Wednesday, April 18, 2001

Lady Bronc Basketball Signs Nikki Hitchens and Amanda Carlow

EDINBURG, TX - The University of Texas-Pan American Women’s Basketball program is excited to announce that Nikki Hitchens and Amanda Carlow have both signed a national letters of intent to play for the Lady Broncs in the upcoming 2001-2002 season.

Hitchens, a 5-10 forward from Las Vegas, NV averaged 15.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a high school senior helping the Jayhawks finish 10-0 in the Southeast Division while advancing to the state tournament.  In addition, she was also named the Southeast Division MVP.  Although heavily recruited by UNLV, Hitchens chose to play at UTPA under the guidance of Coach Karin Nicholls.

“I like the fact that they (UTPA) had a real good academic support system, a really strong chemistry program, and the coaches were extremely nice about everything” Hitchens said.  “They made me feel like I was at home while I was away from home.”

"Nikki is extremely athletic and versatile," said Head Coach Karin Nicholls. "She will be a tremendous addition to our team.  Her work ethic and desire will help take our team to another level" Nicholls added.

Amanda Carlow, a 5-7 point guard from Rapid City, SD, comes to UTPA from Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska where she averaged 8.0 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.0 steals a game. During both her years at Northeast CC, Carlow earned All-Region and All-Conference selections.  Carlow also excelled in the classroom earning Academic All-Conference and Academic All-Region recognition.

“I’m really excited about being part of a new tradition of winning” said Carlow.  “I’m looking forward to the challenges at the Division I level.”

“Amanda adds a lot of experience in a couple of positions” said Coach Nicholls.  “Her leadership ability and poise at the point guard spot will make everyone around her much better.”

The Lady Broncs will lose three seniors to graduation this year and face a tough schedule in 2001-2002 facing the likes of Arkansas State, Iowa, Wyoming, and Weber State. Hitchens and Carlow join Jennifer Piwonka who signed with the Lady Broncs in the early signing period last fall.