Nechuta Earns Second All-American Honor of Winter Sports Season

     It�s rare for an athlete just to compete in two collegiate sports during the same season, but Amanda Nechuta excelled in two sports this winter as the UW-Stevens Point sophomore earned All-American honors in two different sports in a two-week span.

     Her latest award was a fourth-team selection to the NCAA Division III women�s basketball All-American team by D3hoops.com. Two weeks ago, she finished sixth in the shot put to earn All-American honors in indoor track and field.

     Nechuta, a Mosinee native, was one of three underclassmen among the 20 players on the first four teams in women�s basketball. Other sophomores honored were third-team selections Alyssa Antolick of DeSales (Pa.) and Tiffany Speer of Whitworth (Wash.).

     Nechuta was also a first-team All-Central Region selection and led the conference in scoring at 16.3 points per game as the Pointers finished 22-5 overall. She scored at least nine points in every game and became the third Pointer to win a WIAC scoring title, joining Sonja Sorenson and Jessica Ott. Nechuta also led the team in rebounding at 7.2 per game, and her 2.59 steals per game not only led the team, but ranked second in the conference.

     She is the second UW-Stevens Point athlete to earn All-American honors from D3hoops.com after Kari Groshek was a first-team selection last season.

     Nechuta competed in indoor track and field meets during the basketball team�s bye week in late January and after the team was not selected to the Division III tournament. She provisionally qualified for the national meet during the regular season and then had a throw of 45 feet, 5.75 inches at the championships in Greencastle, Ind. on March 15.