Minnesota senior Courtney Kennedy took home Player of the Year honors, at the second annual WCHA Women’s Championship Banquet today. The Woburn, Mass., native led all defenseman in league scoring with 35 points on 10 goals and 25 assists. Kennedy was the heart of a defense that averaged 2.09 goals against to lead the conference. She was also chosen as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year.
This season’s winner of the WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year Award went to Bemidji State’s Bre Dedrickson. The sophomore goaltender has a 3.6 cumulative grade point average after recording a 4.0 for the fall semester with a 21-credit course load in sport psychology.
Wisconsin’s Meghan Hunter was named 2000-01 WCHA Rookie of the Year after finishing the season as the nation’s leading scorer. Honored twice during the season as player of the week, and once as rookie of the week, the Oil Springs, Ont., native recorded 38 goals, 33 assists and 71 points. The freshman also led the country with 29 power-play points and five hat tricks.
Selected as co-coaches of the year were Laura Halldorson of Minnesota and Kerry Wethington of St. Cloud State. Halldorson led the Gophers to their first WCHA regular-season title with an 18-4-2 conference mark and 23-7-2 overall record. The Plymouth, Minn., native led Minnesota to the 1999-2000 AWCHA national championship.
Wethington led the Huskies to a fourth-place league finish with a 12-10-2 league rcord. Hailing from Roseville, Minn., Wethington directed St. Cloud State to its first above-.500 finish with an overall mark of 17-15-2, and made the Huskies one of three league teams to beat each other team at least once.
Voting for the WCHA awards was done by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. The Defensive Player of the Year Award was chosen solely by the head coaches, while the Student-Athlete of the Year was chosen by institutional representatives.
Player of the Year: Courtney Kennedy, Minnesota
Student-Athlete of the Year: Bre Dedrickson, Bemidji State
Defensive Player of the Year: Courtney Kennedy, Minnesota
Rookie of the Year: Meghan Hunter, Wisconsin
Coach of the Year: Laura Halldorson, Minnesota; Kerry Wethington, St. Cloud State
2000-01 All-WCHA First Team
F Meghan Hunter, Wisconsin (Fr., Oil Springs, Ont.)
F Maria Rooth, Minnesota-Duluth (So., Angelholm, Sweden)
F Hanne Sikio, Minnesota-Duluth (So., Lempaala, Finland)
D Courtney Kennedy, Minnesota (Sr., Woburn, Mass.)
D Kerry Weiland, Wisconsin (So., Palmer, Alaska)
G Erica Killewald, Minnesota (Sr., Troy, Mich.)
2000-01 All-WCHA Second Team
F La Toya Clarke, Minnesota (Fr., Pickering, Ont.)
F Ricki-Lee Doyle, St. Cloud State (Fr., Calgary, Alberta)
F Ambria Thomas, Minnesota (Sr., Fairbanks, Alaska)
D Kobi Kawamoto, St. Cloud State (Fr., Surrey, B.C.)
D Fiona McLeod, St. Cloud State (Jr., Toronto, Ont.)
G Tuula Puputti, Minnesota-Duluth (So., Kuopio, Finland)
