OGDEN, Utah – After an incredible season on the court, the field, the track and the course, the Idaho women have earned the Big Sky All-Sports Trophy.  The trophy awards schools for overall athletic excellence, using points accrued based on finish across all Big Sky-sponsored sports.  It is the first year that Idaho is eligible for the award since rejoining the conference five years ago, after becoming a full member of the Big Sky prior to this academic year.
 
Both volleyball and basketball won regular season championships.  The basketball team won the title outright, while volleyball shared it with Northern Arizona.
 
Soccer had a bounce-back season, finishing second in the Big Sky standings after missing the postseason in 2017 on tiebreakers.  Tennis also took second in the regular season standings, tied with Weber State, and earned a bye at the Big Sky Championships.  Golf had another successful season as well, finishing second at the Big Sky Championships.
 
The award is the first ever for the women.  Idaho's men earned the recognition in 1965-66 and again in 1989-90.  Idaho won the combined award in 1989-90.
 
Individually, Mikayla Ferenz was named the Big Sky Player of the Year in basketball after breaking the program and conference record for scoring.  Teammate and fellow Splash Sister, Taylor Pierce, represented the Vandals at the 31st annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships.  Sophie Hausmann of golf was also named the Big Sky Player of the Year, earning her second such recognition from the conference, and took part in the 2019 NCAA Regional Championships.
 
Soccer's Kelly Dopke earned Defensive Most Valuable Player honors, while Makayla Presgrave took home Co-Goalkeeper of the Year honors.  Volleyball's Alycia Wodke was named the Co-Libero of the Year, and Gina Marxen of basketball took home Freshman of the Year.  In total, the Vandals earned 30 All-Big Sky honors in 2018-19.
 
Academically, the Vandal women have already earned 64 Big Sky All-Academic awards this year, with the spring recognition still due to come out in June.  Basketball's Ferenz was named the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year, while soccer's Dopke was named the first CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team selection in team history.
 
Both the cross country and golf teams were also recognized for their perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores for the second consecutive season.  It was the fifth straight recognition for the golf team.
 
The All-Sports Award shall be presented to the institution accumulating the most points during the year in men's sports and women's sports. There shall be two (2) All-Sports Awards: one (1) for men's sports and one (1) for women's sports. Points shall only be awarded in Conference-sponsored sports. In basketball, soccer, football, tennis, softball and volleyball, the all-sports points shall be awarded on the basis of the regular-season standings. In all other sports, all-sports points shall be awarded on the basis of Conference tournament/championship results. Member institutions or teams not eligible to compete for the Conference championship in a particular sport will not be awarded any all-sports points in that sport.
 
Affiliate Members will not be awarded points, but Members shall not move into those vacant slots and be awarded points. Institutional scores are calculated by dividing total points by the number of Conference-sponsored sports the institution sponsors. Indoor and outdoor track and field all-sports points are averaged to create one point for track and field.
 
Want to support your Big Sky champs and all of the Vandal programs?  The Vandal Victory Pack is the perfect way to get in the game, with season tickets to all ticketed events, including football, men's and women's basketball and volleyball.  The package is just $329 and can be purchased by visiting the Idaho Athletics Box Office or calling (208-885-6466).  Vandal Scholarship Fund contributions may apply.
 
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.