By Monica Weltzien, Sports Information Intern
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com)—The UW-Eau Claire Women's basketball team isn't your typical college team. They don't just play basketball with each other but eat meals, do homework, play Just Dance, and watch movies together. Their chemistry on the court is a direct result of their relationships with each other off the court as they derive success from family values: leadership, respect, hard work, dedication and tradition.
Putting together a 16-9 record (10-5 in conference play) and finishing 2nd overall in the conference this season, the Blugolds have shown how far you can go when experienced players step up their game and newcomers hold their own. The three senior players have gained maturity and valuable experience since the last time UW-Eau Claire made it to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament back in 2012 and now, working together as a family, are ready to see their hard work pay off.
Rachel Egdorf (Sr. Mishicot, Wis.) says that when her mom calls, it isn't a question of what you're doing but what teammates you're hanging out with. And that fact makes all the difference.
The idea of family isn't a new concept for the Blugolds. Tradition remains strong in the women's basketball program. Senior Courtney Lewis (Sr. Praire du Chien, Wis) added that everyone is a family all the time, no matter what. Players will tell you that Head Coach Tonja Englund keeps the alumni close to maintain that tradition and that the connections that exist go far for those players still on the team.
"The seniors that mentored you when you were a freshmen still have an impact on you," said Egdorf. "Ellen Plendl (2008-2012) did that for me. She came back this last week and told me she was proud of how I played. That meant a lot to me."
Mentorship is a high priority for all of the upperclassmen Blugolds, who make sure that their teammates know how accessible they are. Taking the freshmen under their wing is a huge step in establishing trust and allows them to connect right from the start. The upperclassmen have a led by example and know that incoming players look up to them not only on the court but off as well.
"The first year is difficult with getting use to the culture and everything else," said Kristin Sahr (Sr. Stillwater, Minn.). "It's our job to make sure that everyone is doing okay and sticking with it because we know it can be tough. We go that extra mile to pump everyone else up and keep it going the Blugold way."
Committees within the team also help grow individual leadership while cultivating and promoting the unity this team strives for. These committees include focuses on academics, recruiting, community service, and even laundry. Players say that it not only strengthens their bonds with one another but creates even more energy on the team.
Watch any of their games and you will notice just how far that energy goes for the Blugolds. The UW-Eau Claire bench celebrates hard when someone makes a big play and the impact can be felt all over the court. Teammates jumping up and down, cheers, and high fives bring a spark the Blugolds use to carry them through tough games.
"Everyone supports each other…we always have each other's backs and that gives you confidence as a person and as a basketball player," said Lewis. "When you have confidence in yourself, you also have confidence in your teammates."
Another thing you'll notice is the humility of the group. Seven current players find themselves in the top 30 of the Blugold Individual Career Record list. Better yet, only three of those seven are seniors and the remaining four are quickly climbing their way to the top. But many of those players have no idea where they stand in the rankings and even further, some of them don't know they are there at all. If they do you'll hardly find them talking about the numbers and stats because as they will tell you, it's not about them. Lewis is ranked in 20 of the 27 records but admits she's not even aware of her standings.
"To be honest, it's not something I'm looking at right now," said Lewis. "I'm really just focused on that next game. We have an ultimate goal in mind but take it one game at a time. That's what I'm thinking about right now. I can think about that other stuff later."
A few other Blugolds highlighted in those records have played big minutes for the team in the past few weeks.
On the offensive end, Teenie Lichtfuss (Jr. Oshkosh, Wis./Lourdes) has made a name for herself in the career points category (855) and 3-point field goals made (98). She is ranked fifth in free-throw percentage, shooting 80.4 percent (135-for-168). Defensively, Lichtfuss hasn't gone unnoticed. Averaging 3.0 defensive rebounds per game over the course of her career, she has grabbed 230 total rebounds on defense. Lichtfuss also has 152 career steals putting her 15th all-time in that category.
Ellen Blacklock (So. Winona, Minn.) has also worked her way into the record book. The 6 foot center is fifth overall in blocked shots with 101, and she's only a sophomore. Blacklock is second only to Ellen Plendl in blocked shots average going 2.3 and 2.5 respectively.
"She [Blacklock] doubled the amount of blocks of anyone else in the league this year and she really didn't get into the starting lineup until late," said Head Coach Tonja Englund. "She's only playing 16 minutes a game and she doubled her shot blocks. As a sophomore she needs continue to own that and grow it."
While the family atmosphere is not something unique to this year's team, Englund said that there is something different about them.
"This is my 21st year of coaching and my observation with this group is that there's really great mentoring that goes on within our team," said Englund. "The seniors have been really good about empowering the younger players that get in to be contributors. Our theme this year has been to grow our depth and to be able to play 12 deep."
Staying in touch with the family attitude, the senior players haven't complained about the time their younger teammates get to spend on the court.
"Sometimes upperclassmen can feel like those are their minutes, but I feel like our upperclassmen have been super unselfish and have built up the younger players," said coach. "There's not a selfish player in the group."
Englund attributes that as one of the main staples in the Blugold's success this season. On teams, tensions can run high but she says there's no drama, there's no high maintenance…they just get along really well and they're here for the right reasons.
Sticking together and remaining a tight-knit group brought the Blugolds to this point in the season. With one goal in mind, all of the women have gotten on the same page to make that goal achievable.
"Because we trust each other like a family, we know that if you're having an off day someone else is going to step up and pick you up," adds Sahr.
Tonight, the No. 2 seed UW-Eau Claire will host the No. 3 seed UW-Oshkosh. The Blugolds went 2-0 against the Titans this season with a 63-57 overtime win on the road and then again 64-61 just last week at Zorn Arena. Tip-off for the WIAC Conference Tournament Semi-Final is set for 7pm.
