Bio

Morningside's 2008-09 women's basketball team defeated GPAC rival Hastings 68-63 in the NAIA Division II National Tournament Championship Game to cap a perfect 38-0 season. The team is one of only three in history to capture the NAIA II national crown with an undefeated record.

Morningside broke eight school records and tied another during the season. One of the Mustangs' most impressive performances came in a 99-44 victory against Nebraska Wesleyan University on Jan. 3 when they shot a sizzling 64.2 percent from the field to set a school record. The Mustangs outscored their opposition by roughly 18 points per game with a scoring average of 78.5 points per game and a defensive scoring average of 60.7 ppg.

Jamie Sale was named the NAIA II Women's Basketball National Coach of the Year and the GPAC Coach of the Year after he led the Mustangs to their fifth consecutive GPAC regular season championship and their third national title in a six-year span. Senior guard Dani Gass was named the NAIA II National Player of the Year and was joined on the NAIA II All-America First Team by senior guard Autumn Bartel. Gass led the Mustangs with averages of 7.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 3.7 steals per game and was the Mustangs' leading rebounder in 21 of their 38 games. Bartel led the Mustangs in scoring with a 15.2-point average and was their leading scorer in 20 of their 38 contests. Gass and Bartel finished their careers as the fourth and fifth leading scorers in Morningside history with 1802 and 1731 career points, respectively.

In addition to being named to the All-GPAC First Team, Gass was named the GPAC Player of the Year and Bartel was named the GPAC Defensive Player of the Year. They were joined on the All-GPAC Second Team by teammates Laura Nelson and Brittany Williamson, while Leslie Foral received honorable mention All-GPAC recognition. Nelson was the NAIA II national leader with 125 3-point field goals en route to an 11.7-point scoring average. Nelson made a school-record 10 3-point field goals on her way to a 30-point performance for the Mustangs' highest scoring total of the season in a 94-71 win against Dakota State. Williamson was the Mustangs' second leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

Roni Miller was the top scorer and rebounder off a deep Morningside bench that also included Kayla Weerheim, Katie Sponder, MacKenzi Mendlik, Erica Luetje, Sarah Culp, Jahde Hammer, Emily Christen, Brittany Alfredson, Nicole Van Heek, and Cara Anderson.

Sale's assistant coach for the 2008-09 season was Jill Bodammer.