BRIEF SEASON RECAP: The Seawolf women posted the best season in the program's 31-year history, finishing with a 30-5 record and advancing to the NCAA Div. II Semifinals for the first time. After finishing runner-up to Seattle Pacific in the GNAC standings, UAA beat the 2nd-ranked and unbeaten Falcons on their home court to win the West Regional title, then knocked off Franklin Pierce in the Elite Eight round in Kearney, Neb. The Seawolves finished No. 4 in the final WBCA top 25 poll and became the first team in any sport at UAA to earn 30 victories in a season. Junior center Rebecca Kielpinski was the GNAC co-Player of the Year and a second-team All-American, while senior guard Kalhie Quinones was the West Regional MVP and GNAC Newcomer of the Year.

UAA SEASON-ENDING STARTERS
G?Jennifer Salazar, 5-9, Sr (4.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.9 spg, .366 FG, .349 3FG, .778 FT)
G?Kalhie Quinones, 5-7, Sr (10.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.3 spg, .443 FG, .680 FT)
F?Ruby Williams, 5-10, Jr (9.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.0 apg, .527 FG, .746 FT)
F?Maria Nilsson, 6-0, Sr (9.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, .418 FG, .386 3FG, .821 FT)
C?Rebecca Kielpinski, 6-2, Jr (12.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 2.3 apg, 1.1 spg, .511 FG, .677 FT)

ELITE EIGHT RECAP: The 2007-08 Seawolves made the deepest NCAA Tournament run in school history, earning four victories before falling 57-54 to eventual champion Northern Kentucky in the national semifinals, Mar. 27 in Kearney, Neb. ... UAA opened play at the Elite Eight with a thrilling 70-65 overtime win over 18th-ranked Franklin Pierce (N.H.) in the national quarterfinals, rallying from a 54-46 deficit with 7 minutes remaining in regulation. Jr. C Rebecca Kielpinski had her finest overall performance of the year with 28 points (12-23 FG), 14 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 assists, Sr. G Kalhie Quinones tallied 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists, and Sr. G/F Jennifer Salazar dished a career-high 8 assists. The Seawolves outrebounded the Ravens 50-36 to offset a 31-point, 18-rebound showing by national player-of-the-year Johannah Leedham ... the next night was a different story as UAA could not quite come back from a late 9-point hole and lost despite 12 points and 9 rebounds from Jr. F Ruby Williams. Kielpinski had 16 points (12-12 FT), 6 boards and 4 assists and Quinones chipped in 10 points, but the Seawolves shot a season-low .291 FG%, including 3-of-16 long-range shooting.

2008 NCAA Div. II Elite Eight ? Health & Sports Center ? Kearney, Neb.
(numbers before teams indicate national ranking)
Quarterfinals ? Wed., Mar. 26
#9 Alaska Anchorage 71, #18 Franklin Pierce 65, ot
Northern Kentucky 78, Wingate 65
#1 Delta State 75, vs #23 California, Pa. 64
#3 South Dakota 85, #24 Washburn 80, 2ot
Semifinals ? Thur., Mar. 27
Northern Kentucky 57, Alaska Anchorage 54
South Dakota 68, Delta State 58
National Championship Game ? Sat., Mar. 29
Northern Kentucky 63, South Dakota 58

BEST IN THE WEST: The Seawolves captured their first-ever West Region crown and trip to the NCAA quarterfinals with victories over Sonoma State (70-53), 14th-ranked Chico State (65-47) and 2nd-ranked Seattle Pacific (50-44), Mar. 14, 15 and 17 in Seattle ... in the first game, Jr. C Rebecca Kielpinski and Jr. F Ruby Williams scored 16 points apiece, while Sr. F Maria Nilsson and Sr. G Kalhie Quinones each tossed in 15 points as 3rd-seeded UAA prevailed over 6th-seeded SSU. SSU led 21-18 late in the first half, but UAA went on a 12-3 run to close the half, then came out of the locker room with a 13-4 surge that effectively decided the game. UAA also got 11 rebounds from Kielpinski and nine from Williams as the northerners outrebounded the Californians 48-26 ... in the regional semifinal, the Seawolves knocked off the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular-season and tourney champ Chico State thanks to Quinones' career-high 21 points (8-12 FG, 4-5 FT) and timely shooting from Jr. G Elisha Harris. Harris matched her career-high with 13 points (3-3 3FG), sparking a 25-5 run to end the game. UAA also received 12 points and team-high seven boards from Williams and seven points, plus and 5 boards from Sr. G/F Jennifer Salazar. Kielpinski was limited to 4 points and 3 rebounds but did make three blocks as she was hampered by foul trouble. Quinones also had team-bests of 6 assists and 5 boards against the 2nd-seeded Wildcats ... in the final, UAA got a huge measure of revenge by topping the Falcons, who entered the game 29-0, including a pair of wins (78-77 at UAA; 58-55 at SPU) over the Seawolves. Quinones was the only player in the game to reach double figures with 14 points (6-10 FG, 2-2 FT), while Kielpinski tallied 9 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. Williams came up large again, too, with 8 points and 7 boards. After being held scoreless all night, Nilsson had 4 points and the game-clinching steal in the last 70 seconds. The Swede also tied her career-high with 8 rebounds as UAA beat the Falcons on their home court for just the second time in 18 all-time tries.

2008 NCAA Div. II West Regional ? Brougham Pavilion ? Seattle, Wash.
(numbers before teams indicate seeding)
First Round ? Fri., Mar. 14
#3 Alaska Anchorage 70, #6 Sonoma State 53
#2 Chico State 65, #7 Northwest Nazarene 56
#4 UC San Diego 59, #5 Cal State San Bernardino 46
#1 Seattle Pacific 92, #8 Saint Martin's 49
Regional Semifinals ? Sat., Mar. 15
Alaska Anchorage 65, Chico State 47
Seattle Pacific 76, UC San Diego 67
Regional Final ? Sun., Mar. 17
Alaska Anchorage 50, Seattle Pacific 44

NCAA HISTORY: After its run to the national semis, UAA now holds a 7-8 all-time record in NCAA Tournament games ... it was UAA's furthest advancement in the NCAAs, topping the ?Sweet 16' appearance of 1988 ... it was UAA's eighth trip to the NCAA Div. II Tournament and its first in back-to-back seasons since 1988 and '89 ... prior to the Franklin Pierce game, all six of UAA's NCAA victories had come over West Region clubs.

TEAM NOTES: UAA's win against Franklin Pierce extended its school record to 30, topping the 24 victories (5 losses) of the 1987-88 squad ... the 30 wins is the most for a Seawolf team in any sport ... UAA reached the 20-win plateau for the seventh time in the program's 31-year history ... it was just the second time the Seawolves have won 20 or more in back-to-back seasons (1987-88 & '88-89) ... the Seawolves' final national ranking of No. 4 was the highest in program history; UAA had never been in the top 25 before this year ... the Seawolves set or tied 36 total school records in the 2007-08 campaign (27 team, 9 individual); see page 6 for complete listing ... the Seawolves led the GNAC in six of 18 team statistical categories and ranked second in four others ... UAA ranked in the top 10 in four NCAA Div. II statistical categories ? 3rd in rebounding margin (+10.8), 4th in scoring margin (+19.0), 5th in scoring defense (51.7), and 7th in FG% defense (.345) ... UAA's .857 winning percentage was also 10th best in Div. II ... the Seawolves' 29-game home win streak ? including 25 straight at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex ? came to an end with their loss to 2nd-ranked Seattle Pacific on Feb. 7; UAA had not lost at home since a 67-34 setback Feb. 23, 2006 against the same Falcon squad ... that home loss to SPU was somewhat remarkable considering the Seawolves obliterated the old school record for 3FG percentage by hitting 11 of 14 (.786) from long range; the previous mark was .667, set twice ... from Jan. 5-Feb. 2, UAA held eight straight opponents under 60 points, easily the best such stretch in program history; the string of 39, 46, 48 and 40 points allowed from Jan. 19-Feb. 2 equaled the longest-ever string of under-50 defensive showings, established by the 1997-98 team against Christian Heritage (twice) and College of Notre Dame (twice) ... the Seawolves outrebounded their opponents in 28 of 35 contests, posting a 26-2 record in those games ... ... UAA has held 9 of its last 11 opponents to 57 points or less ... UAA went 8-4 in games decided by 5 points or less or in overtime ... UAA's offensive outputs Nov. 30-Dec. 3 marked the first time since Jan. 1996 that the Seawolves scored 90 or more in three straight games ... the streak of 80-plus points in six straight games (Nov. 30-Dec. 17) was the first time doing that since the overlap of the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons (7 straight) ... the Seawolves' loss to Nebraska-Kearney was their first defeat under Tim Moser in November and December (now 22-1) ... in the past two seasons, UAA is 32-1 at home (including Sullivan Arena), 28-3 in non-conference games (including NCAAs), and 5-0 against Div. I teams (including exhibitions) ... UAA's win over Santa Clara on Nov. 21 made it five straight over Division I teams, including a 70-64 overtime, exhibition victory at Washington State on Nov. 5 ... the 12-point comeback (31-19) against the Broncos was the largest rally ever from a halftime deficit by a Seawolf women's team.

SEAWOLVES PICKED 2ND: UAA was correctly picked second in the 7th annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll, released Oct. 26, receiving four of 10 first-place votes. Here is a look at the preseason poll predictions, with the actual finish denoted in the last column:
Pl Team (1st place votes) 06-07 Records  Pts  Act. Fin.
1) Seattle Pacific (5)    20-9, 12-4     99   1
2) Alaska Anchorage (4)   23-6, 11-5     95   2
3) Western Washington (1) 18-10, 10-6    80   7
4) Seattle                18-9, 9-7      71   6
5) Northwest Nazarene     16-11, 10-6    57   3
6) MSU Billings           22-10, 7-3*    56   5
7) Central Washington     17-10, 7-9     43   t-8
8) Saint Martin's         10-17, 6-10    24   4
9) Western Oregon         3-24, 2-14     19   10
   Alaska Fairbanks       10-17, 5-11    19   t-8
*new league member; 06-07 records are from Heartland Conf.

NATIONAL RANKINGS: UAA finished No. 4 in the final WBCA top-25 poll, equaling the program's highest-ever ranking (achieved earlier in the season). National champ Northern Kentucky finished No. 1, while while GNAC rival Seattle Pacific was No. 7. CCAA regular-season champ Chico State (17th) made it three West Region teams in the top 25. UAA posted a 3-3 record against teams in the final poll. Here is an abbreviated look at the poll (full poll always available at wbca.org):
ESPN/USA Today Division II Top 25 ? Apr. 1, 2008
(UAA opponents in bold)
 Rk Team (1st pl. votes)   Rec.  Pts  Pvs Rk
 1. Northern Kentucky (23) 28-8  617  NR
 2. South Dakota (2)       33-2  577   3
 3. Delta [Miss.] State    33-1  574   1
 4. ALASKA ANCHORAGE       30-5  542   9
 5. Washburn [Kan.]        26-7  469  24
 6. Franklin Pierce [N.H.] 27-5  457  18
 7. Seattle Pacific        29-1  448   2
 8. California [Pa.]       27-7  415  23
 9. Holy Family [Pa.]      32-1  409   4
10. Wingate [N.C.]         26-8  376  NR
17. Chico [Calif.] State   28-6  196  14
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: 28) Nebraska-Kearney 50.

REBECCA KIELPINSKI's STANDOUT SEASON
6-2 * C * Junior * Mandan, N.D.
? Second Team All-American (Women's D-II Bulletin)
? Honorable Mention All-American (WBCA/State Farm)
? GNAC co-Player of the Year
? First Team All-West Region (Daktronics & WBCA)
? First Team All-GNAC
? NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team
? Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout Most Outstanding Player
? Team co-MVP
Now the all-time leading rebounder (891) and shot-blocker (183) in UAA history, Jr. C Rebecca Kielpinski should be a leading candidate for national player-of-the-year honors as she heads into her senior season in 2008-09 ... on pace to become the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history next year, she shared the 2007-08 GNAC Player of the Year award with Seattle Pacific's Jackie Hollands, making it two straight POY honors for the Seawolf star ... Kielpinski led the GNAC with 8.9 boards per game to pace the league in that category for the third straight year, while her 2.0 bpg were also best in the 10-team league ... her numbers increased across the board in GNAC games as she led the league in rebounding (10.0 rpg) by a full two boards per game and in blocks (2.2 bpg) by a wide margin; she was also 7th in scoring (13.6), 3rd in FG% (.544) and 13th in assists (2.6 apg) in league games only ... Kielpinski picked a great time to have her best game of the season, tallying a season-high 28 points, plus 14 rebounds and 5 blocks in UAA's NCAA quarterfinals win over Franklin Pierce ... the performance against FPU was her GNAC-best 12th double-double of the season and extended her school and conference record to 41 career double-doubles ... despite struggling with foul trouble against Chico State in the regional semis, Kielpinski still managed to earn on a spot on the West Regional All-Tournament Team with averages of 9.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 4.0 apg and 2.7 bpg ... after a relative slump in December, Kielpinski ended the season with double-digit scoring in 22 of the last 26 games ... now UAA's career leader with 891 rebounds, Kielpinski currently ranks 4th on the all-time GNAC list; her other GNAC career ranks include 8th in scoring (1,361) and 4th in blocks (174) ... on UAA's school career list, she ranks in the top 10 in 13 different categories, including rebounds, rebounding average (3rd, 9.8), points (6th, 1,387), scoring average (6th, 15.2), FG% (5th, .509), blocks (1st), blocks per game (1st, 2.0), double-doubles (1st, 41), and games started (t-6th, 91) ... she also tied her own school single-game record with eight blocks against SPU on Feb. 7.

SENIOR RECAPS

KALHIE QUINONES * Guard * 5-7 * Loveland, Colo.
2007-08 Stats: 10.7 ppg * 4.7 rpg * 3.7 apg * 2.3 spg
? NCAA West Regional Most Outstanding Player
? GNAC Newcomer of the Year
? Second Team All-GNAC
? Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team
? Team co-MVP
Sr. G Kalhie Quinones a major impact in her lone season as a Seawolf, leading UAA with 3.7 assists 2.3 steals and per game, and finishing second in scoring (10.7 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.7 rpg) ... ?Q-bala' finished with GNAC ranks of 5th in assists and 6th in steals ... in UAA's 5-game NCAA Tournament run, Quinones averaged 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game, including a 16-point, 10-rebound, 4-steal showing against Franklin Pierce in the national quarterfinals ... at the West Regional tourney in Seattle, she averaged 17.7 ppg on 64 percent shooting ... the Coloradoan scored in double figures 21 times, including 18 of the last 21 contests, and she had multiple steals in 22 of 35 games ... Quinones' 129 total assists were 6th on UAA single-season list and her 79 total steals were  the most for a Seawolf since the 1999-00 season (K.J. Massey, 83) and 12th on UAA single-season list ... her 8 steals in UAA's 49-44 road win over Saint Martin's was the most for a Seawolf in three seasons ... Quinones' NCAA performance was a continuation of the improvement that the 1-year transfer from Utah State showed during the GNAC season ? she averaged 11.6 points in GNAC games, almost four better than her non-league average (7.7 ppg) ... in league games only, Quinones ranked 12th in scoring, 4th in assists (3.4), 6th in steals (2.3) and 25th in rebounding (4.8) ... Quinones scored in double-figures in 18 of the last 21 games and grabbed multiple steals in 12 of the last 15 contests.

MARIA NILSSON * Forward * 6-0 * Skovde, Sweden
2007-08 Stats: 9.6 ppg * 3.3 rpg * 1.6 apg * .386 3FG%
? Second Team All-GNAC
? Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team
? Glacier Classic Most Outstanding Player
? Team Most Inspirational & Most Improved awards
? GNAC All-Academic Team (3.65 GPA)
Sr. F Maria Nilsson was the Seawolves' third-leading scorer and ranked 21st in the GNAC at 9.6 ppg ... ?The Swede' ranked 2nd in the GNAC with 2.4 3FGs per game and was 5th in the league with her .386 3FG% ... in the NCAA Div. II stats, she was 41st in 3FG% and 54th in treys per game ... with 83 total 3FGs, she broke the school record of former teammate Jayci Stone (76, 2006-07), while her season 3FG% of .386 ranked 10th in school history ... Nilsson made 4 or more treys on 11 occasions, including a season-high 7 (11 attempts) in UAA's comeback victory at Hawaii-Hilo (nailed 5 treys in 4:30 span late in second half at Hilo) ... Nilsson scored double digits in 18 games, including seven straight from Jan. 19-Feb. 14 ... she was named Carrs/Safeway Player of the Game with 21 points (5-11 3FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 0 turnovers in OT victory over Div. I Cleveland State ... her 34 games started was second-most in school history behind only teammates Rebecca Kielpinski and Kalhie Quinones, and her 35 games played equaled a UAA record along with five teammates ... the Northeast (Neb.) CC product finished 4th on the school's career list with 132 treys made ? the most ever among 2-year Seawolf transfers ? and she was 6th all-time at UAA in career 3FG% (.376) ... the Sonoma State game made it seven times in her career that Nilsson nailed at least 5 threes in a game.

JENNIFER SALAZAR * Guard/Forward * 5-9 * Houston, Texas
2007-08 Stats: 4.0 ppg * 2.5 rpg * 2.3 apg * 0.9 spg * .778 FT
Sr. G/F Jennifer Salazar didn't put up eye-popping numbers, but her steady presence and leadership helped lead UAA to unprecedented team success ... the Texan ranked fourth on team in assists (70) and apg, starting 13 games, including all five NCAA Tournament contests ... Salazar twice scored in double digits, including a career-high-tying 15 points (7-11 FG) in a home win over Seattle University; also had 7 assists and just 1 turnover against SU ... she had 14 points (2-4 FG, 6-6 FT), including game-tying jumper with 8 seconds remaining, career-high 8 rebounds and 3 assists in Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout victory over Div. I Cleveland State ... her career-high 8 assists came in UAA's NCAA Quarterfinals victory over Franklin Pierce, and she had 7 points and 5 rebounds in season-high 34 minutes in NCAA Second Round win over Chico State ... Salazar also took home the Coaches' Award at team postseason banquet ... her overall stats were hurt slightly due to a midseason ankle injury that cost her 4 games and significant playing time in several others.

ERIN CUNNINGHAM * Guard * 5-6 * Yuba City, Calif.
2007-08 Stats: 0.3 ppg * 0.4 rpg * 9 GP
Sr. G Erin Cunningham saw action in nine games as a senior on UAA's NCAA Semifinalist squad ... She scored only 3 points in season-opening win over Lincoln Christian and grabbed 3 rebounds and 2 steals in a Glacier Classic win over Chaminade ... Cunningham came back from midseason ACL injury to play in final two home games, including a  starting assignment in UAA's ?senior night' win over Western Washington, also grabbing a steal ... she was voted the team's Most Inspirational Player (along with Nilsson) for the second straight year.

MORE PLAYER NOTES: After being rendered fairly ineffective due to a mid-December broken left hand, Jr. F Ruby Williams more closely equaled her impressive early-season output as the season wound down, averaging 10.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in the last 12 games ... the Central Arizona College product grabbed 6 or more rebounds in six of the last seven games and 3 or more boards in every game since re-entering the starting lineup on Feb. 9 ... the team's fourth-leading scorer (9.5 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (5.3 rpg), the Phoenix native also ranked 5th in the GNAC in FG% at .527 ... Williams was the only Seawolf besides Kielpinski to register multiple double-doubles this year (2) ... with 58 treys, Jr. G Limor Pelleg is tied for 11th on UAA's career list ... Jr. G Danielle Dekel ranked 13th in the GNAC in assists per game (2.6) ... Jr. G Elisha Harris rounded into peak form at the end of the season; after missing the first four games of the year with a broken foot and struggling to hit her stride, the Utah native has scored 45 percent (58 of 128) of her season point total in the last nine games.

SWEET REPEAT: UAA pulled off the improbable, winning its second straight Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout championship with wins over Division I squads Cleveland State and Santa Clara, Nov. 20 & 21 at Sullivan Arena ... in the first game, Sr. G/F Maria Nilsson scored 21 points (6-13 FG, 5-11 3FG) and Sr. G/F Jennifer Salazar had a career-best 8 rebounds and 14 points (6-6 FT), including the game-tying shot in regulation, to boost UAA past the Vikings, 80-72 in OT. UAA also got 16 points from Sr. G Kalhie Quinones and 10 points and 8 rebounds from Jr. C Rebecca Kielpinski. Jr. C Dasha Basova also played a big role in the late-going, nailing a pair of three-pointers late in regulation and a key basket in OT ... against the Broncos, UAA ended the game on an 11-0 run over the last 6-plus minutes, winning 52-50 on Kielpinski's layup with 4 seconds to play. Kielpinski, who was chosen the tournament's Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year, finished with 23 points (9-17 FG) and 11 rebounds in the title game. Quinones, who also made the all-tourney team, had 9 points, 4 assists and 3 steals, while fellow all-tourney selection Nilsson scored 7 points.

SEAWOLVES AT THE SHOOTOUT: UAA is the only Div. II women's team to win a tournament against all Division I competition, having now won the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout in 1990, 2003, 2006 and 2007. The first title came in 1990 when the tournament included eight teams, and the second and third came under the current, 4-team format ...the Seawolves are 27-47 all-time in the Shootout and 7-11 since the current format began in 1999.

INJURY REPORT: Jr. G Elisha Harris (foot) missed the first four games of the season ... Sr. G/F Jennifer Salazar (ankle) missed four games in January and February ... Jr. F Ashley Thompson (jaw) missed a pair of games in mid-February ... Jr. F Ruby Williams (hand) missed five games in late December and early January ... Sr. G Erin Cunningham (knee) was inactive for several games in January and February.

RADIO: Most UAA home games were broadcast live on AM-1080 KUDO over the Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network ... UAA's games at the West Regional in Seattle were aired on AM-1020 KAXX, while the Elite Eight games aired on FM-94.7 KZND.

TV: All home games were aired tape-delayed on KCFT FamilyNet Channel 35 (GCI cable 19) in the regular season ... UAA's NCAA semifinal game against Northern Kentucky marked the first time in program history that the Seawolves appeared on national TV (ESPNU).

INTERNET: Live stats for all UAA home games were available for all UAA home games, while live video-streams of Seawolf contests appeared regularly through GoSeawolves.com.