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The Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team will open the 2008-09 season at the Disney Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Oct. 31-Nov. 2.  SMSU will face Delta State (Miss.) on Oct. 31, American International (Mass.) on Nov. 1 and South Carolina-Aiken on Nov. 2.

A Long Way from Home
Road trips to the southern part of the United States are nothing new for SMSU.  In 2005-06, Southwest traveled to the Eckerd Classic in Florida after a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Hoop-n-Surf Classic in 2004-05.  In 2003-04, the Mustangs were at the Disney Classic in Florida, going 2-1, including a win over South Carolina-Aiken, an opponent at Disney this year.  SMSU also traveled to Florida in 2001-02 for the St. Leo Classic.

Jump Start
SMSU his played well in season openers recently, winning 10 of its last 11 season-opening games.  Last season, Southwest won 72-54 at Chadron State (Neb.).  The last time  the Mustangs were at the Disney Classic, they defeated South Carolina-Aiken 75-63 in 2002 to begin the year.

Internet Radio, Video & Stats
All SMSU women's basketball conference games during the 2008-09 season can be seen and heard on the Internet.  A video Webcast is available free of charge at www.northernsun.tv while the radio broadcast is available at www.SMSUmustangs.com.  Fans can also follow the game on the Internet with live in-game statistics for all home games at www.SMSUmustangs.com and clicking on the “live stats” link on the right side of the women's basketball page.

Radio Broadcast Information
SMSU women's basketball will once again be heard all season long on KARL 105.1 FM, Marshall.  Sports director Aaron Ziemer will be SMSU's play-by-play announcer throughout the year for a sixth straight season.  However, Rob Craver will handle play-by-play for this weekend's Disney Classic.

Opponent Information
Delta State: The Lady Statesmen (0-0) open the season ranked 12th in the nation and have been picked to finish first in the Gulf South Conference this season.  Last winter, they went 33-1, losing to South Dakota in the Final Four.  This season, DSU loses four starters, but will be led by sophomore Bug Cooper (G, 5-6), who started 28 games as a true freshman and averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 assists.  Also returning are LaMaesha McAdory (F, 6-2, Sr.), who averaged 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds and Renita Jones (C, 6-4, Sr.), who averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds.

American International: The Yellow Jackets (0-0) are coming off a 17-12 season, where they went 12-10 in the Northeast-10 Conference.  They return second-leading scorer Stacy Boisvert (F, 6-1, Sr.), who averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds.  She also had 31 steals on defense.  Also returning to the starting lineup is Jeanette Johnathan (G, 5-10, Sr.), who averaged 5.2 points and 1.7 rebounds last year.

South Carolina-Aiken: The Pacers (0-0) are ranked 19th in NCAA II in the preseason poll after a 20-8 season a year ago.  USCA returns three starters, led by leading scorer Meredith Legg (G, 5-9, Sr.), who averaged 17.0 points and 3.6 rebounds, while shooting 41.3 percent from the outside and 89.6 percent from the free throw line.  Morgan Johnson (F, 6-0, Sr.) also returns after averaging 11.6 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds last year.  She also blocked 56 shots.  Megan Starnes (G, 5-7, Sr.) is the other returning starter.  She averaged 10.4 points and a team-high 3.0 assists a year ago. 

Series Information
SMSU has never played Delta State or American International.  SMSU has played South Carolina-Aiken one time in history, winning 75-63 in the 2002-03 season opener, also at the Disney Classic in Florida.

Leidall Closes in on Milestones
Sara Leidall enters her final season at Southwest with 927 points and 449 rebounds in her career.  Barring injury, she will become just the ninth player in school history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.

1,000 Points and 500 Rebounds Club
                                            Pts.    Reb.
Julie Thein (1987-91)    1,800    913
Lillie Brown (1992-96)    1,759    895
Michelle Bruns (2001-05)    1,635    596
Andrea Schreier (1997-01)    1,570    689
Shelli Schoeneck (1999-03)    1,488    506
Cindy Olson (1976-80)    1,463    655
Regan French (2001-05)    1,018    633
Amy Boman (1998-02)    1,009    589

Get that Outta Here
Heidi Kimmes blocked 48 shots last season, the most for a Mustang women's basketball player since Chrishawn McArthur blocked 79 in 1996.  The closest anyone has come to Kimmes' total in the past 12 seasons was Amy Boman, who blocked 45 shots in 2001-02.  Kimmes ranks seventh in career blocked shots with 81, just four behind Amy Boman (1998-02) for sixth place.  McArthur (1993-96) is the career leader at 183.

Among the Best
Sara Leidall was named honorable mention All-NSIC last season after the leading the Mustangs in scoring and rebounds.  She became the first player in two seasons to earn postseason honors from the NSIC.   Kelly Crimi and Leidall were each named second team All-NSIC in 2005-06.

Old Folks
The Mustangs have four seniors on their roster this season after graduating just one last season.  Abby Oakland (76), Sara Leidall (71), Heidi Kimmes (30) and Megan Wittkop (29) have combined for 206 starts in their careers.  Additionally, fourth-year junior Megan Stadler has started 22 games in her two seasons on the court.  Stadler missed the 2006-07 season due to injury, but returned to start 13 games last winter.

Going Big Time
It is believed that Heather Smith is SMSU women's basketball's first-ever NCAA Division I transfer.  Records going back through the mid-1980s show no women's basketball players transfering to Southwest from a Division I school.  Smith transfered to SMSU during the spring of 2008 from Liberty University.

Sharp Shooters
Megan Wittkop, Abby Oakland, Sara Leidall and Kady Telschow rank among SMSU's best all-time shooters.  Wittkop is currently third in career free throw percentage and fourth in three-point percentage.  Leidall ranks ninth in free throw percentage.  Telschow is currently the career three-point percentage record holder at 45.9 percent (50-of-109).  Oakland also ranks in the top-10 in three-point field goals attempted and made.


Free throw percentage (minimum 100 made)
.842    Mary Roddel (256-304)    2000-04
.833    Shannon Dunse (120-144)    1989-93
.813    Megan Wittkop (117-144)    2005-
.785    Nicole Bullock (117-149)    1998-02
.785    Andrea Schreier (409-521)    1997-01
.777    Shelli Schoeneck (380-489)    1999-03
.771    Amy Buschow (168-218)    1990-93
.760    Traci Robinson (193-254)    1988-90
.757    Sara Leidall (143-189)    2004-
.750    Erin Frye (345-460)    1997-01

3-point field goals made
190    Michelle Bruns (119 games)    2001-05
177    Dani Coleman (110 games)    1996-00
169    Mary Roddel (121 games)    2000-04
142    Kelly Crimi (105 games)    2002-06
114    Erin Frye (107 games)    1997-01
109    Andrea Schreier (111 games)    1997-01
103    Megan Wittkop (84 games)    2005-
84    Shelli Schoeneck (122 games)    1999-03
72    Darcy Peterka (101 games)    1988-92
56    Abby Oakland (84 games)    2005-

3-point field goals attempted
501    Michelle Bruns (119 games)    2001-05
454    Dani Coleman (110 games)    1996-00
447    Mary Roddel (121 games)    2000-04
392    Kelly Crimi (105 games)    2002-06
354    Erin Frye (107 games)    1997-01
269    Megan Wittkop (84 games)    2005-
255    Andrea Schreier (111 games)    1997-01
229    Darcy Peterka (101 games)    1988-92
222    Shelli Schoeneck (122 games)    1999-03
172    Abby Oakland (84 games)    2005-

3-point FG percentage (minimum 50 made)
.459    Kady Telschow (50-109)    2006-
.427    Andrea Schreier (109-255)    1997-01
.390    Dani Coleman (177-454)    1996-00
.383    Megan Wittkop (103-269)    2005-
.379    Michelle Bruns (190-501)    2001-05
.379    Haneefah McNair (55-145)    1993-96
.378    Shelli Schoeneck (84-222)    1999-03
.378    Mary Roddel (169-447)    2000-04
.362    Kelly Crimi (142-392)    2002-06
.346    Sue Olson (53-153)    1985-89

History of the Program
Southwest Minnesota State is in its 40th season of women's basketball and has played 955 games, compiling an all time record of 516-441.  SMSU has racked up 25 winning seasons with 10 coming in the last 15 years.  The 2000-01 squad won a school record 25 games and made an appearance at the NCAA Tournament.

Mustangs Home and Away
The Mustangs finished the 2007-08 season 5-9 at home and had a 7-7 away game record.  The following is a statistical comparison of the Mustang averages for home and away games in 2007-08:
    W-L    FG%    FT%    REB    PTS    TO
Home    5-9    .400    .669    38.1    67.6    14.5
Away    7-7    .402    .670    36.1    62.5    14.6

Mustangs at Home:
The R/A Facility, the home of SMSU basketball has been a tough place to play for opponents since opening its doors for the 1996-97 season.
     In 11 seasons of playing in the Mustang home arena, SMSU women's basketball has compiled a record of 95-59.



Year    Overall    NSIC    Non-Conf.
1996-97    6-6    2-4    4-2
1997-98    5-6    3-3    2-3
1998-99    11-2    6-0    5-2     
1999-00    11-3    7-2    4-1     
2000-01    12-0    9-0    3-0
2001-02    11-2    8-1    3-1
2002-03    11-3    7-2    4-1
2003-04    3-7    2-6    1-1     
2004-05    10-4    5-2    5-2
2005-06    5-9    3-4    2-5
2006-07    5-8    3-6    2-2
2007-08    4-8    2-5    2-2   
Totals    95-59    57-37    38-22

SMSU Late in the Game
The Mustangs have made plays down the stretch as they have outscored and out shot the opponents in the last five minutes of the game.  The following is SMSU's offensive and defensive statistical averages in the final five minutes of its games during the 2007-08 season.
<5 min.    FG%    3-FG%  FT%    REB    PTS    TO
SMSU    .465    .484    .679    4.5    9.9    1.2
Opp.    .374    .291    .732    4.3    8.5    1.4

Mustang Returners by the Numbers
SMSU returns 10 letterwinners, while losing just three.  The Mustangs return 78.7 percent of their scoring and 80.4 percent of their rebounding from last season.  Additionally, the returners shot 41.6 percent from the field.  Players from last season's team that are not returning shot just 34.7 percent.

SMSU Picked 9th in Preseason Poll
The Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs women's basketball team has been picked to finish ninth in the Preseason Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Coaches' Poll.  The announcement came from the NSIC offices in St. Paul.

SMSU received 91 points in the poll, while first place Minnesota State, Mankato had 179 points and 11 first-place votes.  Augustana was picked to finish second and received three first-place votes.  Defending NSIC champion Concordia-St. Paul was third.

Minnesota State, Mankato guard Heather Johnson was picked as the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year.  Johnson led MSU in scoring last season, averaging 16.9 points.  She also set a school record with 81 three-pointers last season.