d3hoops.com Release
ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Opposing teams forced to guard
Maddie Schmitz were likely grateful for the shortened season in 2021.
Schmitz, the lone senior on the College of Saint Benedict basketball team, was unstoppable on both offense and defense in her fourth and final season with the team. After leading the MIAC in both scoring and rebounding and finishing with eight double-doubles in nine games played, Schmitz earned d3hoops.com All-West Region First Team honors, it was announced Wednesday afternoon.
This is the first all-region honor of Schmitz's career, and the first d3hoops.com all-region honor for the CSB basketball program since
Niki Fokken earned third-team honors in 2017-18. Schmitz is the team's first first-team honoree since Anna Heikenen in 2004-05.
Schmitz is the lone MIAC honoree on the first team. St. Thomas senior Macy Hatlestad earned a spot on the second team after her season. Simpson's Jenna Taylor earned West Region Player of the Year honors, and Loras' Sami Martin was named the region's Rookie of the Year.
In the first game of the season for the Bennies – the team's first game in nearly a full year – Schmitz recorded career-best scoring and rebounding totals, and she didn't slow down all season.
Schmitz scored 20 or more points in five of the team's nine games, and had double-digit rebounds in all but one games. She averaged 18.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per game, both career bests. After scoring 25 points in the first game of the season, she scored 22 in each of the next two, and scored 23 points against Augsburg on March 6. Schmitz finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds on Feb. 24 to help the team beat St. Thomas for the first time since 2013 and help head coach
Mike Durbin pick up the 700
th win of his career.
For her career, Schmitz scored 887 points and pulled down 476 rebounds. She averaged a .428 percentage from the field and a .663 percentage from the free-throw line. After not starting as a first year, Schmitz started all but five games in each of her final three seasons with the team.
