Bowling Green State University Athletics
Santoro Named BGSU Women's Basketball Player of the Year
April 13, 2017 | Women's Basketball
Siefker, Tunstall each pick up multiple awards as Sunday night's banquet
Sophomore Carly Santoro picked up the Player-of-the-Year Award at the 2016-17 Bowling Green State University Women's Basketball Awards Banquet Sunday night (April 9). The event was held in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom of the Bowen Thompson Student Union.
Santoro was named the team's Player of the Year in a vote of team members, while a pair of seniors, Abby Siefker and Ashley Tunstall, picked up two awards apiece. Siefker earned the team's Scholar-Athlete Award, and also earned the Fran and Marty Voll Senior Achievement Award. Tunstall was named both the Falcons' Impact Player of the Year and the Power Player of the Year.
PHOTO GALLERY
Several other team members earned awards as well. Sophomore Sydney Lambert was named the Playmaker of the Year, while freshman Andrea Cecil picked up the team's Most Improved Player award.
Senior Rachel Konieczki received the Falcon Award, which is given to the person or persons who embody qualities such as dedication, commitment, effort and being the ultimate team player. And, junior Haley Puk earned the Les Disher Service Award.
Konieczki and Puk each earned their respective awards for the second consecutive year. Puk singlehandedly recorded one-third of the team's service hours for 2016-17. Konieczki is only the second student-athlete to earn the Falcon Award twice since its inception in 2001, joining Lindsey Goldsberry on that short list.
Lambert earned the Playmaker-of-the-Year Award for the second time in as many years at BG, while Siefker collected the Scholar-Athlete Award for her second time as a Falcon.
Santoro, a native of Bellevue, Ohio (Bellevue H.S.), started all 31 games in 2016-17, leading the Falcons in scoring and ranking second in rebounding with 12.0 points and 7.4 boards per game. She also was second in minutes per game (29.7) and three-point field goals made (44), and led the team in free throws made and attempted. The guard had 59 offensive rebounds and a BG-best 169 defensive boards, and tied for second on the team in steals. In MAC games, Santoro led BG in both scoring and rebounding, with 12.3 ppg and 7.4 rpg. She scored in double digits 19 times, the highest total on the team, and paced the club with four games of 20 points or more. Santoro also led the Falcons with five double-doubles on the season.
Siefker, who hails from Ottoville, Ohio (Ottoville H.S.), started all 31 games in her senior season, ranking fourth on the team in scoring and leading the Falcons in rebounding. She had 7.1 points and 7.5 rebounds on the year, and also led BGSU in blocked shots. And, the center was second on the team in assists, with 1.9 per game. Siefker had four double-doubles on the year, ranking second on the team behind Santoro. Siefker led the Falcons in rebounding on 12 occasions, and led BG in assists no fewer than 13 times. She had a total of 101 offensive rebounds – becoming the first Falcon in three years with more than 100 offensive boards – and had 17 games with at least three offensive boards. Siefker was second on the team in free throws made, and shot 72.5% from the stripe, good for fourth on the Falcons.
Tunstall, from Dayton, Ohio (Huber Heights Wayne H.S.), played in 30 games, starting them all. She was third on the team in both scoring and rebounding, with 7.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and shot a team-best 44.6% from the floor. Tunstall also ranked third on the Falcons in assists (1.3 per game), and shot 33.3% from three-point range, going 12-of-36 on the year. She was second on the team behind Siefker in offensive rebounds, with 76 (2.5 per game). In MAC games, Tunstall had 8.9 ppg and 6.1 rpg, and shot 48.4% from the field. She scored 10 or more points nine times, and had a double-digit rebounding total on four occasions, ranking third on the team in both of those categories. Tunstall had eight double-digit scoring games in the Falcons' 18 MAC contests. And, defensively, she led the team in charges drawn.
Lambert, who hails from Cincinnati, Ohio (McAuley H.S.), started all 31 games and was second on the team in scoring, with 10.4 ppg. She also had 3.7 rpg, and led the Falcons in both assists (2.3 apg) and steals (1.0 spg). Lambert went 71-for-198 from beyond the arc, leading the team in both three-point field goals made and three-point accuracy (35.9%), and her total of 71 triples made ranks eighth on the BGSU single-season list ... in MAC play, she averaged 11.7 ppg and shot 38% (46-for-121) from three-point land. The point guard had 16 double-digit scoring games, ranking second on the team. After just two seasons at BGSU, Lambert is tied for 11th in school history with 127 three-point field goals made, and she also ranks 11th in career three-point FG percentage (.379).
Cecil, a product of Oak Harbor, Ohio (Oak Harbor H.S.), played in all 31 games off the bench, and averaged 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per outing. She was second on the team in blocked shots, and had 6.1 ppg and 3.3 rpg in MAC games. Overall, Cecil finished fourth on the team with 19 three-point field goals made. She was the Falcons' first substitution to check into the game 10 times, including in four of the last five contests, and averaged 7.6 ppg over those final five games of the season. She scored in double digits three times as a freshman.
Konieczki, from Rockford, Ill. (Rockford Lutheran H.S.), played in all 31- games off the bench in her senior season, averaging 2.5 points per game. She went 32-for-43 from the free-throw line, for a 74.4% success rate, and was second on the team in free throws made per 40 minutes. Konieczki, a co-captain in 2016-17, was named to the Academic All-MAC Team for the third consecutive season. She played in 121 career games as a Falcon, making 30 starts.
Puk, a native of Waterloo, Iowa (Waterloo West H.S.), played in 30 games, starting each of the final 24 games of the season. She averaged 6.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, and was second on the team in steals and third on the club in three-point field goals made. Puk averaged 6.9 ppg in MAC games, and scored in double digits six times on the season. She hit at least one three-pointer in 10 consecutive games to end the regular season.
In addition to the presentation of awards on Sunday night, the crowd was treated to dinner and a season highlight video. Freshman Clare Glowniak delivered the invocation, and Cecil, Glowniak and fellow freshmen Caterrion Thompson and Jane Uecker received letter jackets after officially becoming BGSU first-year letterwinners. The team's four seniors each had the opportunity to speak, as Konieczki, Siefker, Tunstall and Leah Bolton shared their thoughts and memories on their time at BGSU.
While the 2017-18 season opener is roughly seven months away, Falcon fans can save the dates for a pair of events that will take place during the off-season. The team's annual Mid-Summer Night's Madness event will take place on July 19, while the Women's Basketball Golf Outing is set for September 17. More information on each of these events will be available right here at BGSUFalcons.com as the events draw closer.
2016-17 BGSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS
* Player of the Year: Carly Santoro
(Sponsored by Dan Long)
* Falcon Award: Rachel Konieczki
(Sponsored by Joan Slebos)
* Power Player of the Year: Ashley Tunstall
(Sponsored by George & Susan Lang)
* Playmaker of the Year: Sydney Lambert
(Sponsored by Ron Thompson)
* Impact Player of the Year: Ashley Tunstall
(Sponsored by the Lloyd family)
* Most Improved Player: Andrea Cecil
(Sponsored by Larry & Fran Weiss)
* Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Abby Siefker
(Sponsored by Steve & Rhonda Melchi)
* Les Disher Service Award: Haley Puk
* Fran & Marty Voll Senior Achievement Award: Abby Siefker
AWARDS CRITERIA
* Player of the Year: presented to the most outstanding player during the season
* Impact Player of the Year; presented to the player who made significant contributions during the season
* Scholar-Athlete of the Year: presented to the player who excels on the court and in the classroom
* Playmaker of the Year: presented to the most outstanding guard
* Power Player of the Year: presented to the most outstanding post player
* Most Improved Player: presented to the player who has shown the most improvement throughout the season
* Falcon Award: presented to the player who embodies qualities such as dedication, commitment, effort and being the ultimate team player
* Disher Service Award: presented to the player who has made significant contributions to the community in the field of service
Santoro was named the team's Player of the Year in a vote of team members, while a pair of seniors, Abby Siefker and Ashley Tunstall, picked up two awards apiece. Siefker earned the team's Scholar-Athlete Award, and also earned the Fran and Marty Voll Senior Achievement Award. Tunstall was named both the Falcons' Impact Player of the Year and the Power Player of the Year.
PHOTO GALLERY
Several other team members earned awards as well. Sophomore Sydney Lambert was named the Playmaker of the Year, while freshman Andrea Cecil picked up the team's Most Improved Player award.
Senior Rachel Konieczki received the Falcon Award, which is given to the person or persons who embody qualities such as dedication, commitment, effort and being the ultimate team player. And, junior Haley Puk earned the Les Disher Service Award.
Konieczki and Puk each earned their respective awards for the second consecutive year. Puk singlehandedly recorded one-third of the team's service hours for 2016-17. Konieczki is only the second student-athlete to earn the Falcon Award twice since its inception in 2001, joining Lindsey Goldsberry on that short list.
Lambert earned the Playmaker-of-the-Year Award for the second time in as many years at BG, while Siefker collected the Scholar-Athlete Award for her second time as a Falcon.
Santoro, a native of Bellevue, Ohio (Bellevue H.S.), started all 31 games in 2016-17, leading the Falcons in scoring and ranking second in rebounding with 12.0 points and 7.4 boards per game. She also was second in minutes per game (29.7) and three-point field goals made (44), and led the team in free throws made and attempted. The guard had 59 offensive rebounds and a BG-best 169 defensive boards, and tied for second on the team in steals. In MAC games, Santoro led BG in both scoring and rebounding, with 12.3 ppg and 7.4 rpg. She scored in double digits 19 times, the highest total on the team, and paced the club with four games of 20 points or more. Santoro also led the Falcons with five double-doubles on the season.
Siefker, who hails from Ottoville, Ohio (Ottoville H.S.), started all 31 games in her senior season, ranking fourth on the team in scoring and leading the Falcons in rebounding. She had 7.1 points and 7.5 rebounds on the year, and also led BGSU in blocked shots. And, the center was second on the team in assists, with 1.9 per game. Siefker had four double-doubles on the year, ranking second on the team behind Santoro. Siefker led the Falcons in rebounding on 12 occasions, and led BG in assists no fewer than 13 times. She had a total of 101 offensive rebounds – becoming the first Falcon in three years with more than 100 offensive boards – and had 17 games with at least three offensive boards. Siefker was second on the team in free throws made, and shot 72.5% from the stripe, good for fourth on the Falcons.
Tunstall, from Dayton, Ohio (Huber Heights Wayne H.S.), played in 30 games, starting them all. She was third on the team in both scoring and rebounding, with 7.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and shot a team-best 44.6% from the floor. Tunstall also ranked third on the Falcons in assists (1.3 per game), and shot 33.3% from three-point range, going 12-of-36 on the year. She was second on the team behind Siefker in offensive rebounds, with 76 (2.5 per game). In MAC games, Tunstall had 8.9 ppg and 6.1 rpg, and shot 48.4% from the field. She scored 10 or more points nine times, and had a double-digit rebounding total on four occasions, ranking third on the team in both of those categories. Tunstall had eight double-digit scoring games in the Falcons' 18 MAC contests. And, defensively, she led the team in charges drawn.
Lambert, who hails from Cincinnati, Ohio (McAuley H.S.), started all 31 games and was second on the team in scoring, with 10.4 ppg. She also had 3.7 rpg, and led the Falcons in both assists (2.3 apg) and steals (1.0 spg). Lambert went 71-for-198 from beyond the arc, leading the team in both three-point field goals made and three-point accuracy (35.9%), and her total of 71 triples made ranks eighth on the BGSU single-season list ... in MAC play, she averaged 11.7 ppg and shot 38% (46-for-121) from three-point land. The point guard had 16 double-digit scoring games, ranking second on the team. After just two seasons at BGSU, Lambert is tied for 11th in school history with 127 three-point field goals made, and she also ranks 11th in career three-point FG percentage (.379).
Cecil, a product of Oak Harbor, Ohio (Oak Harbor H.S.), played in all 31 games off the bench, and averaged 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per outing. She was second on the team in blocked shots, and had 6.1 ppg and 3.3 rpg in MAC games. Overall, Cecil finished fourth on the team with 19 three-point field goals made. She was the Falcons' first substitution to check into the game 10 times, including in four of the last five contests, and averaged 7.6 ppg over those final five games of the season. She scored in double digits three times as a freshman.
Konieczki, from Rockford, Ill. (Rockford Lutheran H.S.), played in all 31- games off the bench in her senior season, averaging 2.5 points per game. She went 32-for-43 from the free-throw line, for a 74.4% success rate, and was second on the team in free throws made per 40 minutes. Konieczki, a co-captain in 2016-17, was named to the Academic All-MAC Team for the third consecutive season. She played in 121 career games as a Falcon, making 30 starts.
Puk, a native of Waterloo, Iowa (Waterloo West H.S.), played in 30 games, starting each of the final 24 games of the season. She averaged 6.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, and was second on the team in steals and third on the club in three-point field goals made. Puk averaged 6.9 ppg in MAC games, and scored in double digits six times on the season. She hit at least one three-pointer in 10 consecutive games to end the regular season.
In addition to the presentation of awards on Sunday night, the crowd was treated to dinner and a season highlight video. Freshman Clare Glowniak delivered the invocation, and Cecil, Glowniak and fellow freshmen Caterrion Thompson and Jane Uecker received letter jackets after officially becoming BGSU first-year letterwinners. The team's four seniors each had the opportunity to speak, as Konieczki, Siefker, Tunstall and Leah Bolton shared their thoughts and memories on their time at BGSU.
While the 2017-18 season opener is roughly seven months away, Falcon fans can save the dates for a pair of events that will take place during the off-season. The team's annual Mid-Summer Night's Madness event will take place on July 19, while the Women's Basketball Golf Outing is set for September 17. More information on each of these events will be available right here at BGSUFalcons.com as the events draw closer.
2016-17 BGSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS
* Player of the Year: Carly Santoro
(Sponsored by Dan Long)
* Falcon Award: Rachel Konieczki
(Sponsored by Joan Slebos)
* Power Player of the Year: Ashley Tunstall
(Sponsored by George & Susan Lang)
* Playmaker of the Year: Sydney Lambert
(Sponsored by Ron Thompson)
* Impact Player of the Year: Ashley Tunstall
(Sponsored by the Lloyd family)
* Most Improved Player: Andrea Cecil
(Sponsored by Larry & Fran Weiss)
* Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Abby Siefker
(Sponsored by Steve & Rhonda Melchi)
* Les Disher Service Award: Haley Puk
* Fran & Marty Voll Senior Achievement Award: Abby Siefker
AWARDS CRITERIA
* Player of the Year: presented to the most outstanding player during the season
* Impact Player of the Year; presented to the player who made significant contributions during the season
* Scholar-Athlete of the Year: presented to the player who excels on the court and in the classroom
* Playmaker of the Year: presented to the most outstanding guard
* Power Player of the Year: presented to the most outstanding post player
* Most Improved Player: presented to the player who has shown the most improvement throughout the season
* Falcon Award: presented to the player who embodies qualities such as dedication, commitment, effort and being the ultimate team player
* Disher Service Award: presented to the player who has made significant contributions to the community in the field of service
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's BasketballAmy Velasco, Lexi Fleming, & Coach Chmiel Postgame Interview (Mar. 5, 2025)
Thursday, March 06
Paige Kohler, Coach Chmiel, & Amy Velasco Postgame Interview (Feb. 26, 2025)
Thursday, February 27
In the Paint: Lexxus Graham-Blincoe
Wednesday, February 26
Erika Porter, Amy Velasco, & Coach Chmiel Postgame Interview (Feb. 22, 2025)
Sunday, February 23