April 27, 2006

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Senior guard Michelle Cozad added the 2005-06 team Most Valuable Player award to her list of achievements this past season as the Santa Clara women's basketball team celebrated its WCC regular-season championship season at its annual banquet Saturday night in the Williman Room on the SCU campus.

Fourth-year head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson hosted the affair, which honored the team's pair of graduating seniors and to thank the Bronco fans and supporters for a memorable season, which included the team's first WCC regular-season title since the 1998-99 season and a trip to the Women's NIT, Santa Clara's seventh trip to the postseason in eight years.

"It was very nice to get everyone together and reflect on our successes from the year," said Bento-Jackson. "There are many individual and team accomplishments that I am very proud of with this team. They are to be acknowledged for their great effort, their determination, and their togetherness throughout the season. It was a wonderful evening."

Graduating seniors Cozad and Kayla Huss, both first-team All-WCC selections, were honored for their commitment and contributions to the program during their careers.

Cozad ends her Broncos career as one of the most prolific players to wear the red and white. On March 2 she became the 15th member of SCU's "1,000-Point Club" and finished her career with 1,072 points in only just over two seasons of play.

In 2005-06 she was named WCC Player of the Week an amazing six times, WCC player of the Month for the month of December 2005 and capped it all off with the conference Player of the Year award, Santa Clara's first such recipient since Lisa Sacco took home the honor in 1997-98. She also recorded a triple-double on Jan. 8, 2006 at the University of Portland, scoring 13 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists in SCU's 74-73 win.

The Stockton native paced the WCC in scoring (18.1 ppg), three-pointers made (72), was second in rebounding (8.8 rpg), free-throw shooting (82.4%), steals (2.29 per game) and was also in the top ten in assists (2.74 per game) and three-point field goal percentage (35.5%). Cozad will also end her career in the top ten of six different career categories in the Santa Clara record books.

Huss, a three-time All-WCC performer (twice first-team), will go down as one of Santa Clara's most clutch performers ever. Her career is full of buzzer-beaters and game-winners, including one as time expired on New Year's Eve 2005 to give Santa Clara a 70-69 overtime win over Ball State.

The Everett, Wash. native ends her time on the Mission Campus with her name in five different all-time career categories: three-point shooting percentage and made, free-throw percentage, assists and games played. Additionally, in 2005-06 she led the WCC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.51), was third in assists (3.32 per game) and three-point shooting percentage (43.1%) and was sixth in threes made (47).

Huss capped her career by being named the WCC's Player of the Month for the month of February and earning her second career first-team All-WCC honor.

Sophomore guard Tracey Walker took home the team's Most Outstanding Defensive Player award, as she finished seventh in the conference with 1.55 steals per game and was consistently a scourge to opposing defenses.

Kasey Monteith was named the Most Improved Player after she scored 7.2 points and pulled down 5.1 rebounds a game this season while also swatting away a team-leading 30 shots. Monteith's 30 blocks were fifth-most in the WCC while she led the conference with a 54.1 shooting percentage from the floor.

Anna Martin earned the Coaches Award and Yasemin Kimyacioglu was honored with the Christine Silvernail award. The Christine Silvernail Award is a recognition given to the athlete that "best embodies what it means to be a Bronco." The award was established in 2000, in honor of Silvernail, the 1994 WCC Player of the Year, after she passed away as a result of a car accident.

The banquet was ended with a highlight video showcasing the Broncos' achievements during the season.

2005-06 Santa Clara Basketball Awards