Heydorn, Solari Earn IWU Women’s Basketball “MVP” Honors

April 21, 2008

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Junior Mallory Heydorn and sophomore Christina Solari have been selected as the co-winners of the "Most Valuable Player" honor for the 2007-08 Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball team.

The Titans went 26-3, won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 2003.

Heydorn, a 5-foot-7 guard from LaGrange (Lyons Township HS), was a first team all-CCIW selection as she averaged 13.0 points and connected on 79 3-point field goals. After three seasons she is the Wesleyan all-time leader with 215 3-pointers, ranks No. 10 with 1,054 career points, and No. 7 with 260 assists.

Solari (Park Ridge, Maine South HS) led the Titans with 9.8 rebounds per game and set a school season record with 284 boards, topping Elaine Hill’s mark of 279 in 1988-89. Wesleyan’s leading rebounder in 23 games, Solari also set a school game record for field goal percentage, making 10 of 11 (.909) in a 111-77 NCAA tourney win over Maryville (Mo.).

In other team honors, senior guard Elyse Sanchez (Chicago, St. Benedict HS) was chosen as the Titans’ “Defensive Player of the Year” and junior guard Claire Sheehan (St. Charles, East HS) earned the team's "All-American Titan" honor, bestowed for sportsmanship, integrity, leadership and overall responsibility to basketball success.

Sanchez, who played in all 29 games and started six, had 34 steals and handed out 55 assists.

Sheehan tied senior guard Sarah Bull as Wesleyan’s leading scorers with 400 points and 13.8 averages. The 400 points is 10th most in an IWU single season.
After three seasons, Sheehan ranks 15th all-time at IWU with 961 points and is No. 9 with 119 3-pointers. Sheehan’s 206 free throws is 11th most at IWU and her 179 assists is good for No. 14.

Bull (Lewistown HS) ended her career as IWU’s 25th leading scorer in only two seasons. She also finished No. 8 in career 3-pointers (128), No. 25 in assists (124) and No. 30 in free throws (118).

As a team, IWU set season records for wins, points (2,467), 3-pointers made (279), 3-pointers attempted (805), and field goals (901). They also had a school-record 16-game win streak.

The Titans also set a pair of team game records (114 points, 37 assists) in a 114-40 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering in the Cal Lutheran Tournament Dec. 29 and, on December 4, IWU (with 18) and Fontbonne (with 9) combined for 27 3-point field goals to set a Division III record. The old mark was 26, set by Cabrini (20) and Rosemount (6) in 1994 and equalled by McMurry (16) and Schreiner (10) in 2007.

Smith awarded letters to 11 players, six of whom return in 2008-09. The letterwinners are, with hometowns and high schools:

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

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

SOPHOMORE – Christina Solari (Park Ridge, Maine South HS).

FRESHMEN – Nikki Preston (Prospect Heights, Wheeling HS); Hope Schulte (Hillsboro HS).

CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206