Broncos sweep top rookie honors
March 20, 2002
KALAMAZOO -- WMU hockey player Pat Dwyer was named the top freshman in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association at the CCHA Awards Banquet in Detroit, completing a three-sport sweep of top rookie honors that may be a first in collegiate sports.
Earlier this month, the Mid-American Conference named Bronco Ben Reed as the league's top rookie in men's basketball, and WMU's Casey Rost as the conference's Freshman of the Year in women's basketball.
Dwyer, who paced all rookies in scoring in CCHA contests with 28 points in 28 games, is the fourth Bronco to win the conference's top freshman award, joining Daryl Andrews in 1997, Marc Magliarditi in 1996, and Chris Brooks in 1993. A native of Great Falls, Mont., Dwyer finished second in goal scoring for the Broncos with 17 goals and placed third in scoring with 34 points.
Reed of Battle Creek, Mich., concluded the regular season as the MAC's leading freshman scorer with 14.2 points per game and top rebounder with 6.3 per game. He reached double figures in 13 of the 15 MAC games in which he played, including a career-high 30 points in a Jan. 12 victory over rival Central Michigan. Booker James in 1984 was the only other Bronco men's basketball player to earn the honor.
Rost of St. Johns, Mich., was the league's top scoring freshman, averaging 14.7 points per contest and 14.9 in games against MAC opponents. She also concluded the regular season ranked fifth in the MAC in 3-point field goals per game with 2.28. Ten times, Rost led or tied for the team lead in scoring during the regular season, including a career-high 24 points against league champion Kent State on Feb. 17. Former women's player Kina Brown was selected as the top newcomer in 1992 and current Bronco Kristen Koetsier was the league's top rookie in 2000.
The Mid-American Conference has named a Freshman of the Year in both men's and women's basketball for the past two decades. WMU is the first school to take the conference's top rookie honors in both the men's and women's game in the same season.
Media contact: Daniel Jankowski, 269 387-4138, daniel.jankowski@wmich.edu