MITCHELL, S.D. – Selected to finish seventh in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) preseason coaches poll, and fresh off a 23-point, 83-60, dominant victory over top-seeded Morningside University in the conference tournament final, Dakota Wesleyan University women’s basketball head coach Jason Christensen was named the 2021-22 GPAC Coach-of-the-Year. Alongside Christensen on the All-GPAC postseason ballot were seniors Kaylee Kirk and Jada Campbell along with juniors Matti Reiner and Rynn Osthus per league coaches.

Christensen led Dakota Wesleyan to a 26-7 overall record and 15-7 mark in conference play during the 2021-22 season and became just the second coach in program history to be named GPAC Coach-of-the-Year. DWU also captured an 11-3 record at home and received votes in the NAIA Coaches Top-25 Poll late in the season en route to the No. 3 seed in the conference postseason tournament.

In his 12 seasons on the sideline, the 2017-18 NAIA National Coach-of-the-Year has now registered 20-or-more wins in seven seasons and recently recorded his 250th-career victory. He has also coached a resounding 50 all-conference selections, 14 of which have been All-Conference First Team players.

Kirk, a 2021 honorable mention selection, was named the GPAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year while also being named to the All-GPAC Second Team. She became the first Tiger to be honored as the league’s top defender since Rylie Osthus (2015-19) last won the award during the 2018-19 campaign.

The 5-foot-5 point guard led DWU in steals, rebounding, and assists while she ranked top-2 in the conference in total assists, assists per game, total steals and steals per game. She dished out 146 assists (4.4) in 33 starts and notched 86 steals (2.6) on the year. Kirk also averaged 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing for Dakota Wesleyan and tallied 10-or-more points in 17 games.

Honored with All-GPAC First Team accolades, Reiner fueled the Blue and Gray in scoring and eclipsed both 500 and 850-career points during her junior campaign. In 33 starts, the Tripp, S.D., native finished top-10 in the league in total scoring, scoring per game and total assists with 440 total points, 13.3 points per game and 125 assists. She also registered 26 double-digit scoring performances and surpassed 20-or-more points six times.

Along with three double-double performances, Reiner rattled off a career-high 23 points in multiple games and shot 41.1% from the floor. On the glass, the junior forward averaged 6.0 rebounds and grabbed a career-best 13 boards in a win over University of Jamestown.

In her second season with Dakota Wesleyan, Campbell was awarded with All-GPAC Second Team honors following an honorable mention nod a season ago. The Alexandria, S.D., native exceeded 1,000-career points in her collegiate career and averaged 12.8 points per game on 56.4% shooting. She tallied a career-high 33 points in the GPAC tournament championship game and accumulated 22 double-digit scoring performances.

Campbell converted 7-or-more made field goals in 15 contests, including a season-high 16 field goals on Tuesday evening, and averaged 6.0 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-4 center also reached the 950-rebound milestone in her playing career this year and tallied a trio of double-double performances.

Osthus concluded the postseason awards for the Tigers with an All-GPAC Honorable Mention selection, the first conference recognition of her DWU career. The junior guard appeared in all 33 games and made 32 starts for the Tigers this season. She shot 45.1% from the floor and averaged 7.3 points per contest including a career-high 17 points on the road.

For a complete listing of all the 2022 All-GPAC women’s basketball awards, click on the link below.

https://www.gpacsports.com/d/2021-22/2021-22_GPAC_WBBAllConf.pdf