Complete All-MIAC Team

WINONA, Minn. — It was a year of “repeats” for the Saint Mary's University women's basketball team — including a return trip to the MIAC Tournament semifinals — so when the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its post-season awards Wednesday, it came as no surprise that there was yet another repeat.

Make that three repeats.

For the second year in a row, Jessica Thone (Woodbury, Minn.) and Jamie Stefely (Lisle, Ill.) were named to the All-MIAC First Team, while Courtney Euerle (Hutchinson, Minn.) was a repeat performer on the MIAC's All-Defensive Team, while also earning honorable-mention All-MIAC honors.

But wait, there's more.

Joining the trio on the MIAC awards podium were Bridget Pethke (Larsen, Wis.), who was named to the five-player MIAC All-First-Year Team, and coach Mandy Pearson, who was tabbed the MIAC's Coach of the Year.

Stefely led the team in scoring, finishing her senior season averaging a team-best 13.5 points-per-game — including five games of 20 or more points. She scored in double figures in 23 of the team's 27 games, including each of the last 11, and netted a season-high 23 against St. Thomas on Jan. 23. Stefely was also second on the team in rebounding with 170 boards (6.5 rpg) and led the team with five double-doubles.

Thone, like Stefely, also closed out a memorable SMU career, averaging 12.4 points-per-game in her senior season. Thone scored in double figures in 22 of the team's 27 contests, including a season-best 21 points against Gustavus on Jan. 2. She also dished out a team-best 102 assists and added 56 steals. Thone started every game in her four-year collegiate career — a span of 104 straight games — and finished with 1,158 career points, ranking her No. 8 all-time. The senior guard also closed out her career with 376 assists, which put her No. 3 in program history.

For the second year in a row, Euerle proved to be one of the most dominating rebounders in the conference, as the junior post finished with a team-leading 180 boards — including 116 on the defensive end. She also averaged 9.2 points-per-game and collected a team-best 40 blocks.

Pethke certainly turned a few heads during her freshman campaign, averaging 7.0 points-per-game, collecting 68 assists and recording a team-leading 82 steals. Pethke also led the team from the free throw line, knocking down 51 of 60 attempts (85 percent).

Pearson earned the conference's top coaching honor after guiding the Cardinals to their best season in nearly 30 years. SMU (18-4 MIAC, 22-5 overall) made its second straight MIAC Tournament appearance this season — also reaching the tournament's semifinals for the second consecutive season. The Cardinals put together winning streaks of five, nine and five games en route to recording its 22 wins— the most in Pearson's six years at the helm, and two wins shy of the school record 24 set in 1984-85 and equaled in 1985-86.

As part of the conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the seventh annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for women's basketball, which included SMU's Courtney Athnos (La Crosse, Wis.).