GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - With another exciting and successful season of Green Bay Athletics in the books, GreenBayPhoenix.com looks back at the top-10 individual performances by Phoenix student-athletes during 2011-12.
The performances will also be recognized through social media. To follow the Phoenix on Twitter, click here, and to get the most up-to-date information on Phoenix Athletics via Facebook, click here.
10. JC Banks, Men's Soccer at Milwaukee,
Oct. 9, 2010
To
pick just one game of JC Banks' senior season as his best is a daunting task.
The senior scored 12 goals in the campaign, so there were a lot of great
performances to examine. On Oct. 9, he was coming off a hat trick at Detroit
when the Phoenix visited rival Milwaukee in Banks' hometown. In the game
against the Panthers, Banks gave Green Bay an early lead with a goal, and then
with just 1:52 remaining in double overtime, Banks scored the game-winner to give the Phoenix the
2-1 road win.
Banks
Provides Game-Winner at Milwaukee
9. Whitney Schott, Volleyball vs.
Loyola, Oct. 1, 2010
With
her team trailing 10-4 in the decisive fifth set, Schott scored sixth-straight
points on her serve and led Green Bay to a remarkable comeback win over Loyola
at the Kress Center. The captain setter's string of points included two service
aces and an improbable kill over a taller defender at the net. The 5-foot-8
Schott finished the win with 43 assists, six kills and three service aces.
Schott Rallies Green Bay for Improbable Win
8. Celeste Hoewisch, Women's Basketball
vs. Penn State (Caribbean Challenge), Nov. 26, 2010
Green
Bay played a lot of big games in 2010-11, but one of the first came in Mexico in
November. In the middle game of the Caribbean Challenge, Hoewisch had a
remarkable game against Big Ten foe Penn State as the Phoenix notched a 79-74
win. She scored a career-high 28 points on an impressive 9-of-13 shooting, including
five makes from long range. One of those five three-pointers also made Hoewisch
a member of the 1,000-point club at Green Bay, who finished her career as the
program's all-time leader in games played.
Hoewisch Sparks Win Over Big Ten Foe
7. Eric Valentin, Men's Basketball, Eight
halfcourt shots in a minute (Guinness World Record)
The
most unorthodox performance on the list also drew the most attention nationally.
Men's basketball junior Eric Valentin had previously made six halfcourt shots
in a minute, and he took a crack at the Guinness World Record for a January edition
of Inside Phoenix Basketball. Valentin
caught fire late and used a string of four-straight makes late in his minute
and a successful last-second heave to hit eight halfcourt shots in a minute and
break the record. The performance drew national attention, including over 1.2
million views on Yahoo!, recognition on ESPN's SportsCenter and an appearance on NBAtv.
Valentin Breaks World Record
6. Eric Finkenbrink and Josh Oothoudt, Men's
Tennis Doubles vs. Horizon League Opponents, 7-0
The
men's tennis team had a successful 2011 season, including a second-place
performance in the Horizon League Championship. One of the major strengths of
the team was the doubles duo of Eric Finkenbrink and Josh Oothoudt, who ran
through its Horizon League schedule with a perfect 7-0 record.
Doubles Goes Undefeated Against League Opponents
5. Danny Pogue/Alyssa Danielson,
Swimming and Diving (Horizon League Championships), Feb. 23-26, 2011
It
was hard to single out one strong performance by the Green Bay swimming and
diving teams at the 2011 Horizon League Championships, especially with the
women's team claiming the title. Pogue, who won Horizon League Diver of the
Week seven times during the season, won two events at the championships and
claimed Diver of the Meet award. Danielson led the women to victory broke two
school records with a first-place in the 50 freestyle and a second-place effort
in the 100 free. She also helped the team earn points on four different relay
teams.
Pogue, Danielson Shine in Cleveland
4. Alec Brown, Men's Basketball vs.
Valparaiso (Jan. 23, 2011 and Feb. 21, 2011)
While
Homer Drew did not specifically mention it during his retirement press
conference this May, the thought of facing 7-foot-1 Phoenix center Alec Brown
for the next three seasons may have contributed to the legendary Crusader coach
hanging it up. Brown averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in the
season sweep against Valpo. His 22-point, 12-rebound effort against them in
February not only helped Green Bay to an overtime win on Senior Night, it also
ruined Valpo's chance at a Horizon League Championship.
Freshman Helps Ruin Valpo's Championship Chances
3. Adrian Ritchie, Women's Basketball
vs. Michigan State (NCAA Tournament Second Round), March 22, 2011
Having
already established herself as a player who is at her best in big games,
Ritchie had one of her career's top performances in the team's biggest win in
school history. Ritchie helped the Phoenix to build a 35-23 lead over Michigan
State with 13 first-half points, and the sophomore finished with a team-high 20
points on 6-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-5 from long range. Her effort
sparked the team to its first trip to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.
Ritchie guides the Phoenix to the Sweet 16
2. Carolyn Freeman, Women's Nordic
Skiing (NCAA Central Regional), Feb. 20, 2011
Freeman
capped off a remarkable year on the slopes in February by winning the 10K Classic
Race at the NCAA Central Regional in Houghton. For Freeman, who raced an
emotional senior year after the death of her longtime coach Butch Reimer, won a
total of seven races on the season, advanced to the NCAA Championships and was
named the NCAA Central Region's Female Athlete of the Year.
Freeman Claims 10K Win at NCAAs
1. Kayla Tetschlag, Women's Basketball
vs. UALR (NCAA Tournament First Round), March 20, 2011
Earning
the nickname of "Miss March" in the process, Tetschlag was back to her old
tricks to start the 2011 NCAA Tournament. With her 32-1 Phoenix team in the
midst of a defensive battle and fighting to stave off an upset-minded UALR
team, Tetschlag scored 14 of her game-high 24 points in the second half and
pulled down 11 rebounds to help Green Bay to a 59-55 first-round win on the way
to the Sweet Sixteen. It continued a trend of impressive games for Tetschlag in
the Big Dance, and the standout forward finished her career with 120 points in
six NCAA games.
Miss March with Another Big Game





