Kalsow and Nechuta Both Named D-III News National Players of the Year

     Already the first duo in NCAA history from the same school to be named men�s and women�s basketball Players of the Year by their respective coaches� associations, Jason Kalsow and Amanda Nechuta each added another honor as the D-III News National Players of the Year.

     They are each the first UW-Stevens Point players to earn the honor in the 12-year history of the publication. Kalsow shared the men�s Player of the Year award with Seth Hauben of Rochester (N.Y.), marking the first co-Players of the Year in the publication�s history. In fact, the two went head-to-head in this year�s Division III championship game with the Pointers taking a 73-49 victory over Rochester for their second consecutive national title.

     Kalsow, a 6-7 forward from Huntley, Ill., was the Most Valuable Player of this year�s Division III final four and started all 121 games in his four-year career. This year�s WIAC Player of the Year, he is UW-Stevens Point�s all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 1,859 points and 883 rebounds. He also had a school record 731 field goals made and was second in school history with 465 assists.

     Nechuta, a 5-10 forward from Mosinee, was the first two-time winner of the WIAC Player of the Year award and set UW-Stevens Point�s all-time scoring record with 1,801 points over the past four years. The point total ranks third in WIAC history and Nechuta also set a school record with 681 field goals made. She led the WIAC in scoring for the third straight year by scoring 16.8 points per game.

     Both UW-Stevens Point squads captured WIAC championships this season with the men finishing 29-3 overall and the women posting a 21-6 overall record.