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Miller paces 4 Seawolves on All-GNAC squad

Women's Basketball UAA Media Relations

Miller paces 4 Seawolves on All-GNAC squad

SPOKANE, Wash. – Alaska Anchorage seniors Nicci Miller and Tamar Gruwell earned all-conference honors and junior Kelsie Gourdin was named the league's co-Newcomer of the Year on Tuesday as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference doled out its 2009-10 postseason awards.

Miller, a 5-9 forward, was picked First Team All-GNAC after leading the Seawolves with 14.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The Denver native (Hinkley HS/Central Arizona College) ranks sixth in the league in scoring and third with 2.1 steals per game, helping the Seawolves to a 23-4 overall record and a third-place (13-3) finish in the GNAC.

In November, Miller was the Most Outstanding Player at the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout, leading UAA to the title over Div. I clubs Coastal Carolina and Cincinnati, and she has been a two-time GNAC Player of the Week.

Gruwell, a 5-8 guard, was a Second Team honoree after leading the Seawolves in three-point shooting (68-173, .393) and ranking second in scoring (11.2 ppg). The Fairfield, Calif., native (Vacaville HS/Sierra College) ranks second in the GNAC in three-pointers per game (2.6), fifth in steals (2.0), and she has committed just 25 turnovers in 26 games while playing a team-high 842 minutes (32.4 mpg). She also shoots 86 percent from the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, Gourdin captured All-GNAC honorable-mention honors along with bringing home the Newcomer award for UAA for the fourth straight year (Jackie Thiel, 2008-09; Kalhie Quinones, 2007-08; Jayci Stone in 2006-07). After redshirting as a transfer from Mesa State last year, the Littleton, Colo., native (Heritage HS) ranks fourth on the team with 9.2 ppg and 4.3 rpg. At the charity stripe, she is shooting .771 with a team-high 64 made.

Sophomore forward/center Hanna Johansson joined Gourdin as an honorable-mention pick in voting by the league's nine head coaches. The Gothenburg, Sweden, native is UAA's third-leading scorer (9.4 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (5.2 rpg) as the Seawolves head into the playoffs this week. In the last 10 games, she has averaged 13.1 ppg on 61.5 percent shooting. UAA's career field-goal percentage leader paces the GNAC at 56 percent for the season.

The Seawolves travel today to Seattle to play in the NCAA Div. II West Regional Championships. Fourth-seeded and nationally 14th-ranked UAA will face 5th-seeded Cal Poly Pomona on Friday at 4:30 p.m. AST at Royal Brougham Pavilion.

2009-10 GREAT NORTHWEST ATHLETIC  ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Player of the Year – Daesha Henderson, Seattle Pacific
Co-Newcomers of the Year – Kelsie Gourdin, Alaska Anchorage, and Sarah McNamee, MSU Billings (G, 5-9, Jr., Miles City, MT)
Freshman of the Year – Heather Adams, Northwest Nazarene (G, 5-7, Fr., Boise, ID)
Coach of the Year – Julie van Beek, Seattle Pacific

FIRST TEAM
+*Daesha Henderson, Seattle Pacific (G, 5-8, Sr., Snohomish, WA); Amanda Dunbar, Western Washington (G, 5-9, Jr., Marysville, WA); Lindsay Brady, Northwest Nazarene (G, 5-8, Sr., Boise, ID); Nicci Miller, Alaska Anchorage  (F, 5-10, Sr., Denver, CO); *Katie Torland, Western Oregon  (F, 5-10, Sr., Burns, OR); Jessica Summers, Western Washington (P, 6-1, Sr., Blaine, WA).

SECOND TEAM
Tamar Gruwell, Alaska Anchorage (G, 5-8, Sr., Fairfield, CA); Megan Hoisington, Seattle Pacific (F, 5-11, Sr., Bremerton, WA); Willow Cabe, Western Washington (F, 6-1, Sr., Elma, WA); Dara Zack, Saint Martin's (F, 5-10, Jr., Spokane, WA); Kayla Ryan, MSU Billings (C, 6-1, Jr., Big Timber, MT).    

HONORABLE MENTION
Janee Olds, Northwest Nazarene (G, 5-8, Sr., Coos Bay, OR); Kristin Hein, Northwest Nazarene (F, 5-11, Sr., Tualatin, OR); Hanna Johansson, Alaska Anchorage (F, 6-2, So., Gothenburg, Sweden); Kelsie Gourdin, Alaska Anchorage (F, 5-10, Jr., Littleton, CO); Sophie Russell, CWU (W, 5-10, So., Lacey, WA).
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Players Mentioned

Jayci Stone

#43 Jayci Stone

F
5' 10"
Senior
Kalhie Quinones

#4 Kalhie Quinones

G
5' 7"
Senior
Kelsie Gourdin

#RS Kelsie Gourdin

F
5' 10"
Junior
Tamar Gruwell

#14 Tamar Gruwell

G
5' 8"
Junior
Hanna Johansson

#50 Hanna Johansson

F
6' 2"
Freshman
Nicci Miller

#0 Nicci Miller

F
5' 10"
Junior
Jackie Thiel

#11 Jackie Thiel

G
5' 4"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Jayci Stone

#43 Jayci Stone

5' 10"
Senior
F
Kalhie Quinones

#4 Kalhie Quinones

5' 7"
Senior
G
Kelsie Gourdin

#RS Kelsie Gourdin

5' 10"
Junior
F
Tamar Gruwell

#14 Tamar Gruwell

5' 8"
Junior
G
Hanna Johansson

#50 Hanna Johansson

6' 2"
Freshman
F
Nicci Miller

#0 Nicci Miller

5' 10"
Junior
F
Jackie Thiel

#11 Jackie Thiel

5' 4"
Senior
G