Blugold Spotlight: HeaTher Witt, UW-Eau Claire Women's Basketball
Posted: Monday, February 23, 2009
Over the past few seasons, Heather Witt has emerged as one of the most dynamic athletes in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
In her first season as a full-time starter Witt received honorable mention All-WIAC status as well as being named to the all-defensive team in 2007-08. Witt has continued her hot streak this season, leading the 12th-ranked Blugolds 21-4 overall record and a quarterfinal meeting with UW-River Falls in the WIAC conference tournament Tuesday at Zorn Arena.
Witt currently ranks first in the WIAC in steals, assists, assist to turnover ratio and minutes played. In total, Witt ranks in the top ten in seven statistical categories. One of the top highlights of her season was a career-high 28 points scored in a 21-point victory against then-No. 2 ranked UW-Whitewater. For her efforts, Witt was named to the D3hoops.com team of the week and was selected as the WIAC athlete of the week on February 3.
The Basics
Position: Point Guard
Hometown: Kendall, Wis. (Royall High School)
Year: Senior
Major: Elementary Education
Coaches Comments:
It has been an honor to coach Heather for the last four years.? Heather makes her teammates around her better every day by her outstanding work ethic and leadership.? Heather is a competitor who takes great pride in doing everything well on the floor and in the classroom.? Heather has improved her game each year she has played in the program and with this improvement our team has grown into a Top 20 team nationally and a team with the potential to make a deep NCAA run this season. Through all of her success, Heather has remained extremely humble, deeply committed to the team concept and willing to sacrifice personal glory for the success of the team. -- Head Coach, Tonja Englund
Teammates Take:
Heather is one of those people you?can't stand because she is always going the extra mile and then some.?Whether in school or on the court, she always goes above and beyond expectations.?She will honestly be the best teacher she can be, she is great with kids and truly has a passion for teaching.?On the court Heather leads by example. She is always looking to get better at her game, and she is always willing to help anyone that needs it. I can honestly say that Heather has improved most over her four years.?She really is one of the best players I have had the opportunity to play with.?-- Ashley Anderson (Sr.-Oakdale, Minn./North St. Paul)
Growing up, were there any athletes that you looked up to or idolized?
One athlete in particular was "Pistol" Pete Maravich.?What?amazed me most about?Maravich was'the great basketball player he made himself into.?He would spend hours and hours by himself'shooting and working on ball handling skills in his back yard or the school gym. His'hard work paid off?as he?became a legend at LSU, scoring?almost 4,000?points (without'the 3-point line)?and?was a?five-time NBA all-star.?His passion for the game was'something?I admired and something that inspires me to this day.
As a high school senior, what was it that made you decide on UW-Eau Claire?
I came to Eau Claire for a couple different reasons. When I?was looking into the education programs at different colleges, UWEC was the one that stood out the most. After meeting some of the professors in the department?while on a visit, I was amazed at their professionalism and attitude toward education.?Another main reason I chose to come?here was the basketball program.?The winning tradition and community support were just a few of the reasons I knew this would be a good fit for me.
In your freshman campaign, the 2005-06 club finished the season with a 13-13 overall record and an 8-8 mark in the WIAC. What has changed within the program that has propelled your team into the national spotlight over the past three seasons'<
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