Mar. 25—MANKATO — Natalie Bremer has reached the pinnacle of Division II women’s basketball. The Lake City graduate and Minnesota State University, Mankato senior guard was named the WBCA NCAA Division II Player of the Year.
Bremer was named an All-American on Tuesday, then received the top award Wednesday. She became the first player in the history of Minnesota State, Mankato to be named the Player of the Year.
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One year ago, Bremer was honored as a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American. This year, her best of four terrific seasons at Mankato, she took things to the top.
“It is very cool to see that all the hard work I’ve put into basketball my entire life has now reaped this kind of reward; it is awesome,” Bremer said. “I think I was able to win the award because I’ve been able to grow all aspects of my game over the years. It’s not just the stats, but that I’ve been showing up in other areas of the game. I’ve impacted the game in lots of ways.”
The school’s all-time leading scorer (2,371 career points) averaged 21.8 points per game this season while shooting 49% from the field, 37% from 3-point range and 88% from the free-throw line. She also grabbed 4.7 rebounds per game.
Bremer had 21 games of 20 or more points, including four times scoring in the 30s. She became the Mavericks’ all-time leading scorer this season with 2,371 career points.
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Minnesota State, Mankato finished 29-3 this season, including 21-1 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Mavericks lost to Minnesota Duluth, 72-63, in the NCAA Central Region Tournament.
Besides being the Mavericks’ first national Player of the Year, she became just the fifth Mankato player to be named All-American. There, she joined Elsie Ohm, Lisa Walters, Heather Johnson and Joey Batt.
Mavericks coach Emilee Thiesse lauded her for her success and commitment.
“Natalie has cemented herself as one of the very best in all of Division II Women’s Basketball,” Thiesse said. “She is a proven leader and performer who has left an indelible mark on our program. Natalie has fully embraced the values of Mavericks women’s basketball and her continued growth and development as a player reflect her outstanding work ethic and competitive drive. We are extremely proud of Natalie for this honor; she is truly deserving of this incredible recognition.”
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Bremer has determined that she will not try to play professional basketball, meaning her playing career is officially over.
That is a strange thought for her, but she is gradually beginning to wrap her mind around it.
“I think I first picked up a basketball when I was 2 years old,” Bremer said. “And I’ve been competitive in it for as long as I can remember. So now that I’m done playing here in Mankato, it will be different.”
