Abby Rothenbuehler named to the 2012-13 All-Conference Team.
St. Peter, Minn. – Gustavus Adolphus senior forward Abby Rothenbuehler (North Mankato, Minn.) has been named to the 2012-13 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team for the first time in her career. Rothenbuehler is one of 15 players from around the league to earn a spot on the All-MIAC Team.
Also representing the Black and Gold in the conference’s post-season awards is rookie Karina Schroeder (Lake Crystal, Minn.), senior Kelsey Florian (Roseville, Minn.), and junior Julia Dysthe (White Bear Lake, Minn.). Schroeder earned a place on the MIAC All-First-Year Team, while Florian and Dysthe both garnered All-MIAC Honorable Mention distinction.
Concordia senior guard Emily Thesing headlined the awards as the MIAC Women’s Basketball Player-of-the-Year. St. Olaf first-year guard Kim Cerjan was voted the Sixth Player-of-the-Year and Saint Mary’s Head Coach Mandy Pearson was honored by her peers as the league’s Coach-of-the-Year.
Karina Schroeder earned a spot on the MIAC All-Rookie Team.
Senior forward Abby Rothenbuehler takes home All-Conference marks after leading the Gusties in scoring with a career-high 327 points and a 12.6 points per game average. Within conference play, Rothenbuehler ranked 10th in the league in scoring, averaging 12.9 ppg. The senior shot 48.3-percent (129-267) from the field, 44.7-percent (17-38) from three-point range, and 74.3-percent (52-70) at the free throw line this season. Her 48.7-percent field goal shooting percentage within league play ranked fifth in the MIAC.
“Very deserving for Abby – what a great way to end her career here at Gustavus,” said Head Coach Laurie Kelly. “Our go-to player throughout the year, [Roth] was one of the best rebounders in the league. It’s great to see her go out as being recognized as one of top 15 players in the league.”
Rothenbuehler brought down a career-best 213 rebounds this season, averaging a near double-double with a rounding average of 8.2. She averaged 8.1 boards (3rd/MIAC) against league opponents and recorded four double-doubles on the year.
Over her four-year career wearing a three-crowned jersey, Rothenbuehler played in 106 games, ranking her fifth in Gustavus history alongside Kelly Etzel `93, Jess Vadnais `08, and Molly Geske `12. The North Mankato, Minn. native scored 897 points and was a career .449 shooter from the field. A consistent force in the paint, Rothenbuehler leaves the program as the all-time blocked shots leader with a total of 121 over her career. She also ranks fifth all-time in rebounding with 681 boards.
Julia Dysthe garnered All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors.
Alongside Abby on the blocks this season was first-year post Karina Schroeder who becomes Gustavus’s first member on the All-Rookie Team since 2010-11 when Eli Benz earned the honor. Schroeder was the squad’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging 9.6 points per game and shooting a team-best 54.2-percent from the field. In conference play, Karina ranked second in the league in shooting at a 55.1-percent clip from the floor. To go along with her scoring statistics, the Lake Crystal, Minn. product finished second on the team in rebounding with 141 boards and a 5.6 rpg average.
“A unanimous pick for the All-First-Year Team, Karina is another deserving recipient,” commented Kelly. “Her future is so bright in the MIAC. She has the potential and ability to be one of the dominant post players in this league. To be recognized as one of the top first-years is a great honor and I look forward to seeing her career unfold here at Gustavus.”
Julia Dysthe and Kelsey Florian round out Gustavus’s award winners with All-Conference Honorable Mention accolades. Starting in all 26 games, Dysthe finished second on the team in scoring with 319 points and a 12.3 ppg average. She shot 46.3-percent from the field and missed just five free throws all season, ending the year with 89.8-percent shooting mark from the charity stripe. The junior guard turned it on towards the end of the season, averaging 14.5 points and 3.6 rebounds over Gustavus’s last 10 games.
Kelsey closes out her career on the All-MIAC Honorable Mention Team.
Florian – the 2012 MIAC Sixth Player-of-the-Year – scored a career-best 289 points (11.6 ppg) and shot 42.9-percent from the field to cap off her tenure at Gustavus. She scored in double-figures 19 times and proved herself at the free throw line with a .762 shooting mark.
“It was nice to see both Kelsey and Julia recognized on honorable mention team,” said Kelly. “Kelsey was a great leader and captain for us and it’s great to see her end her career on a high note.”
“Dysthe was probably our best all around player – both offensively and defensively, she was consistent on both ends of the court. I look forward to having her back and coaching her to what will hopefully be a great senior year.”
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the seventh annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for women’s basketball. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition. Kelsey Florian was selected as the Gusties’ representative on this year’s team.