Herrold and Bray named to GPAC First Team, four other Tigers honored

MITCHELL, S.D. – A day after the Great Plains Athletic Conference championship game, the Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team landed six players on the All-GPAC teams.

 For the second-straight year, senior Erica Herrold (Dimock, S.D.) was named to the All-GPAC First Team while junior Ashley Bray (Anoka, Minn.) joined her for the first time in her career.

 Herrold ranks second on the team with 11.5 points per game, averages 3.3 rebounds and adds 1.3 assists per game. She also ranks fifth on the DWU all-time scoring list with 1,589 points in her career. She scored double-digits on 21 different occasions during her senior season.

 Bray was named GPAC First Team for the first time in her career after an outstanding junior campaign. She leads the NAIA in free-throw percentage at 94 percent and the team with 12.6 points per game. She is also second on the team in rebounds with 5.3 per game and second in steals and blocks. The Anoka, Minn., native joined the 1,000-point club this season following a victory over Mount Marty College on Feb. 1.

 Rylie Osthus (De Smet, S.D.) was the lone Tiger to earn Second Team GPAC honors. She leads the team in assists with 4.7 per game and steals averaging 1.4 per game. Osthus ranks eighth in the nation in total assists with 145 and 12^th in assists per game. She added 10.2 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game, ranking third on the team in both categories.

 Amber Bray (Anoka, Minn.), Kristin Sabers (Mitchell, S.D.) and freshman Sarah Carr (Huron, S.D.) each earned GPAC Honorable Mention nods for their efforts on the court. Bray leads the team in rebounds with 160 on the season. She also is third on the team in assists with 1.83 per game. Sabers was a valuable asset in her final season for Christensen and Co. The Mitchell, S.D., native has tallied 8.4 and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Tigers, while leading the team in blocks with 21. Carr ranks seventh nationally in free-throw percentage at 87.2 percent and helped the Tigers rank first in free-throw percentage in the nation at 80 percent. She averages 10.1 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game.

 "The hard work that these girls put in throughout the season and their careers show the type of student-athletes they are on and off the court," Head Coach Jason Christensen said. "These girls deserve this recognition and I am proud of what they have accomplished at DWU."

 The Tigers lead the nation in total rebound defense with 28.2 defensive rebounds per game. They also rank fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage, sixth in field-goal percentage and 10^th in 3-point field-goal percent defense.

 The NAIA Women's National Tournament begins on March 8 at the Tyson Event Center in Sioux City, Iowa.