Nov. 15, 2007

Upper Iowa Head Women's Basketball Coach Ben Conrad has announced the signing of five high school seniors to National Letter of Intents. The NCAA's early signing period has been a busy one for the Peacocks.

"From early on this past summer, it was clear that the '08 class had an unusually large number of NSIC-type players that we could get involved with. We thought that we could put together a real nice class by locking in on exactly who and what we needed. I was very excited about the prospect of all five of these girls being Peacocks from day one of the process," said Coach Conrad.

He continued, "I think we can all be excited about the fact that all five of these girls are real solid kids that come from real solid families. They all understand and value hard work, discipline and dedication. Today's a great day to be a Peacock!"

Class of 2008 Upper Iowa Women's Basketball Signees

Lana Otting from Cascade, Iowa. Otting is a 5'10" point guard that averaged 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists per game as a junior. Otting was a 2nd Team All State and a 1st Team All Conference Selection as a junior playing for Coach Mike Sconsa at Cascade High School. Otting played in the IBCA Select AAU program the past few summers. "Lana has tremendous court savvy and intelligence. There are things offensively that Lana has been doing for years that coaches just can't really teach kids to do," said Conrad. "She is also an extremely competitive and tough minded player, which are probably the most important traits I look for. I'm looking forward to coaching Lana."

Lyndsay Westgaard from Big Lake, Minnesota. Westgaard is a 6'2" center that averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds a game as a junior. Westgaard was an All Mississippi 8 performer her junior year. Westgaard is also a state qualifier in swimming and has had numerous honors as a first baseman for her softball team. "We saw Lyndsay the first weekend we could go out in June. We loved her ability to finish around the basket and obviously loved her size. She has good hands and is very skilled," Conrad said. "I really like her mental makeup and attitude; she should be able to come in and really make big strides early in her career. She is also a tremendous student."

Kate Dekker from Centerville, Iowa. Dekker is a 5'8" shooting guard that averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds per game as a junior while shooting over 40% from behind the arc. Dekker was a 3rd Team Class 3-A All State selection as a junior, as well as a 1st Team All District selection and Team MVP. Dekker played with the Iowa Lightning AAU team last summer. Dekker is also a qualifier for the State Track meet in the 400 hurdles and the high jump. "Kate shot the three as well as anyone we saw this summer. We kept watching her play and she kept dropping shots from deep. But the more we watched, the more we started seeing her potential to be more than just a shooter; we're very excited about signing Kate," Conrad stated. "She's a great kid and great student as well; she's a tremendous addition to our team."

Melissa Fitz from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fitz is a 5'8" combo guard that averaged 18 points per game while shooting 41% from behind the arc as a junior. Fitz was an All Conference performer while playing for Minneapolis Southwest High School in the tough Minneapolis Metro League. Fitz had 4 different 30-point performances during her junior year and was named the 2004 State AAU Player of the Year. Fitz played for the Minnesota Quest AAU program this past summer. "Melissa has three things that every coach wants. She can handle it, pass it and shoot it and can do all three very well. She can play any guard spot at our level. Her basketball IQ and court savvy are off the charts. We can't wait to get her here," Conrad said.

Andi Waugaman from Waukee, Iowa. Waugaman is a 6'0" power forward that averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 64% from the field. Waugaman was a 2nd Team All Conference Selection playing in the competitive Central Iowa Metro League. Waugaman played this past summer for the Iowa Lighting AAU program. "We absolutely love how hard this kid plays and how physical she is. Andi has great feet for a kid with her size and strength. This is exactly the type of kid we need in our league; an athletic, strong, physical, high-energy kid at the 4-spot. I'm very excited about having her join our team next year," said Conrad.

Coach Conrad added these final thoughts, "Recruiting classes are ultimately judged by what they accomplish by the time they graduate. But we really like this group and feel like they help to solidify our program's base. Our first two classes at Upper Iowa addressed a desperate need for size and athleticism across the board. I think this third group brings us full circle as they give us added depth at all positions and additional guards that can really make plays and shoot the basketball. We'll have great competition all over the floor in `08. It really is a great time to be a Peacock!"