Bowling Green State University Athletics
Top 50 Female Athletes in BGSU History (Part III)
August 15, 2022 | General
The third portion of the list is unveiled
In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, BGSU Athletics named the Top 50 Female Athletes in BGSU Athletics history. Earlier this summer, we had fans nominate their favorite BGSU Falcons for the top 50 list. We had over 300 nominations from the fans. The committee then worked together to create the list of Top 50 Female Athletes in BGSU Athletics History. Here are our next ten members in our Top 50 Female Athletes in BGSU Athletics history.
Tammy Schiller – Volleyball – Class of 1992
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 1999. Schiller earned All-MAC First-Team honors three times and was named the league's Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991. Additionally, Schiller was the first Falcon to earn first team All-Mideast honors, as she was named to the first team in 1990 and 1991, following a spot on the second team in 1989. Schiller was named to the All-MAC Tournament team in 1990, and in 1991 made the team again as tournament MVP. She earned MAC Player of the Week honors four times, and was named Academic All-MAC in 1990.
Lisa Mika – Volleyball – Class of 1992
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2004. She was a four-time All-MAC and two-time all-region selection. She led the MAC with a .375 hitting percentage as a freshman. The 1989 team, which included Mika, captured the MAC regular season title, ending Western Michigan's NCAA-record 98-match league winning streak in the process. As a senior, she was named All-MAC First Team, helping the school capture the MAC's regular season and tournament titles, making the school's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Talita Scott – Basketball – Class of 1994
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2007. Scott was a two-time All-MAC First-Team selection. She concluded her career second on the BGSU career scoring list with 1,432 points, and set the school record with a .563 career field-goal percentage, while also finishing her career ranked in the BGSU top-six in six other categories. Scott helped the Falcons to a 51-9 record and a pair of MAC regular-season and MAC Tournament titles over her last two years.
Josie McCulloch – Swimming – Class of 1994
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2004. McCulloch became the first MAC female swimmer to individually qualify for the NCAA's in all four years. She also earned All-America honors in three seasons. A MAC individual champion in all four years, McCulloch was an NCAA All-American in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke. She won the 200 breaststroke in all four years, while winning the MAC crown in the 100 breast three times.
Nikki Lessig – Track and Field – Class of 1995
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2005. Lessig was the first BGSU female ever to earn a spot in two events at the NCAA meet. She finished seventh in the shot put at the 1994 NCAA indoor meet, becoming the first female NCAA indoor track All-American in school history, and followed that up by again finishing seventh in the country at the 1995 meet. Lessig set the school shot put records – both indoor (51-4 1/2) and outdoor (50-1 /34) – in 1994, and was a two-time indoor All-American in the shot.Â
Lori Albers – Basketball – Class of 1995Â
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2004. Albers won MAC Freshman of the Year in 1990. The Falcons won the MAC Championship and were invited to the first of three NCAA Tournament appearances during Albers' stay at BG. Â As a junior, finishing fourth in the MAC in scoring and seventh in rebounding, and was named to the All-MAC First Team. She was also named the MVP of the MAC Tournament in Columbus as Bowling Green won both the regular season and tournament titles. Albers finished her career with totals of 1,424 points, 776 rebounds, 249 assists and 241 steals.
Carlyn Esslinger – Volleyball – Class of 1996Â
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2006. Esslinger was a two-time All-MAC First-Team selection who capped her stellar career by earning the league's Player-of-the-Year award in 1995. She led the team in both kills and hitting percentage during each of her final three years with the Falcons, and finished her career as BGSU's all-time leader in attack attempts (3,821), while ranking second in kills (1,462) and fifth in blocks (367). Esslinger was the fifth player in school history to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career.
Cheryl Patteson – Swimming – Class of 1996
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2008. Patteson was the first individual in MAC history to be named the Outstanding Swimmer at the MAC Championships three times. She earned that honor at each meet from 1993 to '95, and took home the Outstanding Senior Swimmer of the Meet award at the 1996 conference event. Patteson was the conference champion in the 400 Individual Medley in all four seasons, and won the league title in the 200 Fly and the 200 IM twice each. She captured the 200 Fly as a sophomore and a junior, and won the 200 IM in the other two years. Additionally, Patteson was the 1,650 Freestyle champion as a freshman.
Sara Puthoff – Basketball – Class of 1998
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2009. She scored 1,678 points in the Brown and Orange, the second-most in school history at the time of her graduation. Puthoff earned some sort of major MAC award in each of her four years at BGSU. The MAC Freshman of the year in 1994-95, she was a second-team all-league selection in her sophomore year, before earning All-MAC First-Team honors in both her junior and senior seasons. She left school as the second-leading scorer in BGSU history, and averaged 15.1 ppg in her career. Puthoff also finished as the BGSU career leader in free-throw percentage (353-for-416; 84.9%), three-point field goals made (173) and attempted (453).Â
Stephanie Heldt-Sheller – Track and Field – Class of 2001
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2020. She lettered four years, was a two-time All-American, and is the school's record holder for indoor high jump with an astonishing 6-0. Heldt-Sheller holds three of the top six performances in the indoor high jump in school history. She holds five of the top 10 performances in school history in the outdoor high jump and shares the school record for outdoor high jump at 5-11.5. The 2001 season was a banner year for Heldt-Sheller. She placed 15th at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships and returned to nationals for the outdoor campaign.
Top 50 Female Athletes Part 1Â HERE.
Top 50 Female Athletes Part 2Â HERE.
Check back to BGSUFalcons.com, as the next 10 members of the Top 50 female athletes in BGSUÂ athletics history will be named next week.
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Tammy Schiller – Volleyball – Class of 1992
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 1999. Schiller earned All-MAC First-Team honors three times and was named the league's Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991. Additionally, Schiller was the first Falcon to earn first team All-Mideast honors, as she was named to the first team in 1990 and 1991, following a spot on the second team in 1989. Schiller was named to the All-MAC Tournament team in 1990, and in 1991 made the team again as tournament MVP. She earned MAC Player of the Week honors four times, and was named Academic All-MAC in 1990.
Lisa Mika – Volleyball – Class of 1992
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2004. She was a four-time All-MAC and two-time all-region selection. She led the MAC with a .375 hitting percentage as a freshman. The 1989 team, which included Mika, captured the MAC regular season title, ending Western Michigan's NCAA-record 98-match league winning streak in the process. As a senior, she was named All-MAC First Team, helping the school capture the MAC's regular season and tournament titles, making the school's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Talita Scott – Basketball – Class of 1994
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2007. Scott was a two-time All-MAC First-Team selection. She concluded her career second on the BGSU career scoring list with 1,432 points, and set the school record with a .563 career field-goal percentage, while also finishing her career ranked in the BGSU top-six in six other categories. Scott helped the Falcons to a 51-9 record and a pair of MAC regular-season and MAC Tournament titles over her last two years.
Josie McCulloch – Swimming – Class of 1994
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2004. McCulloch became the first MAC female swimmer to individually qualify for the NCAA's in all four years. She also earned All-America honors in three seasons. A MAC individual champion in all four years, McCulloch was an NCAA All-American in the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke. She won the 200 breaststroke in all four years, while winning the MAC crown in the 100 breast three times.
Nikki Lessig – Track and Field – Class of 1995
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2005. Lessig was the first BGSU female ever to earn a spot in two events at the NCAA meet. She finished seventh in the shot put at the 1994 NCAA indoor meet, becoming the first female NCAA indoor track All-American in school history, and followed that up by again finishing seventh in the country at the 1995 meet. Lessig set the school shot put records – both indoor (51-4 1/2) and outdoor (50-1 /34) – in 1994, and was a two-time indoor All-American in the shot.Â
Lori Albers – Basketball – Class of 1995Â
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2004. Albers won MAC Freshman of the Year in 1990. The Falcons won the MAC Championship and were invited to the first of three NCAA Tournament appearances during Albers' stay at BG. Â As a junior, finishing fourth in the MAC in scoring and seventh in rebounding, and was named to the All-MAC First Team. She was also named the MVP of the MAC Tournament in Columbus as Bowling Green won both the regular season and tournament titles. Albers finished her career with totals of 1,424 points, 776 rebounds, 249 assists and 241 steals.
Carlyn Esslinger – Volleyball – Class of 1996Â
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2006. Esslinger was a two-time All-MAC First-Team selection who capped her stellar career by earning the league's Player-of-the-Year award in 1995. She led the team in both kills and hitting percentage during each of her final three years with the Falcons, and finished her career as BGSU's all-time leader in attack attempts (3,821), while ranking second in kills (1,462) and fifth in blocks (367). Esslinger was the fifth player in school history to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career.
Cheryl Patteson – Swimming – Class of 1996
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2008. Patteson was the first individual in MAC history to be named the Outstanding Swimmer at the MAC Championships three times. She earned that honor at each meet from 1993 to '95, and took home the Outstanding Senior Swimmer of the Meet award at the 1996 conference event. Patteson was the conference champion in the 400 Individual Medley in all four seasons, and won the league title in the 200 Fly and the 200 IM twice each. She captured the 200 Fly as a sophomore and a junior, and won the 200 IM in the other two years. Additionally, Patteson was the 1,650 Freestyle champion as a freshman.
Sara Puthoff – Basketball – Class of 1998
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2009. She scored 1,678 points in the Brown and Orange, the second-most in school history at the time of her graduation. Puthoff earned some sort of major MAC award in each of her four years at BGSU. The MAC Freshman of the year in 1994-95, she was a second-team all-league selection in her sophomore year, before earning All-MAC First-Team honors in both her junior and senior seasons. She left school as the second-leading scorer in BGSU history, and averaged 15.1 ppg in her career. Puthoff also finished as the BGSU career leader in free-throw percentage (353-for-416; 84.9%), three-point field goals made (173) and attempted (453).Â
Stephanie Heldt-Sheller – Track and Field – Class of 2001
Inducted into BGSU Hall of Fame in 2020. She lettered four years, was a two-time All-American, and is the school's record holder for indoor high jump with an astonishing 6-0. Heldt-Sheller holds three of the top six performances in the indoor high jump in school history. She holds five of the top 10 performances in school history in the outdoor high jump and shares the school record for outdoor high jump at 5-11.5. The 2001 season was a banner year for Heldt-Sheller. She placed 15th at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships and returned to nationals for the outdoor campaign.
Top 50 Female Athletes Part 1Â HERE.
Top 50 Female Athletes Part 2Â HERE.
Check back to BGSUFalcons.com, as the next 10 members of the Top 50 female athletes in BGSUÂ athletics history will be named next week.
Â
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