February 24, 2006
Release courtesy of Nick Huber, Buena Vista Univ. sports information director

STORM LAKE , IOWA . . . Buena Vista University women's basketball player Katie Maguire has been named as a finalist for the 2006 Jostens Award. The Jostens Award is given to the NCAA III Men's and Women's Basketball Outstanding Athletes of the Year. Recipients of the Jostens Award must exhibit excellence in basketball, academics and community service. This is the second consecutive year that Maguire has been named as a finalist.

Maguire, a senior guard from Treynor, Iowa, finished the season as the Iowa Conference's leading scorer and concluded her career as one of the top players in school history. Maguire, who recorded her 1,500th career point and 500th career assist earlier this year, averaged 20.3 points and 6.6 assists per game. An honorable mention All-America selection a year ago, she has earned all-conference honors each of her first three collegiate seasons.

Maguire, an elementary education major, ranks first in school history in career three point shots (238), career assists (511), and free throw percentage (84%), second in career steals (262), and third in career points scored (1,724). She is a two-time academic-all district selection. Maguire, a 2002 graduate of Treynor High School, is the daughter of Scott Maguire of Treynor, Iowa and Annette Vasicek of Treynor, Iowa.

A total of 10 finalists were named. In addition to Maguire, the women's finalists are: Kathy Baum, St. John Fisher; Elizabeth Cook, Messiah; Karalyn Dehn, Ripon; Erika Eisenhut, Union; Sara Heitkamp, Capital; Dana Johns, Franklin and Marshall; Megan Silva, Randolph-Macon; Leigh Sulkowski, Washington and Jefferson; Megan Vig, Carleton.

The winners of the Jostens Award will be notified on March 6. The Trophies will be presented on March 16 by the Salem Rotary Club at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia. Buena Vista graduate Adam Jones was presented with the men's award in 2002.

-30-