A Senior Night to Remember

Seniors Chelsea Albert, Lauren Prochaska, Kelly Zuercher, Tracy Pontius, Jen Uhl and Maggie Hennegan celebrated Senior Night and the final game in Anderson Arena with a 92-68 win over Buffalo.

Senior Night is always a special evening - for our team, our families and friends, our fans, and, of course, the seniors. This past Senior Night was one even more special than most, as we "Closed the Doors on the House that Roars", playing in Anderson Arena for the very last time. Our seniors combined for 70 points, and led us to an outstanding 92-68 win over Buffalo. Prior to the game, each senior was honored with flowers and gifts, and announced to the packed house, with a brief bio describing their four years here. In case you weren't able to make it to the game, below is the exact player introduction script from the evening, written by our Sports Information Director Mike Cihon. Thanks to the Seniors, the team, our friends and family, and especially our fans, for a perfect evening. Next stop - Cleveland on Wednesday, noon tipoff for our MAC Tournament Quarterfinal game!

BGSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SENIOR SCRIPT
MARCH 2, 2011, VS. BUFFALO

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AT THIS TIME PLEASE DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TO CENTER COURT, AND JOIN BGSU HEAD COACH CURT MILLER, HIS STAFF, B-G-S-U DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS GREG CHRISTOPHER AND ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS LESLEY IRVINE FOR A SPECIAL CEREMONY. IN KEEPING WITH FALCON TRADITION, WE WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE SENIORS IN THE PROGRAM BEFORE THEIR FINAL REGULAR-SEASON HOME GAME. THE MEMBERS OF THIS SENIOR CLASS HAVE HELPED THE FALCONS TO INCREDIBLE HEIGHTS DURING THEIR TIME HERE AT B-G-S-U.

FIRST, WE WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE TWO TEAM MANAGERS IN THEIR SENIOR YEAR WITH THE PROGRAM. KYLE JEFFERSON IS COMPLETING HIS THIRD SEASON WITH THE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PROGRAM. KYLE, A NATIVE OF BEREA (BURR-EE’-UH), OHIO, IS A SPORT MANAGEMENT MAJOR WITH A MINOR IN SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. HE IS ACCOMPANIED BY HIS PARENTS, KEITH AND RENITA JEFFERSON. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, KYLE JEFFERSON!

CHRIS SIMLER IS WRAPPING UP HIS FOURTH YEAR AS A MANAGER WITH THE FALCONS. A NATIVE OF BOWLING GREEN, C-MONEY IS AN ADOLESCENT YOUNG ADULT MATH EDUCATION MAJOR, AND IS ACCOMPANIED BY HIS PARENTS, JAY AND RACHEL SIMLER. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CHRIS SIMLER!

NOW, ON TO THE PLAYERS. THIS GROUP HAS HELPED THE FALCONS TO A TOTAL OF ONE HUNDRED AND SIX VICTORIES IN THEIR CAREERS, HEADING INTO TONIGHT’S GAME.

OUR FIRST SENIOR IS CHELSEA ALBERT. CHELSEA, A NATIVE OF BRIGHTON, MICHIGAN, HAS PLAYED IN ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY CAREER GAMES HEADING INTO TONIGHT. SHE IS SHOOTING NEARLY 45 PERCENT FROM THE FIELD DURING HER CAREER, AND HAS A FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE THAT IS CLOSER TO 55 PERCENT THIS SEASON. SHE HAS AVERAGED 2.3 POINTS AND NEARLY TWO REBOUNDS PER GAME THIS YEAR, INCLUDING A NINE-POINT GAME IN THE WIN OVER OAKLAND AND A SEVEN-POINT, SIX-REBOUND GAME AS B-G-S-U DOWNED CENTRAL MICHIGAN RIGHT HERE AT ANDERSON ARENA. CHELSEA’S CONTRIBUTIONS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN MERE NUMBERS, HOWEVER, AS SHE HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS TEAMMATE, BOTH ON AND OFF THE COURT, OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. A TOURISM/EVENT PLANNING MAJOR, CHELSEA HAS A CUMULATIVE GRADE-POINT AVERAGE OF 3.44 THROUGH HER FIRST THREE-AND-A-HALF YEARS. SHE IS ACCOMPANIED BY HER PARENTS, BILL AND KELLY ALBERT. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CHELSEA ALBERT!

OUR NEXT SENIOR TODAY IS MAGGIE HENNEGAN. MAGGIE, A CINCINNATI NATIVE, CAME TO B-G-S-U AFTER STARRING AT SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY FOR TWO SEASONS. SHE SAT OUT THE SEASON TWO YEARS AGO, THEN JOINED HER NEW TEAMMATES ON THE COURT, PLAYING IN ALL 34 GAMES AS LAST SEASON’S B-G TEAM WON MAC REGULAR-SEASON AND TOURNAMENT TITLES. SHE AVERAGED NEARLY FIVE POINTS AND FIVE REBOUNDS A YEAR AGO. THIS SEASON, MAGGIE HAS AVERAGED ALMOST NINE POINTS PER GAME, AND HAS SCORED 10 POINTS PER CONTEST IN MAC PLAY. SHE HAS STARTED EVERY GAME THIS SEASON. SHE LEADS THE TEAM AND RANKS FOURTH IN THE MAC IN FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE, AND HAS SCORED IN DOUBLE DIGITS 10 TIMES, INCLUDING SEVEN TIMES IN MAC GAMES. MAGGIE EARNED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT SECOND-TEAM HONORS A YEAR AGO, AND WAS VOTED TO THE CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT FIRST TEAM THIS SEASON. PERHAPS THE BEST TESTAMENT TO HER CHARACTER AND VALUE IS THIS FACT. MAGGIE WAS VOTED A TEAM CAPTAIN PRIOR TO LAST SEASON, MEANING THAT HER TEAMMATES DEEMED HER WORTHY OF BEING A CAPTAIN BEFORE SHE EVER PLAYED IN A GAME HERE AT B-G-S-U. SHE HAS SCORED A TOTAL OF 941 POINTS IN HER COLLEGIATE CAREER. A HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION MAJOR WITH A MINOR IN BUSINESS AS AN UNDERGRAD, SHE GRADUATED LAST AUGUST WITH A PERFECT 4.00 GPA, AND IS CURRENTLY IN THE M-B-A PROGRAM HERE AT B-G-S-U. SHE IS JOINED ON THE COURT TONIGHT BY HER PARENTS, RICK AND GRETCHEN HENNEGAN. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAGGIE HENNEGAN!

OUR NEXT SENIOR IS TRACY PONTIUS. A NATIVE OF MORTON, ILLINOIS, TRACY CAME OFF THE BENCH DURING HER FRESHMAN YEAR, AVERAGING NEARLY THREE POINTS PER GAME. IN HER SOPHOMORE YEAR, SHE SEIZED THE STARTING POINT-GUARD POSITION AND GAVE THE FALCON OFFENSE ANOTHER DIMENSION. ALL TRACY DID IN HER FIRST SEASON WAS AVERAGE NEARLY 15 POINTS AND OVER FOUR ASSISTS PER GAME, EARNING ALL-MAC FIRST-TEAM HONORS AND BEING AN HONORABLE-MENTION SELECTION TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-AMERICA TEAM. SHE HAS SCORED IN DOUBLE DIGITS IN EACH OF THE LAST THREE YEARS, HAS LED THE FALCONS IN ASSISTS IN EACH OF THOSE YEARS AND HAS SCORED OVER THIRTEEN HUNDRED CAREER POINTS. TRACY CURRENTLY RANKS SEVENTH IN SCHOOL HISTORY WITH OVER THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY CAREER ASSISTS, AND SHE IS THIRD IN B-G-S-U HISTORY IN THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE. TRACY HAS MADE 64 THREE-POINTERS, MANY FROM N-B-A DISTANCE, THIS SEASON, AFTER MAKING AT LEAST SEVENTY IN EACH OF THE LAST TWO YEARS. AN ALL-MAC SELECTION LAST SEASON FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE SEASON, SHE WAS NAMED TO THE TEAM’S LEADERSHIP COUNCIL THIS YEAR. A TOURISM/EVENT PLANNING MAJOR, SHE IS ACCOMPANIED BY HER PARENTS, CRAIG AND DENISE PONTIUS. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TRACY PONTIUS!

OUR NEXT SENIOR IS LAUREN PROCHASKA. LISTING ALL OF LAUREN’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS COULD TAKE ALL NIGHT, BUT SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT SHE IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST DECORATED PLAYER IN B-G-S-U WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HISTORY. LAST MONTH, LAUREN BECAME THE SCHOOL’S ALL-TIME SCORING LEADER, AND SHE ALSO HOLDS THE B-G-S-U RECORDS FOR GAMES STARTED, THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE, FREE THROWS MADE AND FREE-THROW PERCENTAGE. SHE IS ONLY THE SECOND PLAYER IN MAC HISTORY TO MAKE OVER 300 THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS, AND IS FOURTH AMONG ALL CONFERENCE PLAYERS IN SCORING, JUST OVER 20 POINTS SHY OF THIRD PLACE. SHE LED THE NATION IN FREE-THROW PERCENTAGE AS A SOPHOMORE, AND RANKS THIRD IN THE COUNTRY IN THAT CATEGORY THIS SEASON. LAUREN MADE 70 CONSECUTIVE FREE THROWS, AN NCAA DIVISION-ONE RECORD, EARLIER THIS SEASON, AND WAS FEATURED IN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FOR HER ACCOMPLISHMENT. SHE IS ON PACE TO FINISH AMONG THE TOP-FIVE PLAYERS IN NCAA HISTORY IN FREE-THROW PERCENTAGE. LAUREN IS THE ONLY PLAYER IN SCHOOL HISTORY TO SCORE MORE THAN 500 POINTS IN EACH OF HER FOUR SEASONS. SHE HAS BEEN NAMED THE MAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR IN EACH OF THE LAST TWO SEASONS, AND WAS ALSO THE MAC TOURNAMENT M-V-P AS THE FALCONS WON THREE GAMES IN CLEVELAND TO CAPTURE THE CONFERENCE TOURNEY TITLE LAST SPRING. IN THE CLASSROOM, SHE IS A SPORT MANAGEMENT MAJOR WITH A CUMULATIVE G-P-A OF 3.23. SHE IS JOINED ON THE COURT BY HER PARENTS, DAVID AND SUSAN PROCHASKA. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LAUREN PROCHASKA!

OUR NEXT SENIOR IS JEN UHL. A PRODUCT OF WADSWORTH, OHIO, JEN WAS ONE OF THE TOP SIXTH MEN IN THE LEAGUE AS A FRESHMAN, BEFORE JUMPING INTO THE STARTING LINEUP FOR THE FINAL HALF OF HER SOPHOMORE SEASON. SHE AVERAGED NEARLY SEVEN POINTS AND SIX REBOUNDS IN HER STARTS THAT YEAR. LAST YEAR, JEN JUMPED INTO THE STARTING LINEUP AS THE TEAM WON A THIRD STRAIGHT MAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE, THEN CAPTURED THE MAC TOURNAMENT CROWN AND ADVANCED TO THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS. SHE AVERAGED SEVEN POINTS AND FIVE AND A HALF REBOUNDS PER GAME, AND WAS A CO-RECIPIENT OF THE TEAM’S SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD. THIS WINTER, SHE HAS STARTED EVERY GAME, AND IS FOURTH ON THE TEAM IN SCORING AND SECOND IN REBOUNDING. JEN IS AVERAGING OVER SEVEN REBOUNDS PER GAME IN MAC CONTESTS, LEADING THE TEAM. JEN HAS AVERAGED OVER 11 POINTS AND EIGHT REBOUNDS OVER THE LAST EIGHT GAMES, AND HAS PULLED DOWN 12 REBOUNDS IN THREE OF THOSE EIGHT GAMES. SHE HAS HAD FOUR DOUBLE DOUBLES THIS SEASON AND 10 IN HER B-G-S-U CAREER, AND HAS SCORED NEARLY 900 POINTS DURING HER COLLEGIATE CAREER. AN ADOLESCENT/YOUNG ADULT/SECONDARY EDUCATION MAJOR AT B-G-S-U, JEN HAS A CUMULATIVE G-P-A OF 3.61. SHE IS JOINED ON THE COURT BY HER PARENTS, STEVE AND MARY UHL. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, JEN UHL!

OUR FINAL SENIOR TODAY IS KELLY ZUERCHER. KELLY HAS PROVIDED A SPARK AND A PHYSICAL PRESENCE FOR THE FALCONS DURING HER FIRST THREE-PLUS SEASONS. A NATIVE OF ORRVILLE, OHIO, SHE PLAYED IN A TOTAL OF 38 GAMES OVER HER FIRST TWO YEARS, AND WAS THE TEAM’S MOST IMPROVED PLAYER LAST SEASON, BLOSSOMING INTO ONE OF THE TOP POSTS OFF OF THE BENCH AS THE SEASON ENTERED CRUNCH TIME. SHE SHOT NEARLY 45 PERCENT FROM THE FIELD AND AVERAGED TWO-AND-A-HALF POINTS PER GAME, AND GAVE THE FALCONS DOUBLE-DIGIT MINUTES OFF THE BENCH IN EIGHT OF THE FINAL NINE GAMES OF THE SEASON, INCLUDING TWO OF THE MAC TOURNAMENT WINS AND THE FALCONS’ NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME VS. MICHIGAN STATE. SHE HAD A CAREER-HIGH TEN POINTS IN A WIN OVER EASTERN MICHIGAN RIGHT HERE AT ANDERSON ARENA. SHE HAS PLAYED IN NEARLY NINETY GAMES AT B-G-S-U, AND WAS NAMED A MEMBER OF THE TEAM’S LEADERSHIP COUNCIL FOR THE 2010-11 SEASON. AN APPAREL MERCHANDISING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MAJOR, SHE HAS A CUMULATIVE G-P-A OF 3.55. SHE IS ACCOMPANIED TONIGHT BY HER PARENTS, DARRELL AND MARY LOU ZUERCHER. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, KELLY ZUERCHER!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THESE SIX INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN IMPRESSIVE, BUT MORE IMPRESSIVE IS THE LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS ACHIEVED BY THE TEAM DURING THEIR TIME HERE. THE FIVE FOURTH-YEAR SENIORS HAVE BEEN A PART OF ONE HUNDRED AND SIX VICTORIES, AN AVERAGE OF OVER 26 WINS PER SEASON, HEADING INTO TONIGHT’S GAME. THEY HAVE HELPED THE FALCONS TO A RECORD OF 54-9 IN MAC GAMES, AND HELPED THE BROWN AND ORANGE TO MAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLES AND NATIONAL POSTSEASON APPEARANCES IN EACH OF THEIR FIRST THREE SEASONS. THIS SEASON, THEY HAVE LED THE FALCONS TO A MAC EAST DIVISION TITLE, THE TEAM’S SEVENTH-STRAIGHT DIVISIONAL CROWN. AND, THEY HAVE SUCCEEDED IN THE CLASSROOM AS WELL AS ON THE COURT. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ONE MORE ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR YOUR 2010-2011 B-G-S-U WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SENIOR CLASS!