SEWARD, Neb. – Announced as the GPAC nomination for the prestigious honor back in July, standout Concordia University women’s basketball student-athlete Philly Lammers has been named winner of the NAIA’s Emil S. Liston Award. Monday (Sept. 16)’s news means that Lammers joins Chandler Folkerts (2017) as the second Bulldog to ever earn such distinction.
Presented by Daktronics, the Emil S. Liston Award recognizes both academic and athletic excellence by junior student-athletes in men’s and women’s basketball. The scholarship is named in honor of the NAIA’s first executive secretary who was also a prime mover behind the men’s basketball tournament. This award has been presented annually since 1950 to one junior men’s and one junior women’s basketball student-athlete. Each student is awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
“Philly’s dedication to academics and athletics is amazing,” said President Brian Friedrich. “Perhaps greater still is her commitment to service and leadership on our campus. She is an exceptional role model and exemplifies a student-athlete who is a Champion of Character.”
“She will be considered to be the greatest player in Concordia women’s basketball history when she has completed her four years,” said head women’s basketball coach Drew Olson. “What I am most impressed with is her humbleness and her desire to impact others. She brings joy to everyone she meets.”
Lammers cleaned up awards during and following a storybook 2018-19 season that concluded with the Bulldogs celebrating the first national title in program history. Along the way, Lammers was tabbed GPAC Player of the Year, an NAIA First Team All-American, Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska Team Captain and member of the NAIA National Championship All-Tournament Team, among other accolades. The biology and physics major is the lone player in Bulldog women’s basketball history to be named either a first or second team All-American in three-consecutive years.
As a junior, Lammers averaged 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.63 steals and 1.21 blocks while shooting 57.9 percent from the floor and 74.0 percent from the foul line. The Omaha native and Millard West High School product will enter her senior season with school all-time rankings of seventh in rebounds (823), seventh in steals (271) and 10th in scoring (1,574). During Lammers’ first three seasons, Concordia has swept GPAC regular season and postseason titles each year and has advanced to at least the national semifinals in each instance. The overall record for the program during that time is 105-8.
From the NAIA release:
Philomena “Philly” Lammers, a women’s basketball student-athlete at Concordia University, has been a standout on the court as well as in the classroom. The Omaha, Nebraska, native has maintained a 3.86 GPA majoring in biology and physics with a minor in chemistry. Her outstanding accomplishments on the court are notable, including NAIA First Team All-American and First Team All-Conference, in each of her first three seasons on campus. Most notably, Lammers was named the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Player of the Year after leading her team to the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship in 2019. She is on pace to become the Bulldogs’ all-time leading scorer, already having scored over 1,500 points while leading her team to a 105-8 overall record, three GPAC regular-season championships, three GPAC tournament championships and three semifinal appearances, with one resulting in a national title. Lammers is selfless with her time, takes initiative when she sees an opportunity to contribute and listens to others on their level, which directly impacts their ability to succeed. She is resilient in her convictions, has a strong faith and an admirable work ethic. Lammers truly exemplifies what it means to be a leader and has garnered the respect and admiration of many.