Four Huskies Earn Postseason GLIAC Honors
ALLENDALE, Mich. – Four Michigan Tech women's basketball players were recognized by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with postseason honors, announced Friday night by the conference office. Junior Abbie Botz was named First Team All-GLIAC while senior Elizabeth Kelliher and sophomore Cassidy Trotter were picked for Second Team All-GLIAC accolades. Trotter was also named to the All-Defensive Team and freshman Ellie Mackay was chosen at the GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
Botz, a forward from Little Chute, Wisconsin, leads the Huskies in both scoring and rebounding coming into the GLIAC Final Four tournament this weekend. Botz averages 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game through 29 contests so far in 2018-19. Botz ranks sixth in the GLIAC statistical rankings for rebounds and is 17th in the conference in terms of points per game average. Botz poured in a career high 22 points at home against Saginaw Valley State on February 9th and has reeled in 17 rebounds in a game twice this season.
In addition to points and rebounds, Botz records 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per night for the Huskies. She dished out a career best six assists at Northwood on December 1st and had three steals two different times this year, with the most recent at Purdue Northwest on January 31st.
Kelliher, a forward from Waukesha, Wisconsin, is tied for second on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game this season. Kelliher is second in the conference statistical rankings for total field goal percentage at 58.5% heading into the GLIAC Final Four Saturday. Kelliher is second on the team in rebounding at 5.9 boards per contest and leads the Huskies in blocked shots per night at 2.1, which is fifth best in the GLIAC.
Kelliher holds the school records for single game blocks (9), single season blocks, (76, 2016-17), and this season became Tech's all-time career leader in blocked shots with 248 heading into Saturday. Kelliher also has 995 career points and needs just five to reach 1,000 during her four seasons as a Husky. Kelliher was an All-GLIAC Second Team and All-GLIAC Defensive Team honoree in 2018 and in the classroom she has earned GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Honors the past three seasons.
Trotter, a guard from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, is tied for second on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game and is one of the top defenders for Tech and in the GLIAC. Trotter registers 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.7 steals per game in 29 appearances this year. She has been in the starting lineup for 28 of those contests. Trotter leads GLIAC in steals per game moving into the weekend and is fifth overall in the league for assists as the team gets set to face Ashland.
Trotter has established a career high of 20 points on two occasions this season, with the most recent being in the 78-48 victory over Northwood University in the GLIAC Quarterfinals Tuesday night. Trotter also produced single game career highs in assists (10), rebounds (9), steals (7), and blocked shots (3) during the year.
Mackay, a guard from Novi, Michigan, has made a major impact for the Huskies in her first collegiate season. Mackay is firing in 9.7 points per game and is fifth in the GLIAC in three-point shooting percentage (41.7%) as the Huskies prepare to battle Ashland in the semifinals on Saturday. Mackay also pulls in 2.9 rebounds and deals out 1.7 assists each time she takes the floor this season. She has played in all 29 games and has 19 starts in the stat sheet so far in 2018-19. Mackay dropped in a season/career high 18 points against Northwood on December 1st and dialed in five treys against the Cardinals of Saginaw Valley State on February 9th.
The Huskies are 21-8 overall and will meet Ashland at 4:30 p.m. eastern time Saturday in one of two GLIAC tournament semifinal games in Allendale, Michigan. The Eagles topped Parkside 77-59 in their quarterfinal contest Tuesday evening. The other semifinal showdown features the top-seed Grand Valley State against Northern Michigan beginning at 2 p.m. The winners of the two semifinal games will meet on Sunday afternoon in the GLIAC Tournament Championship at 3 p.m. eastern time. All three games are being hosted at Grand Valley State.