NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!

WOMEN�S BASKETBALL (30-3 overall, 14-2 WIAC)

UW-Stevens Point captured its second women�s basketball national championship in school history by defeating St. Lawrence (N.Y.) 67-65 in Saturday�s national title game in Terre Haute, Ind.

The Pointers defeated Marymount (Va.) 80-57 in Friday�s semifinals and finished the season 30-3, becoming just the eighth school in Division III women�s basketball history to win 30 games. UW-Stevens Point is the fourth school ever to win multiple national titles, having also won in 1987.

Senior Carry Boehning (Auburndale, WI) had nine points in the semifinals and 15 points in the title game to earn tournament Most Valuable Player honors. Sophomore Tara Schmitt (Brookfield, WI) was also named to the all-tournament team after tying a career high with eight assists in the championship game and limiting National Player of the Year Meredith Eisenhut of St. Lawrence to five points.

Sophomore Cassandra Heuer (Two Rivers, WI) scored a game-high 17 points in the championship game and hit a key basket with just over a minute left for a 66-63 lead. Andrea Kraemer (Waukesha, WI) hit one free throw with 10 seconds left to push the lead to 67-63.

The Saints made a basket with one second left to pull within two points and then stole the inbounds pass and missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to cap the thrilling title game. The Pointers led 37-25 at halftime and St. Lawrence cut the lead to two points or less five different times, but never tied the game or gained the lead.

Kraemer led the way in the semifinals with 15 points, while Amanda Nechuta (Mosinee, WI) added 13 points and Kari Groshek (Rosholt, WI) grabbed a career high 15 rebounds. Kraemer also defended first-team All-American Candice Brown of Marymount, holding her to two points on one-for-11 shooting with seven turnovers.

The Pointers are now 11-1 all-time in three NCAA tournament appearances, having won five straight games for the 1987 championship and six straight games this season.

The championship was the seventh national title in all sports in UW-Stevens Point history and gave the Pointers a 7-1 all-time record in title games. The Pointers have also won titles in 1998 in softball and 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993 in men�s hockey. The 1992 men�s hockey team finished runner-up.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

March 21-23 - Men�s NCAA Championships (at Oxford, Ohio)

Christine Sammons (Hastings, MN) finished fifth in the 100 breaststroke to earn All-American honors and lead the UW-Stevens Point women�s swimming and diving team to an 11th place finish at the NCAA Division III championships over the weekend in Oxford, Ohio.

Sammons also swam on both of UW-Stevens Point�s All-American relays as the 400 medley relay was sixth in 3:56.09 and the 200 medley relay was eighth in 1:18.11. Alissa Bartz (Beloit, WI) was a member of both relays as well as the 200 freestyle relay that finished ninth in 1:36.88.

Other members of the 400 medley relay were Mary Thone (Minneapolis, MN) and Amy Rockwell (Zeeland, MI), while Lindsay Correll (Aurora, IL) and Jen Randall (Wisconsin Rapids, WI) swam the 200 medley relay. Rockwell, Randall and Erica Janssen (Oshkosh, WI) joined Bartz on the 200 freestyle relay.

Individually, Sammons posted a time of 1:05.42 in her fifth place finish. She was also 10th in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:22.89. Thone was 12th in the 100 butterfly in 58.09 seconds.

UW-Stevens Point had 92 team points to finish just seven points behind 10th place UW-La Crosse. Kenyon (Ohio) won the team title for the 19th time in 20 years.

The men�s team will compete at nationals this weekend as Anthony Harris (St. Paul, MN) is seeded seventh in the 100 butterfly and Erik Johnson (Albert Lea, MN) is seeded 13th in the 100 freestyle.

BASEBALL (2-1 overall, 0-0 WIAC)

March 23 - at Greenville, IL (DH), Noon

March 24 - vs. Albion, MI (at Terre Haute, IN), 1:30 pm

March 24 - at Rose-Hulman, IN, 4:00 pm

March 25 - at Rose-Hulman, IN, 4:00 pm

Despite having no outdoor practices before the season, the Pointers opened the year in mid-season form by taking two of three games from Division I Bradley (Ill.).

UW-Stevens Point rallied from a 6-3 eighth inning deficit in the season opener for a 9-6 win before losing the second game 7-3 on Saturday. On Sunday, the Pointers claimed the series with an 8-5 triumph.

Senior Bill Verbrick (Appleton, WI) picked up where he left off at the end of last season by throwing a complete game with nine strikeouts in the opener. Matt Peetz (Spring Green, WI) added two hits and five RBI�s.

UW-Stevens Point was limited to six hits in its 7-3 loss and Jeremy Mueller (Waukesha, WI) pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-hit relief.

The Pointers used six pitchers in their win on Sunday as Eric Schlender (Baraboo, WI) got the win and Jared Szews (Birnamwood, WI) pitched two scoreless innings for the save. Paul Molitor (Reedsburg, WI) highlighted a five-run fifth inning with a two-run single.

UW-Stevens Point will play Saturday in Greenville, Ill. before playing three games in Terre Haute, Ind. on Sunday and Monday.

SOFTBALL

March 23 - vs. Southern Maine (at Fort Myers, Fla.), 1:00 pm

March 24 - vs. DePauw, Ind. (at Fort Myers, Fla.), 9:00 am

March 24 - vs. Upper Iowa (at Fort Myers, Fla.), 11:00 am

The Pointers get their season underway this weekend when they travel to Fort Myers, Fla. for 10 games. UW-Stevens Point opens with one game on Saturday and two games Sunday.

UW-Stevens Point returns six starters from last season�s WIAC championship team that finished 25-13 overall and qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament.

Junior pitcher Karen Guckenberger (South Milwaukee, WI) returns after posting a 0.78 earned run average and leading the country with five saves last season. Senior first baseman Nikki Best (Portage, WI) is the top returning hitter, posting a .315 average last season.

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