Four Huskies and Coach Hoyt recognized for All-GLIAC awards
GLIAC – The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its awards for All-GLIAC as well as special awards Saturday morning. Michigan Tech's Ellie Mackay was named GLIAC player of the year as well as All-GLIAC first team. Jordan Ludescher and Cassidy Trotter were named All-GLIAC second team. Trotter and McGirk were tabbed GLIAC All-Defensive Team members. Head Coach Sam Hoyt garnered GLIAC Coach of the Year after leading the Huskies to the regular season conference title and a 17-1 record. Michigan Tech currently ranks No. 9 in the country for NCAA Division II.
Coach Hoyt is in her third season as head coach. Under her guidance, the Huskies went undefeated on the road and are currently on a 17-game win streak. In her first season at Tech (2018-19), Hoyt guided the Huskies to a 21-9 overall record and a 16-4 mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Huskies claimed their 16th GLIAC North Division/Conference title and were the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. In her second season (2019-20), Hoyt guided the Huskies to their 30th consecutive Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament appearance in program history. Hoyt entered the 2020-21 season with an overall record of 32-26 and 25-15 against conference opponents.
Mackay is the Huskies leader in points per game (15.1) again this season. She has been named GLIAC Player of the Week and has 13 games of 10 or more points, including a season high 31 points at Ferris State on January 30. Mackay has helped the Huskies to 17 straight victories. She made the game winning shot at the buzzer to beat No. 9 Grand Valley State on the road on February 20.
Last season Mackay was named All-GLIAC second team after earning GLIAC Freshman of the Year in 2018-19.
Ludescher returned to make 20 starts at forward for the Huskies. A force in the paint, Ludescher averaged 13.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. Ludescher played six games as a true freshman before taking a medical redshirt last season. Her comeback this year has been a major reason for the Huskies success. She scored a career high 29 points against Wisconsin-Parkside on February 27. In the GLIAC quarterfinals, Ludescher shared the team lead with Mackay with 15 points in a win over Davenport. In Friday's semifinals against Saginaw Valley State, Ludescher posted another 20 points.
Senior Cassidy Trotter is frequently assigned to guard the highest scoring player on opposing teams and has helped the Huskies secure the ninth ranked defense in NCAA Division II this season. In 20 games, Trotter has scored 7.8 points per game along with 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists. She leads the team with 2.4 steals per outing.
Senior Baillie McGirk was named GLIAC all-defensive team and along with Trotter and Mackay held opponents to just 54 points against the Huskies all season. On offense, McGirk averages 7.6 points in 29.6 minutes per contest. She scored 12 points in a win over Saginaw Valley State in the GLIAC semifinals.
The Huskies advanced to the GLIAC Championship game to be played Sunday in Westville, Indiana against Ashland at 12 p.m.