April 13, 2008
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University head women's basketball coach Kelly Graves announced the 2008 award winners at the team's annual banquet Sunday. Sophomore Heather Bowman was named the Bulldogs Most Valuable Player, while senior Michelle Elliott earned the Katy Prichard Most Inspirational Player award. Freshman Courtney Vandersloot garnered the Fred Obde Hustle award and junior Jami Bjorklund was tabbed the team's Best Defender for the second-straight season. Rounding out the awards was freshman Claire Raap who earned Most Improved.
Gonzaga finished the season 25-9 and won their fourth-straight West Coast Conference regular-season title.
Bowman led the Zags this season as she was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year and earned All-WCC honors for the second-straight season. She led the team in points (20.1 ppg), rebounds (8.3 rpg) and shooting percentage (52.9%). Bowman registered 10 double-doubles on the season, including five in WCC action. The Spokane native became the first Gonzaga player to eclipse the 1,000 point plateau in just two seasons - totaling 1,025 after the season's end. She was named WCC Player of the Week four times and was the Player of the Month for November, January and February.
Elliott closed out her career seventh in three-point field goals made, draining 101 during her two-year stint. Her team-leading 56 three-pointers this season ranks sixth all-time in the single-season Bulldog record book. Elliott, a native of Pasco, Wash., also hit a school record nine three-pointers in one game, at Sacramento State University on Dec. 8. She finished the season averaging 9.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists along with a team-leading 40.0% accuracy behind the three-point arc.
Vandersloot followed in Bowman's footsteps this season as Gonzaga's second-straight WCC Newcomer of the Year award recipient. She also garnered All-Conference and WCC All-Freshman accolades. Vandersloot dished out a team-leading 5.6 assists per game and made a team-leading 1.8 steals per contest. She was second on the squad in points (10.6 ppg) and fourth in rebounds (3.9 rpg). Her 191 assists also ranks third in the Bulldog single-season record book.
Bjorklund, whose assignment on defense was to guard the opposing team's offensive threat, was named the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year. She also earned All-WCC honorable mention. Bjorklund was the only Zag to start in all 34 games this season and averaged 9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.9 steals per game.
Raap saw action in 25 games for Gonzaga, averaging 6.0 minutes per contest off the bench. She closed out the season averaging 2.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. Raap was one of only two players to hit 50.0 percent or better from the field. She hit 51.2 percent from the field overall and was an impressive 54.5 percent from the floor in WCC action.
