St. Peter, Minn. – Gustavus Adolphus senior guard Julia Dysthe (White Bear Lake, Minn.) and sophomore post Karina Schroeder (Lake Crystal, Minn.) have been named to the 2013-14 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team as a part of the league’s post-season awards released Thursday afternoon.
Saint Mary’s forward Courtney Euerle was named the MIAC Player-of-the-Year, while her head coach, Mandy Pearson, was voted the MIAC Coach-of-the-Year by her peers for the second-straight season. Concordia also claimed one of the MIAC’s individual honors, as senior center Kelsey Walloch was named the conference’s Sixth Player-of-the-Year.
Dysthe and Schroeder are the second and third players to receive All-Conference honors under the direction of Head Coach Laurie Kelly who finished her second season at the helm of the Gustavus women’s basketball program.
An All-Conference Honorable Mention performer as a junior, Julia Dysthe earns a spot on the All-Conference Team for the first time in her career. Dysthe turned in the best season of her four-year career, scoring a total of 382 points for an average of 13.7 points per game. She averaged 31.7 minutes of court time and shot 42.1-percent (117-228) from the field, 30.8-percent (32-104) from three-point range, and 84.9-percent (62-73) at the free throw line. She led the Gusties in scoring six times, reached double-figures in 19 games, and scored 20 or more points on four occasions.
Within conference play, Dysthe was the league’s 10th ranked scorer with a 13.3 points per game average. She shot 42.8-percent (14th/MIAC) from the floor and ranked fourth in free throw shooting at 83.3-percent. The senior played an essential role as a stabilizing and calming element within Gustavus’s offense, finishing the season with the eighth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference at 1.5.
Dysthe played in a total of 99 games over her four-year Gustavus career. She scored 802 points and is a career 44.9-percent shooter from the floor. The White Bear Lake product will also go down as one of the best free throw shooters in program history, finishing her tenure 110-for-130 (84.6%) from the charity stripe.
A member of the 2012-13 MIAC All-Rookie Team, Karina Schroeder established herself as one of the top post players in the league as a sophomore. Schroeder led the team in scoring with 370 points for a 14.2 points per game average. She shot a team-high 53.3-percent (130-244) from the field and was a 77.5-percent (110-142) free throw shooter. To go along with her scoring ability, Schroeder also brought down a team-best 232 rebounds (90 offensive, 142 defensive) for an average of 8.9 rebounds per game. Her 232 boards this season ranks seventh on Gustavus’s single-season rebounding record board.
The local Lake Crystal native led Gustavus in scoring 11 times and reached double-figures in all but four of the club’s 26 games. Because of her scoring ability and rebounding prowess, Schroeder posted a total of nine double-doubles, which helped Gustavus go 9-0 in those nine games.
Within MIAC play, Schroeder averaged 28 minutes and 14.4 points per game (6th/MIAC). She finished second in the league in field goal shooting at 51.6-percent (111-215), and was the MIAC’s third-ranked rebounder with 9.1 average. Her 78 offensive boards against conference opponents led the league, while her 40 blocks ranked fifth.
The conference’s top six teams – Saint Mary’s, Concordia, St. Thomas, Bethel, St. Olaf and Gustavus – all had two players apiece named to the All-Conference team. Players from Augsburg, Hamline and Saint Benedict claimed the other three All-MIAC spots. The All-Conference team featured eight seniors, two juniors, four sophomores and one first-year player.
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the eighth 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. Representing Gustavus on this season’s All-MIAC Sportsmanship team is senior Rachelle Blaschko of Henderson, Minn.