Awards pile up for NIU’s Foss

By Steve Dennis

March, 1991 will certainly become a permanent fixture in the mind of NIU women’s basketball guard Lisa Foss.

Just 18 days after Foss was named the Player of the Year in the North Star Conference and one day after the senior collected All-NWIT honors, Foss was named to the 1991 District IV All-America team by members of the Basketball Coaches Association.

“This is one of the highest honors in women’s collegiate basketball,” NIU coach Jane Albright said. “Certainly, Lisa has proved her worthiness of the award against top-level opponents.”

Joining Foss on the squad are: DePaul’s Beth Hasenmiller, Most Valuable Player of the NSC Tournament; Northwestern’s Michelle Savage; along with Joy Holmes and Michelle Joseph from Purdue.

These five phenoms topped competition in the entire District IV region which includes the seven-state Big Ten area.

Ironically, the only other NIU player to ever warrant such an accolade was Carol Owens from last season’s squad. Foss and Owens are the only two players in NIU women’s basketball history to reach the 2,000-point plateau.

Foss, though, is NIU’s all-time leading scorer with an unprecedented 2,500 career points, exactly.

“What’s so amazing about Lisa is that she led the team in steals (71) too,” Albright said. “Not only is she outstanding offensively, but she improved her game tremendously on the defensive side.

“It’s very fitting that Lisa Foss end her season with such positive recognition.”

Foss is now eligible for the country’s All-American team, which consists of ten players.