WALTHAM, Mass. - Brandeis University junior Amber Strodthoff of DePere, Wisc., and senior Artie Posch of Hopedale, Mass., have been selected as University Athletic Association (UAA) Players of the Week for February 22. Strodthoff was honored for women's basketball, while Posch, a member of the baseball team, was the first Judge honored for the spring season.
Strodthoff, a junior forward who was honored by the UAA for the first time, helped the Judges to a 2-0 road week in the league by averaging 15.5 points and 10 rebounds per game while also contributing two blocks and two steals. She shot 63.2% from the field (12-19), 50% from beyond the arc (1-2) and 85.7% from the line (6-7).
In a Feb. 19 contest at Rochester, Strodthoff had 15 points and three boards. She scored 13 of her 15 points in the final 14:41 of second half - including a jumper that put the team ahead for good at the 1:52 mark - as the Judges erased a 20-point deficit to hand the Yellowjackets their first home loss of the season, 67-65.
Two days later on Feb. 21, she helped the Judges to avenge an earlier Association loss with 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 58-38 win at Emory. She had achieved her fourth double-double of the season and her career by halftime, with 10 points and 10 caroms in the first 20 minutes. Her two blocks and two steals against the Eagles also tied career-bests, while her 17 boards were just seven fewer than the entire Emory team.
For the season, Strodhoff leads the Judges with 7.2 rebounds per game, fourth-most in the UAA. She is also third on the squad in scoring at 8.6 points per game. She is also second in the conference with four double-doubles. The Judges are 15-8 overall heading into their regular-season finale on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against UAA rival New York University.
Posch, a senior catcher and co-captain, was named UAA Player of the Week for the second time in his career and the first since his rookie season. He was on fire in the Judges' season-opening trip to Texas over their February break. Posch batted .667 (10-for-15) with a double and two home runs for a 1.067 slugging percentage and Brandeis went 1-3. He also drove in a team-high seven RBI and scored four runs.
Posch hit safely in his first seven plate appearances of the season in losses to Texas Lutheran University (12-3) and Trinity (Texas) University (15-7). In the Judges' lone win of the trip, Posch's two-run home run in the fifth inning gave the squad a 6-5 lead in a game they went on to win, 7-6, in 10 innings. His two round-trippers were the fourth and fifth of his career and first since the 2008 season. He is looking to bounce back from a season in which he missed nearly a month of the campaign due to injury. Brandeis returns to action on March 9 for the UAA tournament at Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Strodthoff is a 2007 graduate of DePere High School. She is the daughter of Todd and Marcie Strodthoff, DePere, Wisc.
Posch is a 2006 graduate of Hopedale High School. He is the son of Arthur and Cathy Posch of Hopedale, Mass.