Hannah Stipanovich (L) named Second Team All-GNAC, Dani Iwami (R) honored as GNAC Newcomer of the Year. Photo: courtesy of WWU
Pair of WWU Vikings Earn Great Northwest Athletic Conference Honors
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University women’s basketball senior forward Hannah Stipanovich has been selected to the All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference Second Team while sophomore guard Dani Iwami has been named the GNAC Newcomer of the Year, announced Wednesday by the conference office in Portland, Ore.
Stipanovich (St. Louis, MO/MSU Denver) was one of six players selected to the All-GNAC Second Team while Iwami (Seal Beach, CA/Hawai’i Pacific) became the third WWU player to be named GNAC Newcomer of the Year in the history of the award.
Stipanovich was the only Viking to start all 28 games during the season and led WWU averaging 12.6 points per game while averaging 6.9 rebounds per game to tie for the top rebounding average on the team. She totaled 20 games with a double-digit scoring total, including four games of 20+ points, to lead or tie for the team lead in scoring during 12 of those games.
Among GNAC leaders, Stipanovich ranks 14th in scoring average, 6th in rebounding, 2nd in offensive rebounds (2.8/g), 13th in defensive rebounds (4.0/g), 7th in field goal percentage (48.9%/135-of-276) and 9th in steals (1.8/g). She posted three double-digit rebounding games with two double-doubles during the season and was named to three All-Tournament teams. Stipanovich also reached the 1,000-point milestone during the season, concluding her career (WWU and MSU Denver combined) with 1,031 points.
Iwami joins Jessica Summers (2009) and Mollie Stelmack (2006) as Vikings to receive the GNAC Newcomer of the Year honor. After transferring from Hawai’i Pacific University, she made an immediate impact for the Vikings with 25 starts while appearing in all 28 games. Iwami averaged 9.4 points per game, leading the Vikings in 3-point field goals made (34.7%/58-of-167).
She also averaged 4.0 assists per game, including 4+ assists in 9 of the last 12 games of the season. Iwami had a career-best 9 assists in a game on three occasions during the season. She ranks 6th in the GNAC in assists per game, 8th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0) and 4th in 3-pointers made per game (2.1).
The Vikings concluded the 2017-18 season 12-16 overall and 8-12 in conference play, finishing tied for 7th in the GNAC standings.
GNAC AWARDS
Player of the Year: Alisha Breen, Montana State Billings
Coach of the Year: Ryan McCarthy, Alaska Anchorage
Defensive Player of the Year: Jordan McPhee, Seattle Pacific
Freshman of the Year: Saniah Simpson-Patu, Saint Martin’s
Newcomer of the Year: Dani Iwami, Western Washington
Posted by Doug Lange Bellingham
