Mallory Heydorn Earns IWU Women’s Basketball “MVP” Honor

April 26, 2007

Mallory Heydorn (top) Crystal Dye (middle); Kerri Gravlin

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Sophomore Mallory Heydorn has been selected as the "Most Valuable Player" for the 2006-07 Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team.

Heydorn, a 5-foot-7 guard from LaGrange (Lyons Township HS), was a first team all-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin selection and a second team all-Central region choice. She averaged a team-high 17.1 points and made a school record 85 3-pointers for the Titans, who finished with a 22-6 record and were among teams in the Division III tournament.
Heydorn’s 410 points is tied for sixth most in an IWU season and she set a school and CCIW record with 11 3-point field goals at Augustana on Feb. 14. After two seasons, she is No. 27 in career scoring at IWU with 715 points and No. 6 with 136 3-pointers. The career 3-point record is 171 by Traci Butler (1992-96).

In other team honors, junior Crystal Dye (Springfield, Southeast HS) was chosen as the Titans’ “Defensive Player of the Year” and junior Kerri Gravlin (Metamora HS) earned the team's "All-American Titan" honor, bestowed for sportsmanship, integrity, leadership and overall responsibility to basketball success.

Dye, a 5-foot-7 guard from Springfield (Southeast HS), led the Titans with a 5.4 rebound average and was second on the team with 48 steals. She also contributed 6.7 points per game.

A 5-foot-7 guard, Gravlin (Metamora HS) averaged 13.3 minutes playing in all 28 games and averaged 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.

Heydorn and Dye, along with junior Tasha Gaston-Bell (Bloomington HS), were selected to serve as team captains for 2007-08.

Head coach Mia Smith’s team set a school record for victories, topping the old mark of 20, and also set school records for 3-pointers in a game (19 at Emory) and season (247, eclipsing the record of 209 set in 2003). IWU was ranked nationally throughout the season after opening with a 10-game winning streak, including a victory over eventual national champion DePauw. IWU was ranked as high as No. 10 on Feb. 6.

Junior guard Sarah Bull (Lewistown HS) and sophomore guard Claire Sheehan (St. Charles, East HS) were the Titans’ second and third leading scorers behind Heydorn, averaging 15.2 and 13.4 points, respectively.

Bull’s 394 points is 10th best in an IWU season and her 54 3-pointers is fourth most in a Titan season.

A second team all-CCIW selection, Sheehan is No. 34 in career scoring with 561 points and has 77 career 3-pointers, making her 13th at the school all-time.

Smith awarded letters to nine players, all of whom return in 2007-08. The letterwinners are, with hometowns and high schools:

JUNIORS – Sarah Bull (Lewistown HS); Crystal Dye (Springfield, Southeast HS); Tasha Gaston-Bell (Bloomington HS); Kerri Gravlin (Metamora HS); Thea Rogers (Hoffman Estates, Oak Park-River Forest HS); Elyse Sanchez (Chicago, St. Benedict HS).

SOPHOMORES – Colleen Caplice (Western Springs, LaGrange Lyons HS); Mallory Heydorn (LaGrange, Lyons Township HS); Becky Kiverts (Western Springs, LaGrange Lyons HS); Claire Sheehan (St. Charles, East HS).

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206