KANSAS CITY, MO. – Iowa Wesleyan College guards Rachel Mitchell (Sr.-Des Moines, Iowa) and Ali DeVries (Jr.-Bellevue, Iowa) have been named NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Honorable Mention All-Americans for the 2008-09 season, it was announced Tuesday night by the NAIA.
Mitchell received the honor for the second time in her career and the second time in three years, while DeVries received All-American recognition for the first time. The two are the sixth and seventh NAIA All-Americans in school history and add to a long list of IWC women receiving All-American honors dating back to the school’s years as an Amateur Athletic Union power.
Mitchell and DeVries were both named First Team All-Midwest Collegiate Conference this season and were part of a Wesleyan team that finished 22-10. The Tigers won the MCC regular season and tournament titles and were ranked 22nd nationally at the end of the season. IWC competed in the NAIA Division II National Tournament, losing in the first round in overtime to Concordia (Ore.) University.
Mitchell finished the season averaging 10.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Her 155 assists this season ranks among the top single-season totals in school history, and she finished her career second all-time in assists at IWC with 400, four short of tying the school record.
Mitchell also finished her career with 992 points scored, just missing 1,000 points for her career. She received national honors for the second time in her career, also being named to the honorable mention team in 2007, and finished her career a three-time First Team All-MCC performer.
DeVries averaged 11.8 points this season, second on the IWC team, and also added 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. She made 70 three-point baskets and hit 41.4% of her three-point tries for the season.
This year DeVries broke the school record for career three-pointers, finishing the year with 207 triples for her career. She also went over the 1,000-point mark for her career and currently is eighth all-time in IWC’s modern era of collegiate competition with 1,126 points.
The selections of Mitchell and DeVries for All-American recognition brings the number of women’s basketball All-Americans at Wesleyan to 32, including 25 between 1952-64 when the school was competing in the AAU ranks. Mitchell and DeVries are the 18th and 19th women’s basketball players at IWC to receive All-American mention.
For more information regarding the IWC basketball programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
