Former St. Andrew's Hoopster Wilkowski Finalist for Prestigious Award

Press Release from Hamline University:

Hamline University junior center Mary Wilkowski (Savannah, Ga.) was named one of the top 12 finalists for the prestigious Jostens Trophy, the members of the Rotary Club of Salem, Va., announced on Tuesday.

The club is responsible for the initial review of annual nominations and narrowed the pool to 10 men and 12 women finalists. Wilkowski is the only Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference athlete to appear on either list of finalists.

This marks the second consecutive year that a Hamline basketball player has been honored as a Jostens Trophy finalist. In 2009, men's basketball player Tony Thrasher was named to the list.

The Jostens Trophy is a national award created by the Rotary Club of Salem, Va., to honor the most outstanding men’s and women’s Division III basketball players of the year. The award takes into account three vital parts: basketball ability, academic prowess and community service.

"Mary exemplifies the well-rounded qualities we seek in Division III athletics," said Hamline director of athletics Bob Beeman. "Her hard work, dedication, loyalty and integrity are unmatched and we are proud that she is a Hamline University Piper."

The trophy models the Rotary motto of “Service above Self” by recognizing those who truly fit the ideal of the well-rounded Division III student-athlete. This year’s class marks the 12th year the award has been presented.

Wilkowski reached the 1,000 career point milestone on January 30th of her junior season, and is seventh on the all-time scoring list at Hamline after just three seasons (1,126 career points). She is also second all-time in career blocks (69) and is seventh in career rebounds (562).

She is a two-time all-conference honoree and was named to the MIAC all-freshman team as well as to the All-American Freshman Team. Mary was also the female rookie of the year at Hamline for the 2006-07 academic year. Additionally, Mary has twice earned MIAC athlete of the week accolades and was named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week during her sophomore season.

"Mary has taken our campus by storm, is grounded in her academics, and is succeeding in life," added Piper head coach Melissa Young-Kruse. "On the court, her contributions are unmatched. She is always steady and confident and steps up her game immensely to do whatever the team needs at the time to win."

The list below will be forwarded to the national selection committee, which will complete the selection process by picking the two Jostens Trophy winners.

The 2010 women's finalists are:
Molly Ariail, Randolph-Macon Coll.
Stephanie Boardman, Wittenberg University
Colleen Clarke, Cazenovia College
Chelsea Edwards, Univ. of Texas at Dallas
Claire Ely, Univ. of Puget Sound
Julia Hirssig, Univ. of Wisconsin-Stout
Jessica Laing, SUNY Cortland
Lyndsie Long, Elmhurst College
Margo Muhlbauer, Buena Vista University
Christina Solari, Illinois Wesleyan Univ.
Kym Wenz, College of Wooster
Mary Wilkowski, Hamline University

Final ballots are due no later than March 8 with the winning schools notified by March 10. The awards presentation is scheduled for Thursday, March 18 at the Salem Civic Center in conjunction with the Men’s Division III Championship being hosted in Salem, Va., on March 19-20.

For more information on the Jostens Trophy and to see a list of past winners, go to: http://www.odaconline.com/jostens/jostens.htm.