Who is Dancing? The NCAA DI WBB Postseason
There are 26 local athletes competing in the women's tournament. They are spread out over 17 schools. The games are about to begin. Take a look who will be representing our two state area.
The ladies from Missouri and Kansas who will play in this year’s NCAA Womens DI tournament have lots of diverse talents. We have a conference defensive player of the year and all time conference leading 3 pt shooter. There are those highly ranked for shooting free throws ande making assists. And there is the nations number one shot blocker. Take a look who, when, and where.
University of Alabama
The Crimson Tide is the No. 10 seed and will play No. 7 seed Baylor on Saturday at 4:30 on ESPN2.
The local connection is:
Ryan Cobbins - Senior - Piper - Univ. of Alabama - Southeastern Conference
Ryan is a trasfer who started out at North Dakota State. She played in 28 games this year. She shot 52.5% from the floor and 87.5% from the line.
Baylor University
Baylor is the No. 7 seed and will play No 10 seed Alabama on Saturday at 4:30 on ESPN2.
The local connections are:
Aijha Blackwell - Senior - Cardinal Ritter - Baylor University - Big 12 Conference
Aijha trasferred to Baylor from Missouri. She played in 8 games, starting 3. She averaged 7.5 points per game and 4.4 boards per contest.
Bella Fontleroy - Freshman - Kickapoo - Baylor University - Big 12 Conference
Bella played in 31 games this year, starting 14 of those games. She averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
University of Colorado
The Buffalos are a No. 6 seed. They will play No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee State on Saturday at 6:00 on ESPNN.
The local connection:
Ally Fitzgerald - Freshman - Marquette - Univ. of Colorado - Pac 12 Conference
Ally played in 7 games this year, scoring 3 points and pulling down 3 rebounds.
Creighton University
The Bluejays are a No. 6 seed. They will play the winner of the First Four game between Illinois and Mississippi State, which will then be a No. 11 seed. That game will be played on Friday at 5:00 on ESPNN.
The local connections are:
Brittany Harshaw - Freshman - Andover Central - Creighton University - Big East Conference
Brittany has not played in a game yet this year.
Kennedy Townsend - Freshman - Park Hill - Creighton University - Big East Conference
Kennedy has played in 29 games this year, scoring 57 points and grabbing 25 rebounds.
Carly Bachelor - Senior - Washburn Rural - Creighton University - Big East Conference
Carly played in all 30 games this year, starting 8 of them. She averaged 5.8 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per contest.
Drake University
The Bulldogs are a No. 12 seed. They will open by playing No. 5 Louisville on Saturday at 6:30 on ESPN2.
The local connections are:
Hannah Nilges - Sophomore - Jefferson City - Drake University - Missouri Valley Conference
Hannah played in 21 games this year, 5 points and recording 5 assists.
Sarah Beth Gueldner - Senior - Olathe Northwest - Drake University - Missouri Valley Conference
Starting all 31 games, Sarah Beth was the leading Bulldog three point shooter, making 68 treys. She also shot 82.9% from the line, while also dishing our 61 assists.
Taedyn Gray - Freshman - Shawnee Mission West - Drake University - Missouri Valley Conference
Taedyn played in 27 games this year, scoring 29 points and pulling down 34 rebounds
Duke University
Duke is a No. 3 seed. They will open against No. 14 seed Iona on Saturday at 8:30 on ESPN2.
The local connection is:
Kennedy Brown - Junior - Derby - Duke University - Atlantic Coast Conference
The Oregon State transfer started all 31 games this year. She averaged 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while blocking a team High 42 points.
University of Hawaii
The Rainbow Warriors are a No. 14 seed. They will play No. 3 seed LSU on Friday, at 4:30 on ESPN2.
The local connection is:
Jacque David - Sophomore - William Chrisman - University of Hawaii - Big West Conference
Jacque started 12 of the 17 games in which she played. She averaged 5.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Iowa State University
The Cyclones are a No. 5 seed. They will open against No. 12 seed Toledo on Saturday at 2:30 on ESPN2
The local connection:
Emily Ryan - Junior - Central Plains - Iowa State University - Big 12 Conference
Emily is a CSC Academic All-District honoree. She was placed on the Big 12 Conference Second Team after a season in which she was No. 8 in the country in assists per game and No. 2 in the nation in free throw percentage. She also was No. 2 in her conference in minutes per game, and No. 5 in her conference in both steals per game and with her assist to turnover ratio.
University of Louisville
The Cardinals are a No. 5 seed. They will open with No. 12 seed Drake on Saturday at 6:30 on ESPN2.
The local connection is:
Peyton Verhulst - Sophomore - Bishop Miege - Univ. of Louisville - Atlantic Coast Conference
Peyton played in 8 games this year, scoring 6.4 points and grabbing 1.5 rebounds per game.
Zyanna Walker - Freshman - Wichita Heights - Univ. of Louisville - Atlantic Coast Conference
Zyanna played in 5 games this year, scoring 17 points and pulling down 7 rebounds.
Marquette University
Marquette is a No. 9 seed. They will play No. 8 seed South Florida on Friday at 10:30 on ESPN2.
The local connection is:
Claire Kaifes - Senior - Mill Valley - Marquette University - Big East Conference
Claire played in 20 games this year, starting 2 of them. She averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while dishing out 19 assists and gaining 13 steals.
University of Oklahoma
The Sooners are a No. 5 seed. They will open with No. 12 seed Portland on Saturday at 8:00 on ESPNU
The local connections are:
Taylor Robertson - Fifth Year - McPherson - Univ. of Oklahoma - Big 12 Conference
Taylor is the Big 12 Conference and Oklahoma career 3 point record holder. This year she has made 88 from beyond the arc, making over 43% of her attempts. She also hits 92.6% of her free throws. If she had a few more attempts to qualify, that would be the third best in the nation.
Peyton Verhulst - Sophomore - Bishop Miege - Univ. of Oklahoma - Big 12 Conference
Peyton transferred to Oklahoma after the beginning of this season from the University of Louisville. She has not seen action this year as a Sooner.
Beatrice Culliton - Freshman - St. Thomas Aquinas - Univ. of Oklahoma - Big 12 Conference
The former Saint played in all 31 games this year averaging over 10 minutes per outing. Her 49% shooting from the field and 72% shooting from the line resulted in 4.3 points per game for the freshman. All of that makes Beatrice a Big 12 Conference All-Freshman honoree.
Purdue University
The Boilermakers will play St. John’s in a First Four game on Thursday at 6:00 on ESPN2. The winner of that game will be a No. 11 seed playing No. 6 seed North Carolina on Saturday at 3:00 on ESPN.
The local connection is:
Rickie Woltman - Senior - Incarnate Word Academy - Purdue University - Big Ten Conference
Rickie played in all 29 games for the Boilermakers, starting 1 of them. She shot 68.2 % from the field and 68.2% from the line. She 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest.
Saint Louis University
The Billikens are a No. 13 seed. They will open with No. 4 seed Tennessee on Saturday at 12:00 on ABC.
The local connections are:
Brooke Flowers - Senior - Metro Academic & Classical - Saint Louis University - Atlantic 10 Conference
Brooke continues to be one of the most accomplished women’s basketball players in this region. She is the Atlantic 10 Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and a member of the conference All-Defensive Team, along with being a Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honoree. She is second in the conference in field goal percentage and fifth in rebounds per game. Her 3.76 blocks per game is easily the highest in the nation.
Mia Nicastro - Freshman - St. Charles West - Saint Louis University - Atlantic 10 Conference
Mia played in 33 games this year for the Billikens, starting 23. Shooting 78.4% from the line, she averaged 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Marissa Warren - Senior - Incarnate Word Academy - Saint Louis University - Atlantic 10 Conference
Marissa played in 12 games this year, scoring 25 points and pulling down 18 rebounds.
Kiley Bess - Junior - Poplar Bluff - Saint Louis University - Atlantic 10 Conference
Kiley played in 9 games this year, scoring 17 points and getting 5 rebounds.
University of Texas
The Longhorns are a No. 4 seed. They will get started on Saturday at 9:00 when they take on No. 13 seed East Carolina on ESPN.
The local connection:
Sonya Morris - Graduate Student - Incarnate Word Academy - Univ. of Texas - Big 12 Conference
Sonya transferred to Texas for her graduate year from DePaul University where she is the ninth highest scorer in school history. This year, as a Longhorn, she averaged 12.1 points per game while gaining 46 assists and 33 steals.
University of Toledo
Toledo is a No. 12 seed. They will face No. 5 seed Iowa State in the first round on Saturday at 2:30 on ESPN2
The local connection is:
Yaniah Curry - Junior - Francis Howell Central - Univ. of Toledo - Mid-American Conference
Yaniah played in 20 games this year, recording 11 points and 22 rebounds.
West Virginia University
The Mountaineers are a No. 10 seed. They will open with No. 7 seed Arizona on Friday at 11:00 on ESPN.
The local connection is:
Danni Nichols - Fifth Year - Hickman - West Virginia University - Big 12 Conference
Danni transferred to West Virginia for her fifth year from Western Illinois. Danni played in 30 games, starting 2. Shooting 47.7% from the field, she scored 4.8 points per game. She also had 42 assists and 31 steals.