Wisconsin-tied players and coaches in the women’s NCAA Tournament field

· Yahoo Sports

If things go according to script, Wisconsin will be well represented in the NCAA Division I women's basketball championship celebration. That's because two Wisconsin natives and a third former University of Wisconsin player contribute prominently to UConn, the undefeated top seed in the women's field.

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But this is March, and anything can happen. Plus, there are several other Wisconsin connections to know about in the women's field.

Here's a look:

The majority of the roster at UW-Green Bay

Despite losing 85% of its scoring from last season, the Phoenix again won the Horizon League, first with a 17-3 league record and then with a tournament win over Youngstown State on March 10 in the title game.

Conference player of the year Jenna Guyer (15.2 points, 6.3 rebounds per game) hails from Minnesota, one of the few players not from the Badger State. Here's everyone else from Wisconsin:

  • Meghan Schultz, New Berlin West. The sophomore center (12.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg) was named third-team All-Horizon.
  • Carley Duffney, Green Bay Preble. The senior forward scores 7.7 points per game.
  • Gracie Grzesk, Green Bay Notre Dame. The sophomore (6.7 ppg) is the daughter of Gary Grzesk, part of a UW-Green Bay team that upset Cal in the NCAA Tournament. Grzesk famously shut down Jason Kidd in that game.
  • Kamy Peppler, Hortonville. The senior's 4.5 assists per game are tied for the team lead; she also scores 6.6 points per game with 1.0 blocks per game.
  • Kristina Ouimette, Lakeland. The 6-1 freshman averages 5.6 points per game.
  • Julianna Ouimette, Lakeland. The 5-10 sophomore averages 1.4 points per contest.
  • Lily Hansford, Appleton East. After stops at Oregon State and Iowa State, the senior came home for a final year.
  • Kallie Peppler, Hortonville. The sophomore averages 1.4 points per game.

KK Arnold (Germantown), Connecticut

She's started 33 of 34 games this year for the No. 1-ranked and undefeated Huskies, with 7.5 points per game and a team-leading 4.8 assists per contest. She also earned a spot on the all-defense team in the Big East, in addition to first-team all-conference.

Allie Ziebell (Neenah), Connecticut

She comes off the bench but still averages 7.9 points per game while shooting 43% from 3-point range for undefeated UConn. She tied a school record earlier this year with 10 3-pointers in a game.

Serah WIlliams (University of Wisconsin), Connecticut

Williams is second on UConn in blocks and scores 7.1 points per game for the No. 1-ranked Huskies. She has also started 33 games. She had three excellent seasons at UW, averaging 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds last year.

Grace Grocholski (Kettle Moraine), Minnesota

The second-team all-conference pick in the Big Ten averages 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Gophers, plus 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per contest. The junior was honorable-mention last year in the Big Ten.

Grace Schmidt (Watertown Luther Prep), Cal Baptist

She averages 10.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for the Western Athletic Conference champion, shooting 52% from the field in the process. The senior has spent all four years in the program and routinely led the way in field-goal percentage. She was named second-team all-conference this season.

Taylor Stremlow (Verona), Iowa

The sophomore averages 8.2 points per game and shoots better than 40% from 3-point range; she had a then-career-best 10 points against Murray State in last year's NCAA Tournament.

Maggie Hartwig (Sauk Prairie), South Dakota State

Though she occasionally comes off the bench, she's the leading rebounder (5.5 per game) for the Summit League champion. The junior transfer from Evansville also scores 5.5 points per game.

Carter McCray (University of Wisconsin), West Virginia

The Big 12-champion Mountaineers get 7.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game from McCray, who averaged 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds with Wisconsin last year.

Other Wisconsin players to note

  • Teagan Mallegni (McFarland), Iowa. The sophomore averages 1.5 points per game in 15 games.
  • Amy Terrian (Pewaukee), Michigan State. She averages 4.1 points in 21 games as a freshman for the Spartans.
  • Anna Terrian (Pewaukee), Michigan State. Amy's twin sister has seen the floor in nine games.
  • Rainey Welson (Hortonville), Maryland. The freshman played in 23 games, averaging 3.8 points (with a career-best 11).
  • Maria Messling (Evansville), Western Illinois. The redshirt sophomore has not played this year for the Ohio Valley champion.

Wisconsin coaches to know

  • Nicki Collen, Baylor. The former standout at Platteville High School, nee Taggart, also transferred from Purdue to Marquette and led the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Tournament in two seasons. She's in her fifth season at Baylor and has spent time as a head coach in the WNBA, earning the league's coach of the year award with Atlanta.
  • Kayla Karius, UW-Green Bay. Formerly Kayla Tetschlag, the second-year head coach is one of the most decorated players in UWGB history, a former league player of the year and two-time first-team pick in the Horizon League. She signed a two-year extension after her team qualified for the Big Dance last year by winning the Horizon League tournament, but she had an uphill climb to replace so many losses in 2026. And nevertheless, Green Bay won the Horizon yet again. Her staff includes longtime UWGB assistant Sarah Bronk, former UW-Stevens Point player, Wisconsin assistant and WIAA assistant director Kate Peterson-Abiad, plus former Hortonville High School standout Shay Frederick and ex-Pius and UWGB star Jasmine Kondrakiewicz.
  • Dawn Plitzuweit, Minnesota. The West Bend native coached South Dakota to the Sweet 16, then took the job at West Virginia before the 2022-23 season. This is her third season with the Gophers, the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018. She previously served as an assistant at both Wisconsin and Green Bay, as well as at Michigan under former UWGB coach Kevin Borseth.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin-tied players and coaches in women’s NCAA Tournament field

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