Franklin Pierce Pair Earn NE-10 Honors
Stelmack voted to All-Conference second team; Lidke named to All-Rookie squad
RINDGE, N.H. (March 3, 2005) - Two members of the Franklin Pierce women's basketball team have earned postseason recognition from the Northeast-10 Conference's head coaches.
Sophomore guard Mollie Stelmack (New Westminster, British Columbia/New Westminster) was voted to the All-Northeast-10 Conference second team, while freshman Josie Lidke (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) was named to the NE-10's All-Rookie team. The Northeast-10 made the announcement tonight at the women's basketball final four banquet in North Andover, Mass.
Stelmack, who earns her first All-Conference selection, is one of just three sophomores to receive All-NE-10 honors - the only one named to the first or second teams. She led the Ravens this season with 13.6 points (8th NE-10), 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists (10th) and 1.8 steals in a Conference-high 36.7 minutes per game. Stelmack also ranked among Northeast-10 leaders with a school-record 76 three-pointers (3rd) on a record 205 attempts, connecting at a 37.1-percent rate (3rd). She also converted a team-best 74.7% (65-87) of her free-throw attempts.
Stelmack shattered the program's single-season three-point record with 76 this season, surpassing the previous mark of 57 set by Juanita Brown in 1998-99. Stelmack's 205 three-point attempts clipped the previous record of 188 by Karen Loesch in 1991-92.
Stelmack led the Ravens in scoring 11 times this season, including each of their last four games of the year. She notched double-figures in 22 games, including a streak of nine-straight and 11 of 13 to open the season, and netted 20-plus points on five occasions.
Stelmack matched her career-high with a season-best 23 points to go with three rebounds, assists and steals at Saint Michael's College on January 8. She hit seven-of-14 shots from the field, including 6-of-12 from three-point range on the afternoon. The six three's matched her career-best, which she has done twice in her two-year career, and are just one shy of the program record set by Juanita Brown against Rollins in January 1998 and matched by teammate Patricia Lang against Bryant in January 2004. Stelmack also canned six three's in the Ravens season opening win over Dowling College on November 20.
Lidke is the third Franklin Pierce player to earn All-Rookie status in the four years the NE-10 has sponsored the award, joining teammates Danielle D'Ettorre (2003-04) and Lang (2001-02). She averaged 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals in 32.2 minutes in 24 games played (23 starts). Lidke, who missed four games with an ankle injury in early February, shot 42.2-percent (95-225) from the field, including 34.9% (37-106) from three-point range - which ranks tenth in the NE-10.
Lidke led the Ravens in scoring four times and rebounding twice in her rookie season. She notched 15 double-figure scoring outings, including six-straight and nine of ten to open her collegiate career. A three-time NE-10 Freshman of the Week, Lidke netted a season-high 20 points as she hit 8-of-15 from the field, including 4-7 from three-point range, to go with seven rebounds and two steals in a win over UMass Lowell on December 5. She grabbed a season-best nine rebounds at Cal. State-Bakersfield (12/29), dished a season-high six assists in a win over Saint Anselm College (1/11) and snared five steals at Pace University (1/3).
Franklin Pierce (14-14, 10-12 NE-10) returned to the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament this season after a one-year absence, finishing in a three-way tie for eighth place in the final regular season standings. The Ravens suffered a tough 47-43 loss at seventh-seeded Bryant University in the first round of the tournament over the weekend. Franklin Pierce completed its first .500 season since 1998-99 and its ten Conference wins are the most since joining the NE-10 prior to the 2000-01 campaign.