For NIU junior point guard Stephanie Raymond, there is no offseason.

“Non-stop working out and summer leagues,” Raymond said. “I plan on being in the weight room four to five times a week.”

A dedicated approach paid off last year — the final NIU women’s basketball stats for the 2005-06 season are dominated by Raymond.

“Stephanie is such a hard worker,” said NIU coach Carol Owens. “She has a great basketball IQ. The way she uses her instincts, quickness and screens to get open shots has made her one of the best players in the MAC.”

The Rockford native logged a team-high 34.9 minutes per game and led NIU in the following categories: 354 field goal attempts, 151 field goals made, 146 three point attempts, 53 three pointers made, 35 percent three point field goal percentage, 4.4 assists, 2.1 steals per game and 16.4 points per game.

The extra hours spent in the gym have led to Raymond being named the Northern Star’s No. 7 athlete of the season.

“It is great to be recognized for my hard work and dedication,” Raymond said.

There is a palpable sense the ceiling effect has yet to set in for a talented group of younger players who have a synergy on and of the court.

“We were really young last year,” Raymond said. “Next year it will be hard to stop us with the experience and maturity we’ve gained this year. I feel like we have a lot of chemistry; we gelled really well together. It is the whole package. This team gets along together off the court, too.”

There are high expectations for a young team that went 7-6 at home and 7-9 in the MAC.

NIU hosted and won a MAC tournament home game 73-65 over Miami and headed to Cleveland for the MAC quarterfinals for the first time in four years.

Bowling Green (26-2) boasted a perfect MAC record and was ranked No. 22 in the nation. NIU took an 18-16 first half lead, but eventually succumbed 73-61 to a team that headed to the NCAA tournament.

As for 2006-07, Raymond has high hopes.

“I expect us to make it to Cleveland again, definitely,” Raymond said. “We will get stronger, and basically it would be a better year if we got to the finals.”