March 7, 2007

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Lewis University senior forward Darcee Schmidt has been named the Daktronics NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Great Lakes Region Player of the Year, and senior guard/forward Mary Moskal has been selected to the All-Region first team, as voted on by the region's sports information directors.

Schmidt is Lewis' first region Player of the Year in women's basketball, and she also is a first-team selection for the first time in her career. Moskal has made the first team for a second consecutive season.

As all-region first-team selections, Schmidt and Moskal become eligible for All-America consideration.

Schmidt and Moskal have led the Flyers to a record-breaking season in 2006-07, helping the team to its first Great Lakes Valley Conference championship title since 1985 and school records for total wins (27) and conference record (17-2).

Schmidt, who was named conference Player of the Year last week, led the conference and is among the national leaders in scoring average (21.7). She leads the Flyers field goal (.517), 3-point (.474) and free throw (.821) shooting percentages, and she is the team leader in steals (53).

Schmidt has scored 30 or more points seven times this season, including three consecutive games of 30 or more points when the Flyers beat three nationally-ranked teams back in December. She also has six double-doubles and was named GLVC Player of the Week four times during the season.

On Feb. 10, Schmidt broke a Lewis single-game record with 43 points in a win at Bellarmine. On Feb. 20 she broke the Lewis career scoring record of 1,854 points, a mark which stood for 16 years. On Feb. 22 she surpassed Lewis' single-season scoring mark of 604 points, a 26-year old record.

Moskal, Lewis' all-time free throw leader, finished fourth in the conference in scoring average (17.1), and she is second on the team in rebounding average (6.8), assists (107) and steals (42). She set a set single-game career highs in points (31) and rebounds (15) this season and is currently fourth on the school's career scoring list.

In addition, Moskal recorded five double-doubles and was named conference Player of the Week two times this season. She also is an Academic All-America first team selection, and she won GLVC Player of the Year in 2005-06.

Schmidt and Moskal are the third and fourth players in Lewis women's basketball history to be named all-region. Moskal is the program's first student athlete to be honored three times. Along with her consecutive first team selections, Moskal was named to the all-region second team as a sophomore.

Lewis, ranked No. 8 in the nation, will host the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional women's basketball tournament March 9-12 at Neil Carey Arena on the University's main campus in Romeoville. The Flyers, undefeated (11-0) at home this season, are making a third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. The winner of the Great Lakes Regional advances to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.