March 13, 2003

Svehla Named Player of the Year

Five Lopers Cited

            Kearney, NE - After going 18-1 in RMAC play for the second straight season, the Nebraska-Kearney men's basketball team is well represented on the 2002-03 All-RMAC team.

            After being Co-Player of the Year last season, Omaha senior Nick Svehla is the league's Player of the Year this winter. He joins Eric Strand as the only Lopers to win the league's top prize. Svehla also earned first-team All-RMAC honors (top five players in both East and West Divisions) and first-team East Division honors.

            Also earning accolades were junior Nick Branting (first team East Division), seniors Mike Gitt and Richard Dionne (honorable mention East Division) and junior Brian Dunagan (honorable mention East Division). Finally, Tom Kropp was named RMAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.

            Svehla leads UNK in points (20.0) and rebounds (7.7) for the third straight season while also ranking third on the team in steals (45) and assists (63). Branting, from North Platte, leads the team in swats (32) and is second to Svehla in points (14.7) and boards (6.2). Branting earned honorable mention East Division honors last year.

            A Valley native, Gitt has been one of the best shooters in NCAA Division II all year (62.4). Coming off the bench, he averages 12.5 points a night, third most on the team. Dionne, from Poplar, Mont., leads the team in threes (53) while ranking fourth in scoring (11.7). Dunagan, from Grand Island, leads the team in steals (60) while ranking second in assists (113) and threes made (43). He also averages 10.6 points a night and is one of the team's defensive stoppers.

            Kropp, in his 13^th year leading the Lopers, has a career mark of 272-107 and has led UNK to nine 20 win seasons.