The Iowa State women’s basketball team capped off a record season by losing by 18 points to the Georgia Bulldogs with the Final Four on the line.

By no means does this game mar what the Cyclones accomplished in the 1998-99 season.

They finished the year 25-8, which tied the team mark set last year. They garnered many postseason awards. Stacy Frese was named first team All-Big 12, while Desiree Francis was named Newcomer of the Year, and Megan Taylor was named to the second team All-Big 12.

Bill Fennelly, in his fourth year at the helm, was named the district’s Coach of the Year.

ISU was not satisfied with being the first squad in Cyclone history to make the Sweet Sixteen, as they knocked off UCONN to make it to the round of eight.

Without further ado, here are the postseason awards.

MVP

Stacy Frese. Not much doubt here. The junior from Cedar Rapids averaged 17.3 points, which led the team, and also led the squad in assists with over four per game.

GAME OF THE YEAR

Again, not much doubt. ISU hits five of seven three-pointers down the stretch to knock off fourth-rated Connecticut in the NCAA tournament.

UNSUNG HERO AWARD

This one goes out to Erica Haugen, who provided steady play and clutch shots down the stretch all year. She also did a fine job when pressed into a starting role when starters Frese and Tracy Gahan went down.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

This has to be the play of the newcomers, particularly the freshmen. Everyone knew Desiree Francis had ability, but she gave more than was anticipated.

Gahan and center Angie Welle certainly did not play like freshmen, particularly down the stretch.

BACKCOURT

This area was a strength throughout the year. Frese once again played a starring role, providing steady play with flashes of brilliance throughout the campaign. She always seemed to know when the club needed her to hit a big shot, and more often than not she came through.

Frese capped off her stellar campaign by being named to the Mideast Regional All-Region Team.

Taylor averaged 15.7 points, good for second on the club. She was often sporadic, particularly through the Big 12 season, but was always a threat to score.

Haugen had the best assist-to- turnover ratio on the team at 102-63. She also had an ability to nail the open three-pointer and showed a great deal more confidence after she was handed the reins when Frese went down.

Haugen would be a starter for most Division I teams and handles her role very well here.

Sarah Robson was a crowd favorite, and Ashley Homeyer hit a few shots in limited duty.

FRONTCOURT

Tracy Gahan was steady all year but really came on at the end of the season. Her reluctance to shoot frustrated Fennelly at times, but her ability to drive sets her apart from others on the team.

She put a nice finish to her season by getting a double-double in the team’s finale en route to joining Frese on the All-Region team.

Desiree Francis was a bit of an enigma for much of the season. She showed the ability to completely dominate a game, as she had season highs of 27 points and 18 rebounds, but showed a disturbing propensity for not showing up ready to play.

She came off the bench for all but two games, and despite only playing an average of 22 minutes per contest, averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

Her athleticism far outweighs that of any other Cyclone, but until she is able to keep her head in the game for 40 minutes, Fennelly may be forced to keep her on the bench.

Angie Welle stood up admirably to the stern test of being a freshman center in the Big 12. Although she at times looked like the freshman she was, Welle was a big contributor to the Cyclones’ success.

Welle led the team in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with 21 points and will rank high in the record books by the time she is finished in Ames.

Monica Huelman also was a solid role player. She came in and played solid defense, blocked a few shots and set picks.

As shown in the game against Connecticut, she was also willing to step out and shoot the three if the defense let her.

The junior co-captain also provided valuable leadership throughout the year.

Kelly Cizek was on the edge of the eight-man rotation employed by Fennelly. While an athletic player, Cizek showed some of the expected rustiness that comes with taking a year off basketball to play volleyball.

Alyssa Shriver was given a look early in the season but proved she was not yet ready to handle the big time.

Thanks to the steady play of Frese, the coaching of Fennelly, and the team’s ability to hit the outside shot, this Cyclone team will go down as the best of all-time.

Now for the good news: Next year’s squad will be even better. There are no seniors on the squad, an astounding fact for anyone who watched the team, and with three recruits on the way, next year could be a truly banner season.