attended Central High School, won two events and two relays in a dual victory over St. Cloud State.

     Koening, an Underwood, Iowa native, won four straight matches to capture the individual title at the Pointer Open on Saturday. It was the third straight year Koenig won the event.