GRAND FORKS, N.D. - University of North Dakota head women's basketball coach Gene Roebuck announced today that junior guard Nicole Smart has been selected to captain the 2011-12 Fighting Sioux.

"I went by the one person that I felt could be the leader of this group," Roebuck said. "When I look at Nicole, she was our hardest worker in the offseason and she is one of our strongest players overall. She made herself quicker, she made herself faster, she put in a lot of time in the gym consistently over the summer, and that's the type of leader that we need for the type of players that we have, which are very young. Nicole sets a great example for the players."

A native of Ada, Minn., Smart appeared in 30 games last season with 14 starts to earn her second letter. During UND's 73-61 victory over Houston Baptist, she scored a career-high 17 points and set season-high marks in three-pointers made (four), three-pointers attempted (six), rebounds (six), steals (five), and minutes played (36).

A visual arts major, Smart ranked third on the team in free throw percentage (82.5), three-pointers made (0.9/game), and assists (2.0/game). She was also listed fourth in three-point percentage (35.5), fifth in steals (1.0/game), and sixth with a career-high 5.1 points per game.

The Fighting Sioux will officially open the 2011-12 season on Friday, Nov. 11 when they host Creighton. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

 - Go Sioux -