Seniors Katie Winkelman and Justine Axtell, the bedrock of the University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team this season, were named Tuesday to the 11-member All-North Central Conference squad. The two co-captains each enjoyed the most offensive output of their careers and led the Bulldogs in scoring 24 of 29 games between them.

Winkelman, now a two-time NCC selection, finished the year ranked 3rd in the NCC by scoring a career-best 16.5 PPG and 17.0 PPG in conference play. The Morris, Minn. native, who also was the sixth leading NCC rebounder with 6.0 RPG, wraps up her career in the No. 11 slot on UMD's all-time scoring chart with 1,244 points, just one point shy of of cracking the top-ten.

Axtell, who like Winkelman has steadily increased her offensive contributions over her career, ended the winter averaging a career-high 10.8 PPG and 11.0 PPG in NCC matches, ranking her 14th in the conference overall. The Barnum, Minn. native, who overcame a season ending injury a year ago, shot 39.7 percent from the 3-point line, the 5th highest mark in the NCC. She also grabbed 5.5 rebounds per game and finished her career with 461 rebounds to accompany her 698 points.

Both seniors started all 29 games for the Bulldogs, and both led the team in minutes played, each averaging more than 30 apiece. The pair guided UMD to a 15-14 overall record and a 4th place tie in the NCC. They also captained the first Maroon and Gold squad to reach an NCC Playoff semifinal game since the Bulldogs joined the conference three years ago.