ARCATA, Calif. — After just seven games, Port Angeles’ Millie Long has already made her mark for the Cal Poly Humboldt women’s basketball team.
Long, a junior, starred in both basketball and soccer for Port Angeles High School and Peninsula College, earning multiple Olympic League and NWAC MVPs in both sports.
At Cal Poly Humboldt, located in Arcata, Calif., she is ranked No. 1 in the nation among NCAA Division II schools in steals per game with 4.57. She has logged 32 steals in just seven games. She is on pace to easily breaks the Cal Poly Humboldt season steals record of 98, set by Trina Dukes in 1994-95.
Long is also leading the Lumberjacks in points per game at 14.9. She is doing all this after leading the Cal Poly Humboldt women’s soccer team in scoring.
Peninsula College women’s basketball coach Alison Crumb agreed that nothing is surprising about Long anymore.
“She is definitely everything everyone thought she is … and more,” Crumb said. “I’m so happy for her.”
Crumb said the most Long averaged at Peninsula in steals was about 3.7 to 3.9 per game.
Crumb said the jump from community college to NCAA Div. II is not easy.
“It’s huge leap for most people, but not for her. She is a Division I athlete, I think.”
“Emilia makes an impact on both ends of the floor,” said head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson. “Her athleticism, quickness and natural instincts all allow her to get into the passing lanes and read situations extremely well. These qualities combined with her intensity and competitiveness are pretty special to watch. To be currently ranked number one in steals per game is extraordinary. We are very proud of Emilia’s accomplishments thus far and we look forward to her continuing to improve each and every day.”
Long also led the Lumberjacks in goals and points in women’s soccer. She had eight goals and seven assists for 23 points on the season. Grace Johnson of Chimacum also scored two goals and three assists for seven points.
Honors for Henningers
PORTLAND, Ore. — Western Washington women’s soccer senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger was named a member of the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team for NCAA Division II.
The award recognizes the top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom in each of the NCAA’s three divisions as well as the NAIA. Among the 27 GNAC players named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, Henninger, who played for Sequim High School, was the lone player from the conference to be named an Academic All-American.
Henninger earned selection to the second team with a 3.95 grade point average as a kinesiology/sport psychology graduate student at Western Washington University. She also earned selection to the GNAC all-academic team and the CSC academic all-district team along with first team all-conference honors.
On the field, Henninger earned selection as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year. She led the GNAC with a 0.61 goals against average and an .838 save percentage across 19 matches. Henninger started every game and played 1,630 minutes while making 57 saves for the top-ranked defense in the conference. Henninger amassed a GNAC-leading nine shutouts on the season.
Henninger rounded out her career for the Vikings with 31 wins, a 0.59 goals against average, an .820 save percentage and 21 shutouts. She and her teammates won a Division II national championship her junior year.
Meanwhile, her sibling Aidan Henninger of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, who is also of Sequim, was named to the 2023 academic all-district men’s soccer team, selected by the College Sports Communicators, formerly CoSIDA, which recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Henninger played in 19 games this season for the Barons, starting in 16 of them. The defender took 22 shots with seven being on goal, but most of his work came on the defensive end of the field. He was instrumental in helping the Barons have seven shutouts over their 21 games played this season. He was named second team All-PAC earlier this month. He is majoring in clinical psychology.
Claire Henninger.
Aidan Henninger.
