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March 1, 2004

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.--Talk about a good week. First, your team wins a pair of games. On Saturday, you score 21 points to become your school's all-time leading scorer. Then, just two days later you are named the 2003-04 Horizon League Player of the Year. Yes, just a week in the life of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee basketball player Maria Viall. The 6-3 center was named the League Player of the Year here Monday (Mar. 1) in a vote conducted by league head coaches, sports information directors, and select media. Viall, who also won the award in 2001-02, becomes just the second player in Horizon League history to win the honor twice in her career.

"What a great way for Maria to finish her career," UWM head coach Sandy Botham said. "This is very well deserved. Maria has been so consistent on both ends of the floor this year and every team in the league has to game plan for her. I'm just thrilled for her. She is so humble and always gives credit to her team but she has been a true leader both on and off the court. But she is definitely not done yet."

In addition to the POY honor, Viall was named to the First-Team All-League squad for the third straight season. With the selection, the Waukesha-native joins Butler's Julie VonDielingen (1989-93) and UW-Green Bay's Chari Nordgaard (1996-99) as the only players in school history to earn first-team honors three or more seasons. Furthermore, with two Player of the Year nods, Viall joins Notre Dame's Karen Robinson (1989-91) as the only dual honorees.

Viall, who was also named to the 2003-04 Horizon League All-Defensive Team, leads the league in scoring at 18.3 ppg and rebounding at 10.4 rpg, while also pacing all-league players with a 52.5% field goal percentage. No. 24 is also fourth in blocked shots with 1.15 per game and eighth in free throw percentage with 73.4% marksmanship. Furthermore, with a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining in Saturday's win at Youngstown State, Viall became UWM's all-time leading scorer, eclipsing a 21-year-old mark set by Jaci Clark (1979-83). Viall now ranks first all-time in school history in five different statistical categories: scoring (1,831 points), blocked shots (161 blocks), field goal percentage (.544), field goals made (726) and free throws made (376), while placing third in rebounding (936 rebounds).

Viall was joined on the All-Horizon League First-Team by UW-Green Bay junior Abby Scharlow, Butler senior Nancy Bowden and a pair of Cleveland State senior standouts, Ashley Schrock and Shannon Sword. The all-league second-team consisted of UWGB's Nicole Soulis, Chrissy Dizon of Illinois-Chicago, Detroit's Nicole Anaejionu and Loyola's Ciara Henderson and Meskhenet Lands. Viall was one of six All-Defensive team members, joining Bowden, Anaejionu, UWGB's Mary Kulenkamp, Butler's Angel Mason and Brittney Whiteside of Wright State.

UW-Green Bay head coach Kevin Borseth was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 13-3 league mark and the outright regular season title. UWGB added another specialty award as freshman Nicole Soulis was named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year. Soulis was joined on the All-Newcomer team by WSU's Whiteside, Ellen Hamilton of Butler and Krystal Hugelier and LaShonda Grant of UIC.

Milwaukee will host the 2004 Horizon League Women's Basketball Tournament beginning with a quarterfinal game on Thursday (March 4). The Panthers, the No. 2 seed, will host the No. 7 seed, UIC, at 7:00 p.m. at the Klotsche Center. Should UWM advance, the tournament semifinals and finals will be played on campus Sunday, March 7 with the title game scheduled for Monday, March 8 at 6:00 p.m.