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BAY CITY, Mich. - Saginaw Valley State junior forward Emily Wendling has been selected 2015-16 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Women's Basketball Player of the Year in voting conducted by the league's head coaches and teammate Halee Nieman was selected GLIAC Freshman of the Year for the 2015-16 campaign. Junior guard Katelyn Carriere notched her first All-GLIAC recognition, being selected to the All-GLIAC Second Team.
Wendling averaged a career-high 19.0 ppg for 2015-16, which led the GLIAC. She collected 9.4 rebounds per game through the GLIAC Quarterfinals, ranking her fourth in the league. Emily notched 13 double-doubles this season for the Lady Cards and an 85.5 percentage from the free throw line, ranking her fourth in the GLIAC. She had 14 20-plus point performances and struck for 31 points twice this season. Having been selected as the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week five times during the regular season, Wendling also earned USBWA National Player of the Week plaudits once and Women's Division II Bulletin Player of the Month honors for February. On top of that, she was recently selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team. Emily is just the second SVSU GLIAC Player of the Year on record in the NCAA Division II era, as Jenny Rommel earned the distinction in 1999.
Nieman had a breakout freshman campaign for the Lady Cardinals, averaging 11.2 ppg and grabbing 5.2 rebounds per contest. Her 11.2 ppg average led all freshmen for the 2015-16 season. She was one of three SVSU players in the top-10 in free throw percentage as well, contributing an 80.5 % mark on the seventh-best team in the nation from the charity stripe. Nieman went for 20-plus points five times this season, including a career-high 32 on February 20 against Ferris State. Halee is the fourth SVSU player to be named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year, as Wendling (2013), Karen Deurloo (1998) and Angie Peterson (1996) all earned the honor as well.
Carriere had a strong season in 2015-16 after missing all of the previous season due to injury. She averaged 12.2 ppg this season, grabbing 4.2 rebounds per contest and dishing-out 2.7 assists per game. Katelyn carries an 83.5 free throw percentage this season, good enough for sixth in the GLIAC. Carriere posted a career-high 32 points earlier this season in a victory on the road at Findlay.
Saginaw Valley continues play in the 2015-16 postseason, as the Lady Cardinals (21-7) square-off against Grand Valley State University (21-8) at 2:00 p.m. Saturday (Mar. 5) in Ashland, Ohio. SVSU is the no. 2 seed in the tournament while the Lakers are no. 6. It's the third-ever appearance in the annual postseason tournament's semifinals round. SV finished in third place in 1996-97 and was runner-up in the 1992-93 campaign.
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