2007-08 Season Preview

The Northwestern College women’s basketball team achieved several of their goals last season as they were crowned co-champions of the GPAC and qualified for their second straight national tournament. The Red Raiders, seeded fourth, defeated fifth seeded Daemen College (N.Y.) in the opening round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In the quarterfinal round, however, Northwestern fell to College of the Ozarks, the 2007 tournament runner-up, 88-82 in overtime. They ended their season with a 24-9 overall mark and were ranked 16th in the final NAIA poll. Despite the graduation of guard Jaime Hoegh, a two-time All-American and member of the 1,000 point club, optimism is high as the Red Raiders prepare for this season.

Head Coach Earl Woudstra, entering his 14th season at the helm, returns four starters and eight of his top nine players from last year’s squad, including five seniors who have played extensively in each of the last three seasons. “This group of seniors complement one another so well,” comments Woudstra. “They are gifted in different ways and have played together in many big games over the course of their career.” Headlining the list is three-time NAIA and Kodak All-American guard Debbie Remmerde (Rock Valley, Iowa). As a junior, Remmerde led the team in points (25) and rebounds (6.3) per game. She made 52 percent (101/196) of her three-pointers and continued to excel from the free throw line at 94 percent. Remmerde has scored over 2,000 points in her career and is closing in on the NAIA D-II women’s basketball all-time record of 3,236 points. Joining Remmerde in the backcourt will be Amy Larson (Denison, Iowa) and Mandy Carr (Sioux Center, Iowa). Larson, a two-time all-GPAC selection, averaged 11.8 points per game and made 71 three-pointers last season. “Amy is a great shooter but has also developed into one of our best perimeter defenders,” comments Woudstra. Carr has come off the bench the past three seasons for the Red Raiders but has been an integral part of the teams’ success. Last season, she averaged 5.3 points per game and was second on the team with 126 assists. Carr earned all-conference honors for the second straight year. “Mandy distributes the basketball well and is very good shooter,” says Woudstra.

In the frontcourt, Miranda Boekhout (Marcus, Iowa) and Crystal Algood (Brookings, S.D.) return for their final season. A two-time all-GPAC player, Boekhout averaged eight points and six rebounds and led the team with 147 assists last season. She ranks second all-time in Northwestern women’s basketball history with 424 career assists and third in blocked shots with 165. “Miranda does the little things and is a very unselfish player on the court,” comments Woudstra. Algood averaged 5.6 points per game last season and led the GPAC with 115 blocked shots. She earned honorable mention all-league honors in 2006-07. “Crystal is a game-changer in her ability to disrupt the game on the defensive end. She continues to work hard and improve in her offensive game as well,” comments Woudstra.

Several underclassmen and newcomers join the five seniors on this year’s squad. Junior guard Jenna Koele (Orange City, Iowa), one of the Red Raiders’ best defenders, averaged 2.8 points per game off the bench last season. Randa Hulstein (Sioux Center, Iowa), a 6-1 sophomore, will join the team once her volleyball season is concluded. Hulstein saw significant playing time last season and averaged 4.2 points and three rebounds per contest. Andrea Wedel (Yale, S.D.) and Danielle Gaudian (Primghar, Iowa) also return after playing as a reserve and a member of the junior varsity, respectively. Newcomers Becca Hurley (Pleasant Hill, Iowa), Moran Achterhoff (Orange City, Iowa) and Kristin Neth (Scotland, S.D.) will also look to contribute this season for the Red Raiders.

In addition to the rigors of the ultra-competitive GPAC schedule, the Red Raiders will play a challenging non-conference schedule which includes Cardinal Stritch and Dakota State, two teams that qualified for the national tournament last season. In addition, Coach Woudstra’s squad will face South Dakota Tech, Black Hills State and Bethel (Tenn.), the latter of which is a NAIA D-I program. However, the Red Raiders are excited for the season to begin and are prepared for the battles along the journey. “Our goal is to improve each time we take the court and to play our best basketball at the end of the season.”

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