WSC's Kylie Hammer named NSIC women's basketball player of the year

WAYNE, Neb. -- Wayne State College senior guard Kylie Hammer was announced Thursday morning as the NSIC South Division Player of the Year and First Team All-NSIC as the league office announced its 2021-22 NSIC Women’s Basketball All-Conference Teams. It is the second straight season that a Wildcat received the honor as Erin Norling collected the NSIC South Division Player of the Year last season.

Hammer, a 5-6 guard from Wayne, led the NSIC in scoring this season at 20.1 points per game that including a league-best 21.3 points per game in NSIC games (19).  She is the just third player (fourth time) in school history to average more than 20 points per game in a season, joining Linda Schnitzler (26.2 ppg in 1988-89) and Connie Kunzmann (20.4 in 1976-77 and 20.1 in 1975-76) as the only other players to achieve the feat.

In NSIC games, Hammer scored double figures in 18 of 19 league games that included 11 contests of 20 or more points.  She scored season-highs of 31 points at Sioux Falls December 4th and at Winona State December 17th and had a streak of five straight games over 20 points from January 21 through February 5th.  She was named NSIC South Division Player of the Week December 6th after averaging 28.5 points per game vs. Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls.

Hammer led the NSIC in free throws made (124) and free throws attempted (162), ranking 11th nationally in free throws made and tied for sixth in free throws attempted.  She made 23 more free throws than Meleah Reinhart of Southwest Minnesota State and attempted 26 more free throws than Bemidji State’s Trinity Yoder.

This season, Hammer became the 23rd player in school history to score 1,000 career points and ended her Wildcat career ranked 22nd with 1,087 points. 

Wayne State College finished the 2021-22 season with a 9-15 record overall while placing seventh in the NSIC South Division with a 6-14 league mark.