Towry Earns First Team All-NWC Honors; Swadener is NWC Coach of the Year
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Kylie Towry (Sr., G, Medford, OR/South Medford HS) of Willamette University has been selected First Team All-Northwest Conference in women's basketball, and Britanny Kochenderfer (Jr., G, Klamath Falls, OR/Henley HS/Idaho State Univ.) has earned Second Team All-NWC recognition, in voting by the NWC head coaches for the 2017-18 season. Willamette Head Coach Peg Swadener has been chosen NWC Women's Basketball Coach of the Year.
Casey Poe, a senior guard from Whitman College, was named NWC Women's Basketball Player of the Year. Camy Aguinaldo, a freshman guard from Whitworth University, received NWC Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year honors.
The 2017-18 All-Northwest Conference Women's Basketball Team features six players on the First Team and five players on the Second Team. An additional five players were earned Honorable Mention All-NWC recognition.
Willamette achieved a 16-9 overall record and 12-4 mark in the NWC during the regular season. The Bearcats will take on Whitman in an NWC Tournament semifinal game on Thursday, Feb. 22 in Walla Walla, Washington. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m . (PST). Lewis & Clark College will play at George Fox University in the other semifinal game on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Newberg, Oregon. The NWC Championship game is set for Saturday, Feb. 24 on the home court of the highest remaining seed. The winner of the NWC Tournament will receive an automatic bid into the 2017-18 NCAA Tournament.
First Team All-Northwest Conference
Kylie Towry (Sr., G) led the Bearcats and the Northwest Conference with 17.4 points per game. She also ranked first in the NWC with 68 three-point baskets, which tied her for second place at Willamette for a single season. Towry also scored on 68 three-pointers in 2014-15. The school record of 69 was set by Amy Ulrey in 1995-96.
Towry's contributions to Willamette this season also included 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. She shot 80.5% at the free throw line (99 of 12) to place fourth in the NWC.
During her career, Towry has scored a school record 1,399 points, while averaging 13.0 points per game. She holds the Willamette career record with 287 successful 3-point shots. Her career statistics also include 428 rebounds, 261 assists and 118 steals.
Second Team All-Northwest Conference
Britanny Kochenderfer (Jr., G) transferred to Willamette from Idaho State University prior to the season. She averaged 11.4 points per game for the Bearcats and ranked fourth in the NWC with 7.2 rebounds per game. She shot 37.4% from 3-point range and sank 34 three-point shots. She also provided Willamette with 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocked shots per game.
Kochenderfer scored in double figures in 16 of 25 regular season games, including each of the final six games. She earned a career-high 24 points in Willamette's 62-55 win at Whitman on Feb. 16. She registered 22 points against Linfield College on Jan. 30. She grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds versus Unviersity of California, Santa Cruz on Dec. 25.
Northwest Conference Coach of the Year
Head Coach Peg Swadener guided the Bearcats to their first winning season and first NWC Tournament berth since 2000-01. She led Willamette to a 16-9 overall record plus third place in the NWC regular season standings at 12-4. Willamette was 7-4 at Cone Field House and 7-2 in true road games hosted by the opponent.
Swadener, now in her sixth year with the Bearcats, has rebuilt the Willamette program from a 1-24 record in 2011-12 in the season before she arrived. She has earned a combined record of 40-35 over the past three seasons. The Bearcats just missed winning records in 2015-16 and 2016-17 with matching 12-13 marks, before moving above .500 this year.