GENERAL INFORMATION Name: University of Alaska Anchorage Website: www.GoSeawolves.com Address: 3211 Providence Dr. Anchorage, AK 99508 Founded: 1977 Enrollment: 19,692 Nickname: Seawolves Colors: Green & Gold Website: GoSeawolves.com Home Court: Wells Fargo Sports Complex Opened: 1977 Capacity: 1,250 Affiliation: NCAA Division II Conference: Great Northwest Athletic Conference Chancellor: Fran Ulmer Athletics Director: Dr. Steve Cobb Athletic Dept. Phone: 907-786-1250 BASKETBALL STAFF Head Coach: Tim Moser (CSU Pueblo, ’98) UAA/Career Record: 23-6, 2nd season Office: 907-786-1040 Email: coachmoser@uaa.alaska.edu Fax: 907-786-1142 Assistant Coach: Rebecca Alvidrez, 2nd season Office: 907-786-4839 Email: alvidrez@uaa.alaska.edu Grad. Asst. Coach: Angela Lessard, 1st season Office: 907-786-1228 Email: asall45@uaa.alaska.edu Sports Information: Nate Sagan Office: 907-786-1295 Email: nate@uaa.alaska.edu SID Fax: 907-563-4565
SEAWOLF BASKETBALL Shooting for the top Following on the heels of one of the most successful seasons in school history – a 23-6 record, an NCAA regional semifinal appearance, and a GNAC runner-up finish – the Seawolf program enters 2007-08 with even higher goals. And with the return of GNAC Player of the Year Rebecca Kielpinski and GNAC Coach of the Rebecca Kielpinski helped power Year Tim Moser, the great expecUAA to a 49-48 tations are well-founded. win over Cal State Dominguez Hills In the off-season, Moser in the 2007 NCAA added several of the nation’s top Tournament. D-II prospects, including a JC AllAmerican and a top Div. I transfer, prompting Div. II Bulletin to rank UAA No. 9 in the preseason. The ultimate basketball teacher, Moser knows that the Seawolves cannot rest on their new-found reputation – they’ll have to earn it on the court. And UAA fans can’t wait for the next chapter.
2007-08 Roster NO NAME
POS HT
2 Jennifer Salazar
G/F 5-9 Sr.-1V Houston, Texas (South Houston HS/Garden City CC)
3 Elisha Harris
G
5-7 Jr.-TR West Jordan, Utah (WJHS/Coll. of Eastern Utah)
HISTORY First year of Women’s Basketball: 1978-79 All-time record: 429-396 (.520) NCAA Appearances: 7 (Last: 2007)
4 Kalhie Quinones
G
5-7 Sr.-TR Loveland, Colo. (Thompson Valley HS/Otero JC/Utah State)
5 Limor Pelleg
G
5-5 Jr.-2V Rishon LeZion, Israel (Israeli U-21 National Team)
13 Dasha Basova
F/C 6-3 Jr.-TR Moscow, Russia (Northeastern [Colo.] JC)
TEAM INFORMATION 2006-07 Record: 23-6 2006-07 GNAC Record: 11-5 (2nd) 2007 Postseason: NCAA 2nd Round
15 Ruby Williams
F
Letterwinners Returning (5) NO PLAYER Pos 2 Jennifer Salazar* G 5 Limor Pelleg G 11 Erin Cunningham G 21 Maria Nilsson* F 54 Rebecca Kielpinski* C
Ht 5-9 5-5 5-6 6-0 6-2
Yr Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr.
PPG RPG Other 6.7 3.2 1.1 spg 5.9 2.5 2.0 apg 1.4 0.5 10 GP 7.5 2.8 36% 3FG 14.5 10.8 2.2 bpg *2006-07 starter
YR-EXP HOMETOWN (HIGH SCHOOL/PREVIOUS TEAM)
10 Denise Benavides G
5-3 Fr.-HS Houston, Texas (Alief Hastings HS)
11 Erin Cunningham G
5-6 Sr.-1V Yuba City, Calif. (Marysville HS/Yuba College)
20 Ashley Thompson F 21 Maria Nilsson
5-10 Jr.-TR Phoenix, Ariz. (Maryvale HS/Central Arizona Coll.) 5-10 Jr.-TR McCammon, Idaho (Marsh Valley HS/Coll. of Southern Idaho)
G/F 6-0 Sr.-1V Skovde, Sweden (Northeast [Neb.] CC)
24 Danielle Dekel
G
25 Nikki Aden
G/F 5-8 Fr.-HS Portland, Ore. (West Linn HS)
30 Lillie Parks
F
33 Krista Leman
G
5-6 Fr.-HS Ninilchik (NHS)
35 Zee Zee Young
G
5-3 Jr.-TR Anchorage (Dimond HS/Saint Martin’s)
41 Jess Merkley
F/C 6-1 Fr.-RS Anchorage (South Anchorage HS)
54 Rebecca Kielpinski C
5-10 Jr.-TR Kibbutz Ein Shemer, Israel (Ribet [Calif.] Acad./Cent. Arizona) 5-11 Jr.-TR Rialto, Calif. (Eisenhower HS/Chaffey College)
6-2 Jr.-2V Mandan, N.D. (MHS)
HEAD COACH: Tim Moser (Colorado State-Pueblo, 1998), 2nd season ASSISTANT COACH: Rebecca Alvidrez (Adams State, ’06), 2nd season GRADUATE ASSISTANT: Angela Lessard (MSU Billings, ’06), 1st season STUDENT ASSISTANTS: Mari Callahan, Jayci Stone
All photos © Michael Dinneen Photography
2007-08 Schedule
Seawolf Seniors & Returners Maria Nilsson - Sr.
Erin Cunningham - Sr.
• 3rd-leading scorer (7.5 ppg) • No. 8 GNAC in 3FG% (.360) • Set school record with 8 3FGs vs. Western Oregon
• 2006-07 letterwinner • Team Most Inspirational Player • JC standout at hometown Yuba (Calif.) College
Jennifer Salazar - Sr.
Kalhie Quinones - Sr. • • • •
Rebecca Kielpinski - Jr. • • • •
• Led UAA in assists (2.9) and steals (1.1) in ‘06-07 • 4th-leading scorer (6.7 ppg) • 3.8 apg in GNAC games
Transfer from D-I Utah State 21-game starter at USU in ‘04-05 All-Region IX at Otero (Colo.) JC 9th-leading scorer in OJC history
‘06-07 GNAC Player of the Year 1st Team All-West Region D-II Bulletin 3rd Team All-American 14.5 ppg, GNAC-best 10.8 rpg
• 5.9 ppg, 2.0 apg, 1.9 spg as sophomore • Team’s top-scoring reserve • Missed last 18 games (ACL)
Seawolf Newcomers
Elisha Harris
Krista Leman
Jess Merkley
Lillie Parks
7 pm 7 pm 6 pm
20-21 CARRS/SAFEWAY GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT^ 20 CLEVELAND STATE 6 pm 21 BRADLEY or SANTA CLARA 2:30 or 5 pm NOV.-DECEMBER 30-1 GLACIER CLASSIC 30 CHAMINADE 1 MESA STATE
7 pm 7 pm
Maria Nilsson
Limor Pelleg - Jr.
Nikki Aden
NOVEMBER 2 LINCOLN CHRISTIAN 3 LINCOLN CHRISTIAN 5 at Washington State (exhib.)
Dasha Basova
Ashley Thompson
Denise Benavides
Ruby Williams
Danielle Dekel
Zee Zee Young
State)
Idaho)
3 CHAMINADE 7 TEXAS-PERMIAN BASIN 8 TEXAS-PERMIAN BASIN 17 at Chaminade 19 vs Nebraska-Kearney (at Hilo, HI) 20 at Hawaii Hilo
7 pm 5:30 pm 5 pm 1 pm 4 pm 8 pm
JANUARY 3 MONTANA STATE BILLINGS* 5 SEATTLE UNIVERSITY* 10 at Northwest Nazarene* 12 at Seattle Pacific* 17 SAINT MARTIN’S* 19 WESTERN OREGON* 26 at Alaska Fairbanks* 31 at Western Washington*
7 pm 7 pm 5 pm 6 pm 5:30 pm 5 pm 3 pm 4:30 pm
FEBRUARY 2 at Central Washington* 7 SEATTLE PACIFIC* 9 NORTHWEST NAZARENE* 14 at Western Oregon* 16 at Saint Martin’s* 23 ALASKA FAIRBANKS* 28 CENTRAL WASHINGTON*
4 pm 7 pm 7 pm 6 pm 6 pm 5 pm 7 pm
MARCH 1 WESTERN WASHINGTON* 6 at Seattle University* 8 at Montana State Billings*
7 pm 6 pm 5 pm
Home games in BOLD CAPS All home games (except Shootout) played at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex ^ at Sullivan Arena (complete schedule at GoSeawolves.com) * Great Northwest Athletic Conference game All times Alaska Standard Time
rizona)
2007-08 Alaska Anchorage Seawolf Women’s Basketball Team Standing (left-to-right): Ruby Williams, Ashley Thompson, Jess Merkley, Dasha Basova, Rebecca Kielpinski, Maria Nilsson, Danielle Dekel, Lillie Parks, Denise Benavides. Sitting (l-r): Elisha Harris, Jennifer Salazar, Krista Leman, Limor Pelleg, Zee Zee Young, Kahlie Quinones, Erin Cunningham, Nikki Aden.
Seawolf Coaching Staff
7 pm 7 pm 6 pm
Head Coach
TOUT^ 6 pm 5 pm
Education: B.A., Social Sciences, Colorado State-Pueblo, 1998; Masters of Exercise Physiology, Adams State, 2006 Phone: 907-786-1040 Email: coachmoser@uaa.alaska.edu
7 pm 7 pm
7 pm 0 pm 5 pm 1 pm 4 pm 8 pm
7 pm 7 pm 5 pm 6 pm 0 pm 5 pm 3 pm 0 pm
4 pm 7 pm 7 pm 6 pm 6 pm 5 pm 7 pm
7 pm 6 pm 5 pm
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Tim Moser
In his debut season as an NCAA Division II coach last year, Tim Moser left a lasting
impression on the UAA faithful. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year led the Seawolves to the second-best record in program history at 23-6, including the team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance and victory in seven seasons. Under Moser’s guidance, the Seawolves recorded the 8th-biggest turnaround in D-II from 2005-06 to 2006-07, while also producing the GNAC’s Player of the Year (Rebecca Kielpinski) and Newcomer of the Year (Jayci Stone). A former Seawolf player, Moser returned to UAA in April 2006 from Otero (Colo.) Junior College, where he won 74 percent of his games and captured nine conference coach-of-the-year awards, coaching both the women’s and men’s teams. He coached the OJC men exclusively his last two seasons in La Junta, after leading the men and women simultaneously the previous six. In six seasons with the Lady Rattlers, Moser compiled a 137-41 record and won five straight conference championships from 1998-02. With the men, he registered a 172-68 mark, winning four league titles. Moser’s student-athletes at OJC compiled an even more incredible record of success in the classroom, with the men ranking among the nation’s top five teams in terms of grade-point average for five straight years, and the women holding a top-10 academic rank for six years in a row. During Moser’s 14 combined seasons as head coach, the Rattlers produced 15 Academic All-Americans, 52 Academic All-Region performers, and all but one player graduated from the 2-year school. Moser is the eighth head coach in Seawolf women’s history.
assistant Coach
Rebecca Alvidrez Education: B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies, Adams State, 2006 Phone: 907-786-4839 Email: alvidrez@uaa.alaska.edu
Rebecca Alvidrez enters her second season at Alaska Anchorage in 2007-08. As the Seawolves’ top assistant, Alvidrez is instrumental in all day-to-day operations of the program, including recruiting, scouting and on-floor instruction. Alvidrez came to UAA from Otero (Colo.) Junior College, where she was an assistant for the Rattlers’ highly successful men’s and women’s teams from 2002-06. Following a standout playing career at OJC that included a pair of conference titles, two JC All-America awards, and several school records, Alvidrez went on to star at Division I Montana State. At MSU, she was a two-time All-Big Sky Conference selection and the 2001 Big Sky Newcomer of the Year as the Bobcats’ point guard. In 2003-04, Alvidrez took a one-year sabbatical from OJC to play professional basketball in Sweden. The native of Albuquerque, N.M., earned her bachelor’s degree from Adams State (Colo.) College in 2006. GRADUATE ASSISTANT
Angela Lessard
Education: B.S., Health & Human Performance, MSU Billings, 2007 Phone: 907-786-1228 Email: asall45@uaa.alaska.edu
Angela Lessard joins the Seawolf staff as a graduate assistant coach in 2007-08. Lessard comes to UAA after earning her bachelor’s degree from Montana State Billings last spring. She played two seasons for the Yellowjackets from 2004-06, helping her team to a 39-16 overall record. Prior to her Division II career, Lessard played two seasons under Tim Moser at Otero (Colo.) Junior College, where she earned her associate’s degree. A native of Elizabeth, Colo., Lessard is currently pursuing a master’s in counseling at UAA.
Facilities The Seawolves open the
season at the 8,700–seat Sullivan Arena in Midtown Anchorage. During the regular season the Seawolves play their home games in the comfortable confines of the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
Stretching from Alaska to Oregon to Idaho and
now to Montana, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference has quickly become one of the most successful leagues in NCAA Division II. Founded in 2001, the GNAC features 10 schools – UAA, Alaska Fairbanks, Central Washington, Montana State Billings, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin’s, Seattle Pacific, Seattle, Western Oregon and Western Washington. MSU Billings joins the league as the newest member for the 2007-08 campaign. The Seawolves sponsor seven of the GNAC’s 14 sports – men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s track & field, and volleyball.
UAA hosts one of college basketball’s most prestigious tournaments every Thanksgiving week when it brings three Division I teams north for the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout. Past champions of the tournament include such elite D-I programs as Tennessee, Stanford, Louisiana Tech and Georgia. Of course, the Seawolves have made history three times themselves, winning the Shootout in 1990, 2003 and again last year. In 2007, UAA will host Bradley, Cleveland State and Santa Clara in the 28th edition of the women’s Shootout. Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout Champions
Jennifer Salazar blows by a UC Riverside defender during UAA’s championship-game win in the 2006 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.
1997 Tennessee
1980 Iowa
1989 Stephen F. Austin
1981 San Diego State
1990 ALASKA ANCHORAGE 1999 Kansas
1982 Minnesota
1991 Northern Illinois
2000 Ohio State
1983 Old Dominion
1992 Penn State
2001 Iowa
1984 Texas
1993 Hawaii
2002 Nevada
1985 Louisiana Tech
1994 Rhode Island
2003 ALASKA ANCHORAGE
1986 NE Louisiana
1994 Clemson
2004 Stanford
1987 New Orleans
1995 South Carolina
2005 Cent. Connecticut St.
1988 South Carolina
1996 Georgia
2006 ALASKA ANCHORAGE
This is UAA! ACADEMICS
The University of Alaska Anchorage is the state’s largest, most comprehensive university, serving nearly 20,000 students through four primary campuses and numerous other sites in southcentral Alaska and the Aleutian chain. Academic units located on the Anchorage campus include the College of Arts and Sciences; College of Technical and Community Education; College of Health Education and Social Welfare; College of Business and Public Policy, and the School of Engineering. Organized research units at UAA complement the academic programs and reflect the special character of the University’s mission in Alaska. Research units include the Alaska Center for International Business, the American Russian Center, the Environment and Natural Resources Institute, the Center of Alcohol and Addiction Studies, the center for Economic Education, the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, the Center for Human Development, the Institute of Social and Economic Research and the Justice Center. UAA operates on a semester system. Fifteen semester credits are a normal class load and a minimum of 120 credits are required to complete a bachelor’s degree. The attractive, wooded campus is an urban oasis with residential wildlife populations of moose, waterfowl and birds.
ATHLETICS Nicknamed the Seawolves, UAA’s athletic teams compete as members of NCAA Division I in hockey and gymnastics and NCAA Division II in all other sports, including basketball, volleyball, skiing, track & field, and cross country. UAA annually hosts the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout men’s and women’s basketball tournament – recognized as one of the top in-season tournaments in the nation – as well as the Nye Frontier Classic hockey tournament. Over the last three decades, the University of Alaska Anchorage has become a perennial national power in many of its sports. A total of 116 Seawolves have earned All-America honors since 1984 and UAA has produced several individual national champions. UAA athletes have enjoyed unprecedented success in the classroom.The entire UAA Athletic Department has compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.0+ in 10 of the last 13 years.