Rebecca Deichl
  • Class of 2019
  • Libertyville, IL

Libertyville Native Deichl Selected to 2015-16 UW-Whitewater Women's Basketball Roster

2015 Nov 17

Becky Deichl, a native of Libertyville, IL, and graduate of Libertyville High School, will compete for the 2015-16 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team.

Deichl, a freshman at UW-Whitewater, is majoring in general business.

The Warhawks open the season Wednesday at Lakeland.

See below for a complete season preview on the 2015-16 team.

Led by a deep, talented group of veteran student-athletes, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team looks to compete for a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and a trip to the postseason during the 2015-16 campaign.

The Warhawks, who open the year this Wednesday at Lakeland, return more than 95 percent of their scoring and rebounding from the 2014-15 season, when the team finished 13-13 overall and 8-8 in the WIAC. Despite losing four of five starters from 2013-14, when the team reached the national semifinals, the program posted its ninth consecutive season with a .500 or better record both overall and in league play.

Head coach Keri Carollo returns for her 14th season. Under Carollo, the Warhawks have won four WIAC championships and have made seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including three trips to the national semifinals.

She said the team's strong finish last season - five wins in seven games, including one over nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh - is a point of emphasis during this preseason.

"We ended our season really strong and built a lot of confidence and trust in each other, and all those intangibles you have that aren't necessarily seen on the court," Carollo said. "We have started off where we left last year.

"It's a very energetic, hard-working group. They're excited, and they're a group that's ready to have an impact in our program."

Earlier this month, UW-Whitewater was picked to finish second in the conference. The team is receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25.

"We are a lot further along this year than we were last year at this time," Carollo said. "It's nice to be able to look out on the court and not see five or six freshmen having to play significant minutes and make huge contributions for us right away."

After its opener Wednesday, UW-Whitewater travels to Manchester, Ind., for the two-day Main View Tipoff Tournament on Nov. 20-21.

The Warhawks host Illinois Wesleyan in their home opener Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium. Following a trip to Carroll on Nov. 28, UW-Whitewater hosts Elmhurst (Ill.) at 6 p.m. as part of a women's-men's doubleheader at Kachel Gymnasium.

After a visit to Coe (Iowa), the Warhawks travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for games against 17th-ranked New England (Maine) on Dec. 20 and Hartwick (N.Y.) on Dec. 21.

UW-Whitewater concludes the non-conference season with games against Edgewood and Luther (Iowa) on Dec. 30-31 in Wisconsin Dells.

The Warhawks open the WIAC season Jan. 6 at home against UW-Stout. Other highlights of the conference slate include games against league preseason favorite and sixth-ranked UW-Oshkosh on Jan. 20 (home) and Feb. 17 (away), the program's annual "Play4Kay" event for breast cancer awareness as part of its game against UW-Platteville on Feb. 10, and the team's home finale against UW-Eau Claire, which is also Senior Day.

Guards

All three starters return in the backcourt for UW-Whitewater.

Senior Abbie Reeves (Salem/Westosha Central) was named first team All-WIAC in 2014-15 after leading the team with 10.7 points per game and shooting 41.5 percent from 3-point range, good for first in the conference and 18th in the nation.

Sophomores Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater)also return alongside Reeves. Smith led the team in assists (50) and steals (28) and averaged 4.6 points per contest. Trewyn ranked among the league's top 15 in points per game (10.0), 3-pointers made (24), free throw percentage (70.4) and blocked shots (15).

Senior Jaya Perkins (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville), juniors Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) andAndrea Olsen (East Troy/East Troy) also return with significant experience. Stewart started 12 games and averaged 5.5 points per game with 37 assists and 22 steals. Perkins and Olsen each averaged around four points per contest in 2014-15. All three averaged double digits in minutes per game.

Other returners include juniors Kelsey Frey (Oak Creek/Wisconsin Lutheran), Lamaris Marrero(Milwaukee/Washington), sophomores Paige Groth (Germantown/Germantown) Niki Lazar (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley). Frey played in 14 contests a season ago with two starts, while Marrero and Lazar combined to play seven games. Groth missed the season due to injury.

Newcomers: Emily Kraft (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central); Morgan McCulloch (Janesville/Parker); Lex St. Cyr (Gladstone, Mich./Gladstone); Juliette Vainisi (Prospect Heights, Ill./John Hersey).

Forwards/Centers

Seniors Emily Jensen (Wauwatosa/Wauwatosa East) and Lisa Palmer (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) return as starters, and will serve as captains during the 2015-16 season.

Palmer was selected honorable mention all-conference despite missing half of the conference season due to injury. She averaged 7.4 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds and led the team with 17 blocks.

Jensen started 15 of the 25 games she appeared in and posted 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game with 11 blocks.

Senior Maddie Bare (Fort Atkinson/Fort Atkinson), sophomores Kate McKay (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) and Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) also return as rotational players from a season ago. Bare shot 46.5 percent from the floor in 18 games, averaging 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds. Meinert averaged 7.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest, and ranked ninth in the WIAC in offensive rebounds per game (2.08). McKay shot 54.5 percent from the field and averaged 5.5 points and 3.7 rebounds.

Junior Dani Fugate (Janesville/Parker) appeared in 10 games last season, averaging 2.1 points per game.

Newcomers: Becky Deichl (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville); Olivia Freckmann (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI).

For more information on the 2015-16 Warhawks, visit the team's Web page.