Women's Team of the Year – Hockey
The Badgers 3-0' win over Minnesota in Minneapolis earned the team its first-ever NCAA women's hockey championship. It also marked the first time the title had been won by a school other than Minnesota or Minnesota-Duluth. The team finished with a school-record 36-4-1 finish.
Sophomore Jinelle Zaugg notched two goals in the title game, and senior Grace Hutchins added another. Freshman goaltender Jessie Vetter posted shutouts in each of the two Frozen Four games, earning her the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award.
UW junior forward Sara Bauer took home the 2006 Patty Kazmaier Award, given annually to the nation's top female player. Her 57 points ranked her fourth in the country in scoring. In addition to Bauer, junior defenseman Bobbi-Jo Slusar was also named a first-team All-American, and head coach Mark Johnson was named National Coach of the Year.
Honorable Mention: Volleyball
The women's volleyball team finished the season just one win away from the Final Four when it lost to No. 3 Washington, the eventual national champion, in the regional final. UW closed out the season ranked No. 10 in the nation with a 26-7 record.
Senior middle blocker Sheila Shaw was named a third-team All-American for the Badgers. Shaw was also selected to the All-Big Ten team along with sophomore Taylor Reineke. Redshirt freshman Audra Jeffers was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Sophomore Jocelyn Wack also set an NCAA record with her current streak of 64 consecutive matches with double-figure digs.
—Matt Bunke
Coach of the Year – Mark Johnson
As head coach of women's hockey, Mark Johnson was masterful in leading the team to its first-ever national championship. Johnson was able to keep the pressure off of his players despite huge expectations all season long. With a 36-4-1 overall record, the Badgers set team records for wins in a season, fewest losses in a season, best winning percentage (.890) and most games played (41). The Badgers were ranked in the top five for the majority of the season, and claimed the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Under Johnson's tutelage, a number of individual accolades were handed out to his players. Junior forward Sara Bauer was the WCHA Player of the Year as well as the Patty Kazmaier Award recipient, given to the nation's top player. Additionally, Bauer and junior defender Bobbi-Jo Slusar were named first-team All-Americans by the ACHA.
As a member of the 1980 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team, Johnson knows what it takes to win championships. Wisconsin captured three of them this year, including the WCHA regular season, the WCHA playoffs and the NCAA Championship. For his efforts, Johnson was recognized not only on a local level, but on a national level as well. He was named the WCHA Coach of the Year as well as ACHA Women's Division 1 Coach of the Year.
Part of our message to the players is putting individual egos aside and playing for the team,\ Johnson said. ""At the end of the day, if you win something, it's because everybody was able to sacrifice.""
Honorable Mention: Barry Alvarez
UW football head coach Barry Alvarez also deserves recognition as one of this year's best head coaches. Not much was expected of last season's team, but Alvarez and his team silenced critics once again. Alvarez concluded his illustrious 16-year career with a 24-10 upset victory over Auburn in the Capital One Bowl. The current athletic director was a semifinalist for the 2005 George Munger National Coach of the Year award, leading the Badgers to a 10-win season for the fourth time in school history.
—Chris Lindeke
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