Jessica Rahman Becomes the second coach in program history to earn MIAC Coach of the Year Honors.	Mandy Pearson Named MIAC MVP for the second straight season. Also named to the All-MIAC Team and the All-MIAC Defensive Team.	Jamie Visness Named to the MIAC All-Conference Team for the 1st time in career.	Melanie Hageman Named to the MIAC All-First Year Team.	Tori Ehlert Named to the MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention Team. First time in career to earn postseason honors.	Annie Keeley Named to the MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention Team. 2nd year she has earned MIAC postseason honors.

Pearson Named MIAC MVP, Rahman is Coach of the Year as Cobbers Reap MIAC Awards!
The worst kept secret in MIAC women's basketball was finally announced publicly on Wednesday. Concordia senior guard Mandy Pearson (Watkins, Minn./Eden-Valley-Watkins HS) earned her second consecutive league MVP honor. She was part of the six-person Cobber contingent that was showered with MIAC postseason honors.

Pearson, head coach Jessica Rahman, fellow senior Jamie Visness (Hallock, Minn./Kittson Central HS), Melanie Hageman (Fr., Fargo, N.D./Fargo South HS), Tori Ehlert (Jr., Battle Lake, Minn.) and Annie Keeley (So., Grafton, N.D.) all earned conference awards as announced by the league office. It is the second straight season that all five Concordia starting players earned a postseason award from the league. 

To go along with her MVP award, Pearson was also named to the MIAC All-Conference and MIAC All-Defensive Teams. Rahman, in only her second season at the helm of the Cobbers, was named MIAC Coach of the Year. Visness was the only other Cobber to earn All-Conference honors. Melanie Hageman was placed on the MIAC All-First year Team, while Ehlert and Keeley earned all-conference honorable mention honors. 

Rahman and her five starting players led Concordia to a second place finish in the league in 2004-05. Their 17-3 conference record was the best mark since the 1992-93 Cobbers also went 17-3 in the MIAC and finished second. Overall, Concordia finished with a 19-5 record. In the past two seasons they have posted 40 overall wins and 34 conference victories.

Pearson becomes the first player in Concordia women's basketball history to earn more than one conference MVP award. She is the first player in the MIAC to accomplish the feat since Missy Pederson of St. Thomas won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. She is also the fourth Concordia athlete in 2004-05 to earn the top conference honor. In the fall, Brian Schumacher won the award in football, Jessica Walden in volleyball and Morgan Bain garnered the honor in women's soccer. 

Pearson completes her career by being named to the MIAC All-Conference Team for the third straight season. She also earned All-Defensive Team honors for the second time in her career. She earned the other all-defensive award in her freshman season. 

Pearson finished third in the league in scoring with a 17.5 points per game average. She led the league in assists (7.40 apg) and steals (3.10 spg). Unbelievably, she led the league in assists in all four of her seasons of competition. Pearson also finished third in free throw percentage (81.5) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.45). 

Nationally, she finished second in assists per game. 

Pearson finished her career with 1,346 points and 640 assists. She is the first player in the history of either basketball program at Concordia to break the 1,000-point barrier and the 500-assist marker. She is fifth on the  all-time scoring list and third in assists. Her total of 175 assists this season is the eighth best season total in program history. She also owns the ninth and tenth best assist seasons.

Visness caps her sharp-shooting career by earning all-conference honors for the first time in her four years.  She was named to the MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention Team the previous two seasons. Visness was the team's second leading scorer with a 11.4 points per game average. That total is the highest in her four-year career. 

She finished third in the league in 3-point field goals made (1.90/game) and fifth in 3-point percentage (40.0%). 

Visness still holds the NCAA women's all-division record for most consecutive free throws made. She accomplished that feat in her sophomore season when she drained 69 consecutive foul shots.  She ended her career with 935 points, and shot a school career record 89.6% from the free throw line.

Hageman becomes the second consecutive Concordia player to be named to the MIAC All-First Year Team. Last season, Keeley walked away with the award. Hageman made a huge impact from her first collegiate game and never looked back. She scored 29 points in her first game against Mayville State, and finished the season by scoring in double figures in 14 of the team's 24 games. She was fourth on the team in scoring with a 10.8 points per game average and finished sixth in the MIAC in field goal percentage (51.7%).

The ever-improving Ehlert deservingly was recognized as an all-conference honorable mention honoree. She has gone from playing a total of 39 minutes in her freshman season to one of the top inside players in the league. She completed her junior season by leading the team in rebounds (6.3 rpg) and was fifth in scoring with a 7.4 points per game average - both totals are career bests. She was tenth in the league in field goal percentage (47.3%) and 11th in rebounding. 

Keeley is the final member of the quintet of players to earn MIAC honors. It is the second straight season she has garnered a postseason award. Last year she was named to the MIAC All-First Year Team. In 2004-05 she led the team in 3-point baskets (37) and was third on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg). It is the second straight year that she has average over 10 points per game. Her 3-point field goal percentage also placed her third in the MIAC. Concordia finished the season 16-3 when Keeley made at least one shot from behind the arc. 

Rahman joins coaching mentor Duane Siverson as the only two Cobber women's basketball coaches to earn Coach of the Year honors. She completed her second season by winning her 40th game. In her first two years she has compiled a 40-12 overall record and a 34-8 mark in conference play. In the 31-year history of Concordia women’s basketball only Siverson, the current Cobber men’s coach, won more overall and league games during his first two years as head coach. Siverson, who started coaching the women’s team in the 1984-85 season, won 41 overall games and 35 MIAC games in his first two campaigns. 
 

Player of the Year 
Mandy Pearson      Concordia      Sr.   Guard   Watkins, Minn.

Coach of the Year
Jessica Rahman     Concordia

Sixth Player of the Year
Kari Christianson  Carleton       Jr.   Guard   Twin Valley, Minn.

2004-05 MIAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE
Name               School        Year  Pos.     Hometown
Jen Ahlberg        Bethel        Jr.   Guard    Milaca, Minn.
Kate Bremmer       St. Catherine So.   Guard    Granite Falls, Minn.
Kristi Colbenson   Carleton      Sr.   Guard    Rushford, Minn.
Laurisa Ewert      Hamline       Jr.   Forward  Andover, Minn.
Beth Freeman       Carleton      Sr.   Forward  Richfield, Minn. 
Anna Heikenen      St. Benedict  Jr.   Forward  Edina, Minn. 
Kim Johnson        St. Benedict  Sr.   Post     Arden Hills, Minn.
Kristin Kachelmyer Gustavus      Sr.   Post     Mankato, Minn. 
Kristy Larson      St. Olaf      Sr.   Post     St. Angsar, Iowa
Ashley Luehmann    St. Mary's    Jr.   Guard    Lewiston, Minn.
Bri Monahan        Gustavus      So.   Post     Hutchinson, Minn.
Erica Opdahl       St. Thomas    Jr.   Post     Mound, Minn.
Mandy Pearson      Concordia     Sr.   Guard    Watkins, Minn.
Jamie Rattunde     St. Mary's    Sr.   Forward  Rollingstone, Minn.
Megan Vig          Carleton      Jr.   Forward  Northfield, Minn.
Jamie Visness      Concordia     Sr.   Guard    Hallock, Minn.

All-Defensive Team
Kristi Colbenson   Carleton       Sr.   Guard   Rushford, Minn.
Katie Freeman      Carleton       Sr.   Forward Richfield, Minn
Kristin Kachelmyer Gustavus       Sr.   Post    Mankato, Minn. 
Mandy Pearson      Concordia      Sr.   Guard   Watkins, Minn.
Jamie Rattunde     St. Mary's     Sr.   Forward Rollingstone, Minn. 

All-First Year Team
Melanie Hageman    Concordia      Fy.   Post    Fargo, N.D.
Shelley Soule      St. Catherine  Fy.   Guard   Lakeville, Minn.
Danielle Stoermer  St. Olaf       Fy.   Post    Wayzata, Minn.
Jess Vadnais       Gustavus       Fy.   Guard   Husdson, Wis.
Jessica Weisbrod   St. Mary's     Fy.   Forward Rollingstone, Minn.

Honorable Mention
Angie Arrington    St. Mary's     Sr.   Guard   Spring Grove, Minn.
Heather Davis      Bethel         So.   Fwd/Ctr Eden Prairie, Minn.
Tori Ehlert        Concordia      Jr.   Post    Battle Lake, Minn.
Anne Keeley        Concordia      So.   Guard   Grafton, N.D.
Katie Kelsey       Augsburg       Sr.   Fwd/Ctr Burnsville, Minn.
Carolyn Korchik    Hamline        Jr.   Guard   Bloomington, Minn.
Natalie Lyzhoft    St. Catherine  Sr.   Guard   Maple Grove, Minn.
Darby Noreen       St. Benedict   So.   Guard   Avon, Minn.
Sarah Schneider    St. Catherine  So.   Forward Shakopee, Minn.
Molly Simon        St. Olaf       Sr.   Guard   Hudson, Wis.
JoLynn Thielke     Bethel         So.   Guard   Holoway, Minn.
Vel Williams       St. Thomas    Sr.   Guard   St. Paul, Minn.