K-State Announces Team Awards at Annual Banquet
Mar 11, 2018 | Women's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kansas – With its postseason destination to be decided on Monday evening, K-State women's basketball took a moment during the open week to celebrate the 50th season during the team's annual banquet on Sunday afternoon at the West Stadium Center.
Awards that were dispersed on Sunday were: Team MVP, the Kendra Wecker Offensive MVP, the Nicole Ohlde Defensive MVP, the Priscilla Gary Hustle Award, the First Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade Tammie Romstad Durable Award, the Dr. Pat Bosco Academic Award, Most Improved Player Award and the Student-Athlete Development Award.
Kansas State's Team MVP and Priscilla Gary Hustle Award winner for the 2017-18 season was junior guard Kayla Goth. Goth earned her first career Team MVP honor and her first Priscilla Gary Hustle Award.
The Priscilla Gary Hustle Award is named after K-State's first Kodak All-American. Gary played for K-State from 1981-83 and helped the Wildcats to a pair of Big Eight titles and an appearance in the 1983 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
During the 2017-18 season, Goth set career season-highs in 14 statistical categories including points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. Goth's assist total of 211 (6.8 apg) leads the Big 12 and ranks 10th in the nation. Her 211 assists are the second-highest total in school history for a single season and she joins Shalee Lehning as the only players in program history with 200 or more assists in a season.
Goth, a 2018 All-Big 12 Second Team selection, leads the team in scoring with 17.0 points per game. Her 526 points this season ranks fourth in program history for points by a junior. For the season, Goth is responsible for 53.6 percent of K-State's made field goals this season and is the only player in the Big 12 that is responsible for 50.0 percent or more of her team's made field goals.
The guard from DeForest, Wisconsin, is the first player in school history to register 500 or more points and 200 or more assists in a season. Her scoring average increase of 11.2 points per game from last season to this season is the second highest increase from one season to the next in program history.
The Kendra Wecker Offensive MVP is named after the three-time All-American and the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Wecker was a three-time All-Big 12 First Team recipient and the 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year. Sophomore forward Peyton Williams was bestowed this honor for the first time in her career.
Williams, a 2018 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recipient, has had a career season, as she has set season-highs in 16 statistical categories including points, rebounds, blocks and steals.
The forward from Topeka, Kansas, has increased her scoring average from last season to this season of 10.4 points per game. This is the fourth highest increase from one season to the next in program history.
Williams leads the team and ranks among the Big 12 top 15 in field goal percentage (.538), free throw percentage (.847) and blocks (43, 1.4 bpg). Williams is second on the team in points per game (14.1) and rebounds per game (6.7), while she is third in steals (45, 1.5 spg). She has 14 games this season with 15 or more points and five or more rebounds, including seven games with 20 or more points.
The Nicole Ohlde Defensive MVP is named for the former two-time consensus All-American. Ohlde concluded her career ranked first in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots and was a two-time Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and four-time All-Big 12 selection.
Senior guard/forward Shaelyn Martin earned the Nicole Ohlde Defensive MVP honor for the first time in her career. Martin was also named the team's First Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade Tammie Romstad Durable Award. This honor is named after the two-time Wade Trophy finalist and the Wildcats' partner unit from Fort Riley.
Martin is the third player in program history with 500 or more career points, 750 or more rebounds and 400 or more career assists. She ranks fifth in program history for career assists with 407, ranks 11th for career rebounds as she has 752, ninth for career steals with 207 and seventh for career starts with 120.
This season, Martin is averaging a career-high 5.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 29 games. She has scored in double figures in four games this season and has a pair of games with 15 rebounds. With her 103 assists this season, she is the fourth player in program history with three or more seasons with 100 or more assists.
The Dr. Pat Bosco Academic Award after Dr. Pat Bosco, K-State Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students. Martin and senior forward Kaylee Page were named the co-recipients of the Dr. Pat Bosco Academic Award this season.
Martin, a kinesiology major, is a two-time College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) All-District VII Team selection, a 2018 Big 12/Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award recipient and is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team recipient with a 4.0 GPA.
Page is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team recipient and is a recipient of the 2018 Big 12/Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award. This season, Page is averaging a career-high 9.3 points with a career-best 27 blocks. She has also buried a career-high 56 three-pointers. During her time at K-State, Page set the career record for 3-point field goals made by a player six feet or taller with 149 connections.
Freshman guard Rachel Ranke was named the team's most improved player this season. After joining K-State this summer Ranke found her spot in the Wildcat lineup with 24 starts in 31 games this season with 32.0 minutes per game.
Ranke, a 2018 All-Big 12 Freshman Team selection, leads all Big 12 freshmen in 3-point field goals made per game (2.7; 85 3-pt FGs made). Her 85 made 3-point field goals are second in program history among freshmen, behind Laurie Koehn's school record 122 three-point field goals made. A three-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week recipient, ranks tied for eighth in program history for 3-point field goals made in a season.
The guard from Burnsville, Minnesota, is fourth among the league's freshmen in scoring (11.8 ppg). Ranke is the first K-State freshman to surpass 350 or more points in her rookie season since the 2013-14 season and is the ninth freshman in program history to score 350 or more points in her rookie season.
Freshman Mary Lakes received the program's inaugural Student-Athlete Development Award. The honor is presented to the newcomer who has made the greatest strides on and off the court which encapsulates improvement on the basketball floor, in the classroom and community outreach.
Lakes, a center from Peoria, Illinois, is averaging 1.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game during her debut season. Lakes has five games this season with two or more blocks.
With the guidance of fourth year head coach Jeff Mittie, Kansas State is postseason eligible for the fourth straight season. The Wildcats have registered an overall record of 16-15, which marks the fourth straight season K-State will finish above .500 and the first time since eight straight seasons from 2001-02 to 2009-10. Mittie joins former K-State head coaches Judy Akers and Lynn Hickey as the third head coach in program history to finish with an overall record .500 or above in their first four seasons at the helm of the Wildcats.
K-State recorded seven Big 12 wins, which marks the fourth straight season K-State has tallied seven or more wins in league play.
The Wildcats will now await its postseason destination which will be determined on Monday, March 12, as the field for the 2018 Postseason WNIT will be revealed that night at womensnit.com.
Team MVP: Kayla Goth
Kendra Wecker Offensive MVP: Peyton Williams
Nicole Ohlde Defensive MVP: Shaelyn Martin
Most Improved Player Award: Rachel Ranke
First Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade Tammie Romstad Durable Award: Shaelyn Martin
Pat Bosco Academic Award: Kaylee Page and Shaelyn Martin
Priscilla Gary Hustle Award: Kayla Goth
Student-Athlete Development Award: Mary Lakes
