Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Dietrick, Banghart Win Postseason Awards; Princeton Places Four on All-Ivy
March 13, 2015 | Women's Basketball
PRINCETON, N.J. – After putting the wraps on an unprecedented 30-0 regular season, the No. 13 Princeton University women's basketball team placed four players on the 2014-15 Ivy League All-Conference squads while claiming two of the Ivy's four postseason awards.
Picking up the league's highest honor, Blake Dietrick was named the Player of the Year, while also garnering a spot on the first team. The 10th player in Ivy history to be unanimously selected the Player of the Year, Dietrick is the third Princeton player to accomplish the feat, joining Addie Micir (2010-11) and Niveen Rasheed (2011-12, 2012-13).
Joining Dietrick on the first team were Annie Tarakchian and Alex Wheatley. Of the four times that an Ivy program has placed three members on the first team, three of them have been by the Tigers. Princeton also saw three players receive first team laurels in 2010-11 (Devona Allgood, Addie Micir, Lauren Edwards) and 1977-78 (C.B. Tomasiewicz, Margaret Meier, Jackie Jackson). Michelle Miller rounded out the Orange and Black's all-league picks as an honorable mention selection.
Also garnering praise from the conference office was eight-year head coach Courtney Banghart, who was the unanimous choice for the inaugural Coach of the Year award. This marks the third Ivy League honor for Banghart, who was a two-time first-team all-conference pick as a student-athlete at Dartmouth.
A seven-time Ivy Player of the Week this season, Dietrick has pieced together a stellar senior campaign. Named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason 30 for the best collegiate player in the nation and the Nancy Lieberman Watch List for the best point guard in the country, Dietrick is just one of three players in conference history to rack up at least seven Ivy POTW awards in one season.
Also a first-team All-Ivy selection a year ago, Dietrick is averaging career-highs in points, assists and rebounds (4.7) per game. The senior co-captain currently tops the Ivy in helpers (5.1), is tied for third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7), fourth in three-point shooting percentage (41.8), and fifth in scoring (14.9) and field goal percentage (49.1).
Becoming just the 22nd player in program history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau with a 25-point effort against Penn on Jan. 10, she is currently third on the school charts in career three-pointers (206), fifth in assists (341), and 11th in scoring (1,196).
In the midst of a breakout season, Tarakchian has posted a team high 10 double-doubles on the year. Averaging 10.1 points per game, the junior leads the league in three-point shooting (48.5), is second in the conference in rebounding (9.2), and third in field goal percentage (50.7).
A four-time Ivy League POTW in 2014-15, Tarakchian posted her first double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds against American (Nov. 23). Netting a career-high 23 points against Montana (Nov. 28), she also pulled down 14 rebounds. She grabbed a season-best 17 boards against Penn (Jan. 10), while collecting 17 points and 14 rebounds against Harvard (Feb. 21).
An honorable mention selection a year ago, Wheatley has put together another stellar season en route to first-team accolades. Leading the conference in field goal percentage (57.7), she is third in blocks per game (1.4). Third on the team in scoring (10.7), Wheatley ranks second in rebounding (5.0).
Named the Ivy POTW on Feb. 2 after shooting 68.4 percent from the field while averaging 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds against Harvard and Dartmouth, Wheatley has led the team in scoring eight times, while pacing the squad in blocks on 14 occasions.
The Tigers' second-leading scorer (11.6), Miller is a two-time Ivy POTW honoree this season. Ranked 12th in the conference in scoring, the junior sharpshooter is second in the league in three-point percentage (45.4) and seventh in field goal percentage (45.5).
Picking up her first conference POTW laurel on Nov. 17, Miller averaged 18.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in a pair of wins over Pittsburgh and Duquesne. On Feb. 9, Miller was again recognized by the league after averaging 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in two games against Columbia and Cornell. Shooting 68.4 percent (13-19) from the floor, she was 60.0 percent (3-5) from three-point range.
The winningest coach in the history of the Princeton women's basketball program, Banghart has amassed a 168-66 overall record in her eight seasons with a 92-17 mark against Ivy opponents. Her .718 winning percentage is the highest in school history.
The Tigers are the first-ever league team to be ranked in both the USA Today Coaches and AP polls at the same time, and the squad's No. 13 ranking is the best in conference history. The only Ivy team to ever go 30-0 (men's or women's), Princeton surpassed the 1970-71 Penn men's team (28-0) for the Ivy's best regular season record.
Guiding the Tigers to a fifth conference crown and NCAA Tournament berth in six seasons, Banghart's 2014-15 team is the third she has led to an unbeaten 14-0 Ivy slate, joining her 2009-10 and 2011-12 squads.