MONMOUTH, IL -- For the first time in team history Monmouth College will participate in the Midwest Conference women's basketball championship tournament after finishing the regular season in second place in the league's South Division. The top two teams in each division advance to the conference tournament, which decides the MWC champion and the league's automatic entry into the NCAA Division III National Tournament, which begins March 6. The Fighting Scots will join teams from Beloit, Ripon and Lake Forest at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin this weekend (February 27-28). Semifinal games are set for 6:00 and 8:00 PM on Friday and Saturday's schedule features the third-place consolation game at 1:00 PM followed by the championship game at 3:00 PM.

Monmouth (15-7, 10-3) will play MWC North champion Beloit (21-1, 13-0) in the second semifinal game on Friday night. The Fighting Scots will be looking to pull off a major upset in their initial postseason appearance while Beloit has won two of the last three league titles.

The 1997-98 Monmouth team established new school records for most victories (15) and most conference wins (10) in a single season on the way to its first trip to the MWC tournament. The only teams to defeat the Scots in league play were the divisional champions as Monmouth dropped two games to South champ Lake Forest and a single game to Beloit (69-63 in January at Monmouth). Head coach Dennis Mann has built a balanced team attack around a solid defense, deep bench and veteran leadership. Senior Jill Schultz surpassed the 1000-point mark for her career this season and her 1,054 points ranks her fourth on the all-time Monmouth list. Schultz and junior Karen Valentas, who scored in double figures in 19 of 22 games, pace the Fighting Scot offense while Valentas and junior Christy Keller lead the squad in rebounds. Junior guard Kari Walters leads the Scots in assists and steals.

The Buccaneers, who finished the regular season with a perfect 13-0 undefeated record in conference games, are attempting to join Coe (1981-83) and St. Norbert (1984-89) as the only Midwest Conference schools to win back-to-back women's basketball titles. Beloit won the 1995 championship and repeated again last year by defeating Illinois College in Jacksonville. The Bucs are led by guards Christina Pape and Kathy Selck and forward Courtney Hellpap. Beloit has been ranked in the top 25 Division III teams in the Columbus Multimedia National Poll all season and enter the tourney with a number-17 rating.

Lake Forest (19-3, 12-1) will face off against Ripon (14-8, 9-4) in the first game of the weekend in a game between past MWC champions. Lake Forest claimed league titles in 1992 and 1994 and Ripon captured the championship in 1996. Each squad is hoping the even-numbered championship year will be a good omen.

Lake Forest finished an impressive regular season with 11 consecutive league victories. The Foresters' only MWC setback came on December 6 in an 84-77 loss to Beloit and Lake Forest is hoping to gain a chance to avenge that defeat in Saturday's championship game. Last year the Foresters finished third in the North Division standings behind Beloit and Ripon but won the division crown in their first season in the MWC South. Seniors Dawn Smith and Jessica Wiehrdt lead the Lake Forest team, which features balanced scoring and one of the strongest and deepest benches in the league.

The Red Hawks had won three straight league games to clinch their playoff spot before season-ending losses to both Beloit and Lake Forest. Ripon's four conference defeats all came against tournament teams, two to Beloit (including an overtime loss last week) and one each to Lake Forest and Monmouth. The Hawks are led by veterans Erica Smith, Kristin Dodds and Crystal Helm.


MIDWEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (at Beloit, WI)

Friday, February 27
6:00 PM Ripon (14-8, 9-4) vs. Lake Forest (19-3,12-1)
8:00 PM Monmouth (15-7, 10-3) vs. Beloit (21-1, 13-0)

Saturday, February 28
1:00 PM Consolation game
3:00 PM Championship game