Jennifer Harris named Daktronics/SID Player of the Year, Ubelaker honorable mention All-American

March 21, 2006

The Lady Blues' Jennifer Harris was named the Player of the Year on the 2006 Daktronics, Inc., NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball All-America team selected by members of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) it was announced today. Harris was named on 97 percent of the national ballots.

Harris leads the Lady Blues and NCAA Division II in scoring at 24.2 points per game. She was named the player of the year in both the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the South Central Region. She was named on 97 percent of the national ballots. Washburn reached the finals of the South Central Region tournament before falling in overtime. The loss snapped an NCAA Division II record 51-game winning streak for the Lady Blues.

Harris finished her career as one of the most prolific scorers in Washburn history sitting on top of the two-year transfer scoring chart. Harris finished her career as Washburn’s all-time leading NCAA scorer in Lady Blues history averaging 22.3 points per game and 178 total points. Harris has recorded 10 of the top 25 scoring games in Washburn history and four of the top eight.

Harris was also named the a unanimous Daktronics/Sports Information Directors South Central Region Player of the Year and named unanimous MVP by the MIAA’s Coaches and first team All-MIAA selection. She was also named a top-five all-region pick by the WBCA. She was named MIAA Postseason Tournament MVP and named to the NCAA South Central Regional All-Tournament Team after leading all scorers with 30.7 points per game. She was named MIAA Player of the Week eight times while leading the team and the MIAA in scoring this season with a 24.2 points per game average. Harris went over the 20-point mark 15 times this past season including a then-career-high 33 points against No. 2 ranked Drury on Dec. 17. She scored a school-record 39 points against Northwest Missouri on Jan. 4, with 22 points in the second half against the Bearcats. Against No. 3 Emporia State on Jan. 4, she scored 20 points in the final 9:23 of the game finishing with 28 in the 72-70 win in Emporia. She scored 30 points in the second half of WU’s 75-71 win over CMSU in MIAA championship game and 30 of her 33 points against CMSU in the second half of the NCAA South Central Regional Semifinals. Harris became the 19th Lady Blue to go over the 1,000 point mark with her 28 points against Missouri Southern. Her point total now finished at 1,314 points, which is 10th on the all-time chart . Her 797 points this season, which is the most in Washburn single-season history and a new MIAA’s single season record passing Melissa Grider’s of Missouri Southern who scored 737 points during the 1995-96 season. Harris also broke MIAA records this season for the most field goals made and attempted in a season.

Junior Brooke Ubelaker finished second on the Lady Blues in scoring with a 16.6 ppg scoring average and snapped the Washburn single season 3-point record ending the season with 71 passing the previous record of 62. For her career, Ubelaker has 144 3-pointers needing only one next season to set the school's single season record.. Ubelaker was a unanimous first team All-MIAA pick and was named to the MIAA's All-Tournament Team and a first team All-South Central Region pick on the Daktronics All-Region squad and to the NCAA All-South Central Regional Tournament Team. She has 1,341 points, which is eighth on the Washburn all-time career chart, needing 16 points to move into the top six all-time. She is 11th on the all-time rebounding chart at Washburn with 561 for her career.

Joining Harris on the First-Team are Tanetra Barrett of Wingate University, Lisa Lee of Charleston, Erika Quigley from St. Cloud State and Grand Valley State’s Nikki Reams.

The second team is comprised of Kristi Boese of North Dakota, Lindsey Dietz of Minnesota-Duluth, West Georgia’s Tai Ellis, Leora Juster of UC San Diego and Michele Stueve of Emporia State.

Rounding out the All-America squad are third team members Emily Brister of West Texas A&M, Lashonda Chiles of Anderson, Joelle Martin of Merrimack, Amanda Newton from Drury, and Elizabeth City State’s Celeste Trahan.

Honorable mentions go to Nastassia Boucicault of Shaw, Denae Dobbins from Glenville State, North Dakota’s Ashley Langen, Diana Lopez of Regis and Brooke Ubelaker of Washburn.