UW-La Crosse and UW-Platteville will be well represented on two basketball teams playing in the 2006 Goodwill Series in London June 19-27, the schools jointly announced today.

Eagles Coach Lois Heeren will lead a women's team that includes UW-La Crosse's Mackenzie Hunter and Abby Johnson as well as UW-Platteville's Holly Kaiser, Liz Tesch and Lisa Grantman.

Pioneer Coach Paul Combs will guide a men's squad that includes UW-Platteville's Charlie Lohoff and UW-La Crosse's Chris Fehrenbach and Joe Werner.

The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference will also be represented by UW-Stout's Amanda Geissler and Lindsey Geissler on the women's team and UW-Superior's Leonard Cobb, and UW-Eau Claire's Dan Beyer on the men's roster.

Wofford's Drew Gibson, Wesley's Jermaine Logan and Alvernia's Zachary Straining round out the eight-player men's team, while SUNY-Geneseo's Amanda Haney completes the women's squad.

The USA Athletes International teams will play five to six games during the London Open. During their eight-day tour of the United Kingdom, they will tour Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, among other places.

Founded in 1991, USA Athletes International is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving amateur athletes an opportunity to participate in sporting events in the international theater, while also allowing them to broaden their educational and cultural knowledge of the world through the experience.

Combs earned the 2004-05 WIAC Coach of the Year after guiding UW-Platteville to its 19th conference championship. In four years, he has a 47-32 record at UWP. Counting four seasons at Lakeland, Combs has compiled a 107-77 record. He led the Pioneers on an international tour in May, 2005 that culminated with his team overcoming a 31-point deficit to defeat USK Praha, in Prague, Czech Republic.

"I am honored to coach this team in June at the Goodwill Series in London," Combs said. "It will be a great experience for all of us and will allow me personally to work with some of the elite student-athletes in all of NCAA Division III. This experience also allows Charlie Lohoff to develop his game as he continues to grow as a Pioneer."

Lohoff (Fr., Oshkosh, WI/North) began his UW-Platteville career with a bang, scoring 14 points in a 63-47 exhibition loss to NCAA Division I tournament team UW-Milwaukee Nov. 8. Playing in all 25 games in 2005-06, Lohoff averaged 5.0 points per game in his freshman year.

Werner (Jr., Chippewa Falls, WI/McDonell) was selected to the 2005-06 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America Third Team after earning NABC All-West Region honors. A 2005-06 all-WIAC First Team choice for the second straight season, Werner started all 28 games this season and led UW-L in scoring (14.4), rebounding (8.4) and field goal shooting (58.1%). Werner led the WIAC in field goal shooting while ranking second in rebounding, seventh in scoring and tied for ninth in blocks per game (0.56). A D3hoops.com All-West Third Team selection, he had eight double-doubles in 2005-06 and now has 18 in his three-year career. He ranks first in career blocks at UW-L (50), eighth in rebounding (566) and 17th in points (946). Werner is also second in career field goal shooting (56.7%).

Fehrenbach (So., Waukesha, WI/Catholic Memorial) finished fourth on the team in scoring this season at 8.8 points per game. He was also second in steals (34) and assists (59) while averaging 2.3 rebounds. Fehrenbach, who started all 28 games this season, led the WIAC in assist-turnover ratio this year at 2.0. He finished 11th in the conference in steals (1.21 per game) and 13th in three-point shooting (46-of-128, 35.9%). Fehrenbach, who scored in double figures in 13 contests, was 10th in the WIAC with 1.64 three-point field goals per game.

The women's team will be guided by Heeren, who was named the 2005-06 WIAC Co-Coach of the Year after leading UW-La Crosse to a 19-8 overall and 9-7 conference mark. The 19 overall and nine WIAC wins were the most since the 1987-88 season when UW-L finished 22-7 overall and 12-4 in the league. The Eagles finished fourth in the WIAC in 2005-06, their best finish since 1987-88. UW-L hosted a WIAC Tournament Quarterfinal for the first time in school history and appeared in the WIAC Semifinals for the first time in school history. The Eagles had an eight-win improvement from 2004-05.

"This a wonderful opportunity to experience a different style of basketball, to explore a different culture and meet new people," she said. "It has always been a goal of mine to coach a team internationally. I am excited to have two of our players be a part of this trip and look forward to working with the other athletes and sharing this experience with them. It is exciting to know that basketball can you take more places than just on the court."

Hunter (Fr., Eau Claire, WI/Regis) was a 2005-06 all-WIAC First Team selection after leading UW-L in scoring (11.4) and blocks (13) while ranking fifth in rebounding (3.5). She also finished second on the team in steals (48) and third in assists (40). Hunter is the first freshman to claim first team all-conference honors since UW-River Falls' Holly Spoo in 1995. Hunter shot 85.9 percent (55-of-64) at the free throw line last season. Her 85.9 percent shooting ranks second in single-season school history and led the WIAC this year (third-best in conference history). Hunter finished ninth in the conference in steals, 13th in scoring and 14th in field goal shooting (42.3 percent).

Johnson (Jr., Prescott, WI.) was named to the 2005-06 all-WIAC Honorable Mention Team after starting all 27 games. She finished third on the team in scoring (9.6) while tying for second in rebounding (5.3). Johnson was 11th in the WIAC in rebounding and 20th in scoring. A three-year letter winner, Johnson scored a career-high 18 points versus UW-Oshkosh Jan. 11. She has four double-doubles in her career.

The Pioneers' Kaiser (Sr., Hazel Green, WI/Southwestern) and Tesch (Jr., Dorchester, WI/Colby) both earned all-WIAC honors. Kaiser, a two-time all-league forward, led the Pioneers with 13.8 ppg. She scored 25 points in a victory over co-conference champion UW-Stout and 19 in a win vs. UW-Oshkosh, the other champion. Kaiser, also the league's scholar-athlete, finished her career as the most accurate shooting in school history at 48.3 percent. Tesch averaged 11.6 ppg, scoring in double figures 17 times. She led the 2005-06 team in field goal and free throw shooting. Grantman (Fr., Lomira) played in all 25 games her first year, starting 21 of them. She led the Pioneers in rebounding from her guard position, averaging 6.6 per game.