The story is different this season. With a victory against SDSU last Saturday, the Cowgirls won their

Hillary Carlson takes a shot over a SDSU player during the Cowgirls’ 59-51 win over the Aztecs Jan. 29 in Laramie. (Photo: Zach Spadt)

Four seniors start for the Cowgirls, including senior forward and preseason all-conference selection Hillary Carlson. 

So far this season, Carlson has earned four MWC Player of the Week awards, including one for last week’s performances against UNLV and SDSU.  Senior guard Aubrey Vandiver has earned two of the same awards. The two seniors are proving to be quite the tandem in their final season as teammates. Against UNLV, Carlson tallied 34 points and 13 rebounds. She scored the most points in a single game for Wyoming since Ashley Elliot scored 36 points against Southern Utah on November 28^th, 2003, according to Wyoming Athletics.

Carlson and Vandiver aren’t the only ones who have played well for the Cowgirls this season.  Sophomore forward Chaundra Sewell has stepped up from her first season as a starter and is having an impressive second season. Legerski doesn’t take Sewell’s contribution for granted.

Coach Joe Legerski leads his team to a win over the Aztecs Jan. 29 in Laramie. (Photo: Zach Spadt)

Carlson is second in the conference with 17.8 points per game. Vanidver is tied for first in the conference with 9.1 rebounds per game. As a team, the Cowgirls rank in the top five in most major statistical categories, including first in scoring defense 55.8 per game, field goal percentage 43 percent, three-point field goal percentage 35 percent, and rebounding defense 33 percent, according to MWC Athletics.

Wyoming has improved in many categories compared to last season: scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage defense, rebounding offense, rebounding defense, rebounding margin, assists, assist/turnover ratio, according to MWC Athletics.

 “I think the biggest part is our senior leadership. They ended up having the opportunity to experience so much last season. We had a very good year. We went to postseason play and found victory in the postseason,” Legerski said. 

“And when you have the number of players we had returning in Hillary [Carlson], Aubrey [Vandiver], Jade [Kennedy], and Randi [Richardson], it sets itself up that they have the experience to go out and compete, and they’ve done that. We’ve had the ball bounce our way a time or two, and that’s very important,” Head coach Joe Legerski said.

Legerski said how much the four seniors have meant to the university and the basketball program. He isglad they’ve experienced this success, and, with nine games left in the season, it is important for the team to put that Wyoming uniform on and to go out and play their best.

The Cowgirls are primed for their first NCAA tournament since the 2008 season, their first trip to the Big Dance in team history. That season, their record was 24-7 overall and 12-4 in the Mountain West. With a record of 16-5, 6-2 and with eight games left to play, it looks like we might see a repeat of 2008.

Email: Zach Greubel