Ashlynn Muhl and Leann Osten have been named to the 2013-14 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball First Team as selected by the league’s head coaches.

Ashlynn Muhl and Leann Osten have been named to the 2013-14 All-Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball First Team as selected by the league’s head coaches.

Their exploits have helped lead the Mustangs to a 27-6 record and a share of the GPAC’s regular season championship with a 16-4 league record. Morningside was the runner-up in the GPAC Post-Season Tournament with an 83-71 loss against Northwestern College in the title game to earn an automatic berth in the upcoming NAIA Division II National Tournament, where the Mustangs will make a school-record 12th consecutive appearance.

Muhl, a 5-11 junior forward from Minneota, Minn., is a repeat selection on the All-GPAC First Team. She is the Mustangs’ leading rebounder and second leading scorer with averages of 7.8 rebounds and 11.1 points per game. Muhl has a team-high eight double-doubles and has been Morningside’s leading rebounder in 20 of its 33 games. She has the Mustangs’ top individual rebounding performance of the season with a 14-board haul against William Penn University on Nov. 9.
Aside from leading the Mustangs in rebounding, Muhl also tops the team in field goal accuracy with 127 hoops in 227 attempts for 55.9 percent. She has converted a team-high 100 of 139 free throw attempts for 71.9 percent.

Osten, a 5-6 senior guard from Columbus, Neb., is the Mustangs’ leading scorer with an average of 12.6 points per game to compliment a norm of 1.9 rebounds per contest. Osten also leads the team with 108 assists and ranks among the NAIA Division II national leaders with 97 steals for averages of 3.3 assists and 2.9 steals per game. She scored a career-high 30 points against Northwestern in the GPAC Post-Season Tournament Championship Game for the Mustangs’ top individual scoring performance of the season. She has made 147 of 325 field goal attempts for 45.2 percent, 30 of 102 3-point field goal attempts for 29.4 percent, and 91 of 119 free throw attempts for 76.5 percent.

Osten, a three-year starter, has been one of the most improved players in the GPAC after she entered the campaign with a career scoring average of 6.2 points per game. Osten’s 30-point performance against Northwestern in the GPAC Post-Season Tournament Championship Game put over the 1,000-point mark for her career and into 23rd place on Morningside’s all-time scoring list with 1,027 career points.

In addition to their two first-team selections, the Mustangs placed Lexi Ackerman and Jessica Tietz on the All-GPAC Second Team.

Ackerman, a 5-10 freshman guard from Rock Rapids, Iowa, was also named the GPAC Freshman of the Year. Ackerman is averaging 10.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game and is second on the Mustangs with 98 assists and 71 steals for norms of 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game. She is the Mustangs’ most accurate long range shooter with 35 3-point field goals in 72 attempts for 48.6 percent. Ackerman has made 114 of 230 field goal attempts for 49.6 percent and 70 of 96 free throw attempts for 72.9 percent.

Tietz, a 6-2 sophomore center from Bancroft, Neb., was last year’s GPAC Freshman of the Year. Tietz is the top scorer and rebounder off the Mustangs’ bench with averages of 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. She has contributed seven double figure scoring efforts and two double figure rebounding performances off the bench so far this season. Her average of 5.3 rebounds per game is the second highest on the team. Tietz also ranks second on the team with 18 blocked shots and in field goal accuracy with 118 hoops in 216 attempts for 54.6 percent.

Morningside’s Allison Bachman, a 5-9 sophomore guard from Fremont, Neb., was named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list. Bachman is averaging 9.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and ranks fourth on the team with 51 steals. She has made 111 of 242 field goal attempts for 45.9 percent, 22 of 83 3-point field goal attempts for 26.5 percent, and 71 of 96 free throw attempts for 74.0 percent.