Bethany Lutheran's Saffert tops UMAC All-Conference list
ST. PAUL – UMAC regular season champion Northwestern College boasted three players on the men’s basketball all-conference first and second teams, which were part of the postseason awards that were announced on Friday. The second-place Cougars from the University of Minnesota-Morris were also well-represented with two individuals on the lists.
Bethany Lutheran’s Tommy Saffert headlined the UMAC First Team All-Conference that included Martin Luther’s Greg Holzhueter, Northwestern’s Reid Berens and Stephen Hanson, and Minnesota-Morris’ Eric Dalbey. Saffert, who has entertained crowds for the past four years as a solid contributor to the Vikings’ success, was voted the UMAC Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. Saffert led the conference in points per game with 17.5 while earning Top 5 numbers in assists per game (3.7), free throw percentage (.820), steals per game (1.9) and three-point field goal percentage (.413).
St. Scholastica’s Brett Tester earned UMAC Freshman of the Year honors after averaging 12.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, both of which were Top 15 numbers amongst conference players. Following Northwestern’s 13-1 conference record, which included 11 straight UMAC victories, Eagles head coach Tim Grosz was named the league’s coach of the year.
Overall, Northwestern had four players on the first, second and honorable mention teams. Minnesota-Morris, Bethany Lutheran, St. Scholastica, Crown, Martin Luther and Presentation each had two representatives.
In addition to the all-conference awards, the UMAC also showcased its best defensive players in the all-defensive team. Bethany Lutheran’s Derek Peterson, St. Scholastica’s Max Dibrell, Northland College’s Zeb Woiak, Northwestern’s Eric Garst and Morris’ Dan Fragodt were all recognized as all-defensive team members.
A full listing of the 2009-10 UMAC postseason awards is below.
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1st Team All-Conference
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Name
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Institution
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Year
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Position
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* Tommy Saffert
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Bethany Lutheran College
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Senior
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Guard
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Greg Holzhueter
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Martin Luther College
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Junior
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Guard
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Reid Berens
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Northwestern College
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Senior
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Forward
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Stephen Hanson
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Northwestern College
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Senior
|
Forward
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Eric Dalbey
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University of Minnesota-Morris
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Junior
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Guard
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2nd Team All-Conference
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Name
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Institution
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Year
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Position
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Danny Schmitz
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College of St. Scholastica
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Junior
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Guard
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Michael Landers
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Crown College
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Senior
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Guard
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Eric Garst
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Northwestern College
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Senior
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Guard
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Richie Ward
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Presentation College
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Senior
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Center
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Phil Allen
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University of Minnesota-Morris
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Senior
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Center
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Honorable Mention All-Conference
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Name
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Institution
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Year
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Position
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Stephone Frederick
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Bethany Lutheran College
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Senior
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Forward
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# Brett Tester
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College of St. Scholastica
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Freshman
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Forward
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Jake Jarvis
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Crown College
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Senior
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Guard
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Ryan Kolander
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Martin Luther College
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Senior
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Forward
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Joey Brennan
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Northland College
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Junior
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Guard
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Brian Lecheler
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Northwestern College
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Junior
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Guard
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Eric May
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Presentation College
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Senior
|
Guard
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All-Defensive Team
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|
Name
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Institution
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Year
|
Position
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Derek Peterson
|
Bethany Lutheran College
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Freshman
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Guard
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Max Dibrell
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College of St. Scholastica
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Senior
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Guard
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Zeb Woiak
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Northland College
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Junior
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Forward
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Eric Garst
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Northwestern College
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Senior
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Guard
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Dan Fragodt
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University of Minnesota-Morris
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Junior
|
Guard
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*Player of the Year Award – Tommy Saffert (Bethany Lutheran College)
# Freshman of the Year Award – Brett Tester (College of St. Scholastica)
Coach of the Year Award – Tim Grosz (Northwestern College)