ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – Gerry Wixted of Dickinson College (Carlisle, Pa.) and Kristen Schultz of Wisconsin Lutheran College (Milwaukee, Wis.) were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division III National Players of the Week for the week ending March 1.

Wixted, a 6-8 senior forward from Moorestown, N.J., averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots as the No. 14-ranked (D3Hoops.com) Red Devils (22-5, 13-5) toppled a pair of fellow top-25 squads to claim the Centennial Conference postseason tournament and an NCAA Division III national tournament bid. Wixted, who earned Tournament Most Valuable Player honors for his efforts, began his run by scoring a season-high-tying 29 points, while adding nine rebounds, three assists and three rebounds in Dickinson’s 82-68 semifinal win on Friday over No. 25 Franklin & Marshall College (20-6, 13-5). He shot six-of-10 from the field (60 percent), including 4-of-5 (80 percent) from three-point range, while also nailing 13-of-13 from the foul line. The next night, at top-seed and No. 11-ranked Johns Hopkins University (23-4, 16-2), Wixted compiled his eighth double-double of the season, tallying 19 points and 15 rebounds to go with three blocked shots and an assist. He shot 7-of-8 from the line (87.5 percent) and 2-of-4 (50.0 percent) from three-point range in the contest. Wixted and the Red Devils now host Regis College (Weston, Mass.) in the First Round of the NCAA Division III Basketball Championship on Friday.

Schultz, a 6-3 senior center from Safford, Ariz., averaged 23 points, 18.5 rebounds and four blocks in leading the Warriors (23-4, 18-2) to the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) title and fifth straight NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. In the conference tournament semifinal game against Concordia University Chicago on Wednesday, Schultz scored 19 points, including 6-of-12 from the field (50 percent) and 7-of-9 (77.7 percent) from the foul line. She added 21 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in 38 minutes in leading Wisconsin Lutheran to an 83-61 win. In the Warriors' 71-51 win in the conference title game against Benedictine University on Saturday, Schultz tied an NCAA Division III record with her 26th career double-double as she had 27 points (9-of-17 FG, 9-of-13 FT) to go with 16 rebounds, five blocks and an assist in 36 minutes. For the week, she shot 15-of-29 from the field (51.7 percent) and 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) from the line. Schultz, who also earned NACC Player of the Week honors for the fourth straight week and ninth time this season, will lead the Warriors into the First Round of the NCAA Division III Basketball Championship against No. 17 (D3hoops.com) Wheaton College on Friday.

Each Tuesday, the USBWA has selected men's and women's Division III National Players of the Week. This is the first season that the USBWA has recognized national players of the week from Division III. This week's honorees are the final selections for the 2014-15 season.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.

2014-15 USBWA Division III National Players of the Week
• Week ending Dec. 7: Hayden Rooke-Ley, Williams College and Emily Lavin, Eastern University
• Week ending Dec. 14: Hunter Hill, Augustana College and Jamie Cuny, North Central College
• Week ending Dec. 21: Chris Cook, Hood College and Alyson Caiazzo, Manhattanville College
• Week ending Jan. 4: Trevon Butler, Husson College and Jess Rheinheimer, Eastern Mennonite University
• Week ending Jan. 11: Lorenzo Williams, Brooklyn College and Hannah Considine, Wheaton College
• Week ending Jan. 18: Aaron Walton-Moss, Cabrini College and Hayley Kanner, Tufts University
• Week ending Jan. 25: Hakeem Harris, NYU and Alex Moore, Rhode Island College
• Week ending Feb. 1: Thayne Recker, Bluffton University and Kara McDuffee, St. Lawrence University
• Week ending Feb. 8: DeShawn Hamlet, Southern Vermont College and Meghan Nowak, Eastern University
• Week ending Feb. 15: Lucas Hausman, Bowdoin College and Sydney Moss, Thomas More College
• Week ending Feb. 22: Jordan Rezendes, UMass Dartmouth and Megan Robertson, Amherst College
• Week ending March 1: Gerry Wixted, Dickinson College and Kristen Schultz, Wisconsin Lutheran