Gustavus Adolphus junior post player Bri Monahan (Hutchinson, Minn.) and sophomore Jess Vadnais (Hudson, Wis.) have received All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors for the 2005-06 season as selected by the league’s coaches. Junior post player Erin Boese (Rochester, Minn.) was named to the MIAC All-Defensive Team.
For Monahan, it is her second consecutive All-MIAC selection. The versatile post player led the MIAC in scoring at 19.8 points per game, a figure which also ranked 23rd in Division III. Monahan also registered Gustavus single-season records in points (495) and field goals (189) and ranked 48th nationally in field goal percentage at 52.4 percent. With 22 points in the Gusties’ final game of the season, Monahan became the seventh Gustavus women’s basketball player to surpass the 1000-point mark on the career scoring list. Finishing the season with 1009 career points, Monahan also became only the second Gustie (behind Angie Peterson) to accomplish the feat in three years. She exceeded the 30-point mark in three games this season, joining Linn Erickson as the only Gustavus players to reach the mark three times or more in a career or a season.
Vadnais finished the season fifth in scoring among MIAC players with a 16.3 points per game average, while also dishing out nearly four assists per game. Vadnais led the MIAC in free throw percentage, hitting 92 of 106 attempts (86.8 percent) throughout the course of the season, which also ranked her 13th nationally. An extremely effective ball-handler, Vadnais led the MIAC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.67. Vadnais’ 424 points this season is the sixth-best single-season performance in Gustavus history. She also posted top-five single-season marks in free throws (t-5th, 92) and three pointers (t-5th, 50) in 2005-06.
Boese was named to the MIAC All-Defensive Team after hauling in 50 rebounds, registering 33 steals and blocking 12 shots during MIAC play. Boese finished the year with 67 rebounds, 38 steals, and 17 blocked shots while also finishing second on the team with 55 assists and contributing 5.2 points per outing.
Head coach Mickey Haller was also named this season’s MIAC Coach of the Year after directing the Gusties to a 19-7 record overall and 15-5 record in the league. This is the third time Haller has been honored by her peers in five years, also taking home the award in 2002 and 2003. This season, Haller picked up her 100th win at Gustavus and her .715 winning percentage is the best in the program’s history. Haller, who has amassed a coaching record of 113-45 at Gustavus (156-78 overall) is on pace to become the winningest coach in program history early next season. Haller’s predecessor, Peg Moline, currently has the most wins in school history, coaching the Gusties to a 118-83 record from 1992-2000.