Tuesday, April 02, 2002
NKU's Cottrell national player of year
Wins Division II honor for second consecutive year
Northern Kentucky University's Michelle Cottrellhas been named Division II Bulletin's national player of the year for the second consecutive season.
Cottrell, who also earned Great Lakes Valley Conference player of the year honors for the third straight season, battled back from a stress fracture that sidelined her for six games. She led NKU to the Division II Elite Eight. She averaged 19.7 points and shot 62 percent from the field for the Norse, who finished with a 26-7 record.
The Boone County (Ky.) High School graduate finished as NKU's all-time scoring leader with 2,241 points.
“There were so many strong candidates for this award. It was one of the most difficult years in deciding on a player of the year,” Division II Bulletin editor Gary Rubin said. “Michelle showed why she is an All-American and led her team to a terrific season.”
Cottrell, a three-time Kodak NCAA Division II All-American, had 48 career double-doubles. She was named the most valuable player at the Great Lakes Regional at Evansville, Ind., where NKU beat top-seeded University of Southern Indiana 69-66 in the championship game to earn an Elite Eight spot. Cottrell scored 23 of her 31 points in the second half of that game.
“Michelle is a once-in-a-lifetime player, and we have been very fortunate to have her in our program the last four years,” NKU head coach Nancy Winstel said. “She helped elevate our program to another level, and the numbers she posted are awesome.”
During her career, Cottrell led NKU to four straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. She also helped the Norse advance to the Elite Eight three times and win the 2000 NCAA Division II national championship.
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NKU's Cottrell national player of year
