By Tommy McGowan, UWEC Sports Information
MADISON, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) office announced the 2021 All-WIAC women's basketball awards on Wednesday, with five different Blugold athletes taking home honors. Head coach Tonja Englund was also awarded with Coach of the Year.
Englund has been head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for 21 years. Her 354 wins rank fourth in WIAC history and she is the winningest coach in school history. This is her second time being WIAC Coach of the Year.
Jessie Ruden (So.-Rochester, MN/John Marshall), Katie Essen (Sr.-Farmington, MN/Rosemount) and Maizie Deihl (Sr.-New Prague, MN) were all named first team All-WIAC. Ruden finished as the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.2 PPG and shooting nearly 49% from three-point range.
Essen finished just behind Ruden with 15.1 PPG and was second on the team in rebounding. She eclipsed 20 points on three separate occasions in 2021, including 26 in the win over UW-River Falls. She was also named to the WIAC All-Defensive Team.
Deihl averaged 13.6 PPG and led the conference in free throw percentage, shooting 88% (minimum two attempts per game). She also finished second in the WIAC in steals, averaging 1.9 per game.
In addition, Ellie Clayton (Jr.-Lakeville, MN/Farmington) was named an All-WIAC honorable mention, while Katelyn Morgan (Sr.-Green Bay, WI/Notre Dame) was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team. Clayton averaged 9.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game off the bench. Morgan was a multi-year contributor for the Blugolds, playing 60 games in her UWEC career.
Eau Claire finished the shortened 2021 season 8-2 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the WIAC Championships.
