Former Panther Vozel named All-American

Sarah Vozel was a star basketball player for the Wilmot Panthers.
Sarah Vozel, an All-American at Ashford University, was a star basketball player for the Wilmot Panthers.

By Dan Truttschel

Sports Correspondent

It’s safe to say the college life has been good to former Wilmot girls basketball standout Sarah Vozel.

Her numbers at Ashford University prove that to be true – and a postseason national honor drives the point home.

Vozel, who recently concluded her sophomore season at the NAIA Division 2 Iowa school, has been voted honorable mention on the All-American team.

The honor certainly was an unexpected one, Vozel said this week via e-mail.

“I never could have dreamed that I would make the cut to be considered All-American,” she said. “It truly is an incredible honor and something I could have never accomplished on my own.”

For the season, the 5-foot-10 Vozel finished with 481 points (14.6 per game), 256 rebounds (7.8), 42 assists, 37 steals and 12 blocked shots.

And if the individual accomplishments weren’t enough, she was part of a historic team effort as well.

Ashford advanced to the second round of the national tournament before it lost 48-37 to Hastings College (Nebraska). The Saints surpassed the 20-win plateau for the first time in school history, earned their first-ever national tournament win and defeated a top-10 team for the first time ever.

And, the Saints finished the regular season as the champions of the Association of Independent Institutions Conference.

Not a bad little run.

“This season was very enjoyable,” Vozel said. “My team and I were faced with many challenges and obstacles, just as any team is, and I could not be prouder of how we responded and overcame these adversities.

“Being a part of this group of girls is so fun, and looking at the season now that it is over, all I can honestly do is smile at our accomplishments.”

 

Feeling more comfortable

Vozel, who also played volleyball and softball at Wilmot, said she now has settled into life as a collegiate basketball player.

But that doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of adjustments – and some bumps in the road along the way.

“The transition from high school to freshman year (at Ashford) was a lot to handle,” Vozel said. “High school and collegiate basketball are very different from each other.

“The season itself is much longer, between lifting, conditioning, meetings, and of course, practices and games. The time demand is much greater than in high school. I’m very thankful I was a three-sport athlete in high school, because I was accustomed to being in a sport year-round and having a full schedule.”

On the court, there were plenty of new aspects to the game many high schoolers probably don’t even consider, Vozel said.

Along with just the speed of the game, a shot clock and two halves instead of four quarters greeted Vozel when she arrived on campus.

But after her first year with the team, all those adjustments were behind her and it was time to get down to business.

“I knew what to expect and was prepared for the season and all that it entailed,” Vozel said. “This also meant I had a lot more expected of me, because I wasn’t a freshman any more. I didn’t have as long leash when making ‘freshman mistakes,’ as my coach referred to them.

“Being only one of five returners, my coach made it clear that I had to step up a lot and be a leader of our team. This, at times was difficult, just being a sophomore. However, my teammates made this an easy thing for me to achieve.”


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