OREM, Utah - After leading the University of North Dakota women's basketball team in scoring throughout the season, senior captain Kayla Bagaason was named the 2009-10 Great West Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year.
Joining Bagaason on the first team was junior Mallory Youngblut. Senior Whitney Ledger was named to the all-conference second team and senior Jossy Bergan was named all-conference honorable mention. Senior Alys Seay earned the league's first Sixth Woman Award and head coach Gene Roebuck was named the 2009-10 GWC Coach of the Year.
A native of Clearbrook, Minn., Bagaason led the Fighting Sioux to a regular-season conference title averaging 14.3 ppg overall and 16.6 ppg against GWC opponents. She finished in double-figures in all but five games this season and is currently on a 13-game double-digit scoring streak.
Bagaason was a Dec 22 GWC Player of the Week and prior to the start of the season, was named to the preseason first team. She is the league's second-highest three-point shooter (.410) and is fourth in scoring average.
A Davenport, Iowa, native, Youngblut is a two-time conference Player of the Week and a preseason second team selection. Overall, she averages 12.8 ppg and 7.3 rpg. Youngblut has finished in double-digits on 18 occasions, including five games with 20 points. In the regular-season finale, she posted a career-high 27 points.
Youngblut is the league's leading free throw shooter and is second in rebounding and steals (2.1/game), fourth in scoring and blocked shots (0.8/game) and fifth in three-point percentage. She has tallied a double-double in two of the last three games and is currently on a four-game double-digit scoring streak.
Ledger, a Bismarck, N.D., native, leads the Sioux with a .495 shooting percentage from the field and is averaging 6.9 rebounds and 11.1 points per game. Named to the preseason second team, Ledger leads the league in offensive rebounds and is ranked top five in two other categories. Earlier this year, she was named the Jan. 19 GWC Player of the Week.
A native of Valley City, N.D., Bergan received honorable mention accolades and is averaging 9.5 ppg overall and 10.8 ppg against conference opponents. In the GWC, Bergan is ranked third in steals (2.0/game) and assist/turnover ratio (1.1) and fourth in assists (3.4/game). She closed the regular-season with her second 20-point game of the year
Regularly the first to come off the bench for the Fighting Sioux, Seay received the Great West's first Sixth Woman Award. A native of Grand Forks, N.D., she has seen time in every game this season and currently leads the UND reserves in points scored (152), scoring average (5.2 ppg), rebounding (3.4 rpg), field goal percentage (.409), and minutes played (542).
Despite losing half of his roster and playing with just eight players since the start of the league schedule, Roebuck guided the Fighting Sioux to a near-perfect regular-season title. After starting the season 3-12, the Sioux now stand at 16-13, 11-1 GWC and are the only team in the conference with an overall winning record. UND also takes a 10-game winning streak with it to the conference tournament.
Since he was hired as head coach in 1987, Roebuck and his team have captured 12 conference titles (11 NCC) and have never finished without a winning record. This is the 11th time overall that Roebuck has been named Coach of the Year.
All awards were voted on by league officials, head coaches, and sports information directors.
- Go Sioux -
