After securing the school’s first ever Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) championship with an 82-65 win over the Trinity Tigers on Sunday, the Oglethorpe University women’s basketball team received further validation of their successes as each member of the starting five received postseason accolades as voted on by the coaches in the 12-team conference.
Leading the way was senior guard Katie Kulavic of Norcross who was selected as an All-Conference First Team member. Kulavic, the 2007-2008 SCAC Player-of-the-Year, was narrowly edged by five votes in that category but still managed to become only the second player in conference history to be named a First Team selection for four consecutive seasons. In Sunday’s championship victory, Kulavic also became the SCAC’s all-time leading scorer for both men’s and women’s basketball.
Senior Anna Findley of Hiram was also selected as an All-Conference First Team member. She led the Stormy Petrels this year by averaging 17.7 points per game and is the conference’s all-time leading maker of three-pointers with over 300 buried in her career. After posting 27 points in Sunday’s championship win, Findley became the first player in conference history, male or female, to be selected to the SCAC All-Tournament Team for four consecutive seasons.
Senior Tina Grace of Pensacola, Florida was selected as an All-Conference Second Team member though her weekend performance at the conference tournament suggested she might be worthy of First Team praise. In three consecutive double-digit wins for the Stormy Petrels during the weekend, Grace averaged 20.3 points and 5 rebounds per game en route to being named Tournament MVP. In doing so, Grace shot a staggering 75.7% from the field in making 25 of her 33 shot attempts.
Senior Elizabeth “Biz” Richmann was selected as an All-Conference Honorable Mention member after a steady senior season that helped lift Oglethorpe to a school best 25-3 overall record. Richmann was also an Honorable Mention selection as a freshman and named to the All Conference Second Team as a sophomore before being slowed by injuries in her junior year. In her senior campaign, Richmann is averaging 10 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Last but certainly not least, senior Hannah Brooks of Rockmart was selected as the 2009 SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year. Brooks, at 5’7″, always draws the opponent’s most dangerous offensive threat – no matter if that player is a point guard, a power forward or, sometimes, even a post player. One of the team’s senior captains, Brooks led the Oglethorpe defense to program-best marks in scoring defense (66.4 points allowed per game) and field goal percentage defense (38.4%). She also chipped in on offense for the 10th-ranked Petrels, averaging 5.8 points and 3.0 assists while grabbing 5.3 boards per contests.
With Sunday’s SCAC Championship win, Oglethorpe qualified for the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament for the fourth consecutive season and will be hosting Maryville College (Tenn.), Greensboro College and Mississippi College in First and Second Round action. Greensboro College and Mississippi College will play at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 6 with Oglethorpe and Maryville College slated to play at 8:00 p.m. in the Dorough Field House on Oglethorpe’s campus. The two winning teams from Friday night will advance to square off at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7 on the same court in Atlanta.
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