LARAMIE – There will be more waterworks for the Cowgirls.
 
Following Wyoming's 68-55 Border War victory over Colorado State last Saturday in Fort Collins, the team doused head coach Heather Ezell with water in the visiting locker room at Moby Arena.
 
"It was a really cool moment to be a part of," guard Joslin Igo said.
 
There won't be many dry eyes on the bench or the court when Igo and UW's five other seniors are celebrated before the regular season finale against UNLV on Wednesday at the Arena-Auditorium (8:30 p.m., FS1).
 
Allyson Fertig, Emily Mellema, Tess Barnes, McKinley Dickerson and Ola Ustowska will also take part in the pregame ceremony with their families.
 
"When you've got a group of seniors like we have that are plastered all over the record books and have put their heart and soul into this program, a huge group of them that have been a part of it for so long, it's going to be emotional," Ezell said. "We're going to have to make sure quickly we change our mindset and change our focus after it's done. That's where this group is at, they are mature enough to be able to do that.
 
"We will enjoy it, there will be tears at the start, and I think we should be able to flip the switch."
 
The Cowgirls (19-10, 13-4) have won eight of their last nine games to ascend to sole possession of second place behind the now four-time reigning Mountain West champion Rebels (24-5, 16-1).
 
Fertig leads the MW in scoring (19.0 ppg) and rebounding (10.7 ppg). The 6-foot-4 center from Glendo, who led Douglas High to three state championships alongside Igo, should finish her UW career with conference player of the year honors.
 
"I think she deserves it 100 percent," Igo said. "She has put in so much work for that."
 
Fertig, who has 1,133 career rebounds, recently passed Michele Hoppes (1,104, 1984-87) as the Cowgirls' all-time leading rebounder. She is currently fourth on UW's career scoring list with 1,771 points, trailing Christine Fairless (1,933, 1985-89), Hoppes (1,842, 1984-87) and Amy Burnett (1,782, 1992-95).
 
"Getting to be part of her journey this whole time and see her finish out college and all the amazing things she has done is just special," Igo said.
 
Mellema patiently waited for her turn to start after Tommi Olson and Quinn Weidemann used the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA during the pandemic. The 5-11 point guard from Lynden, Wash., was named to the all-MW defensive team as a junior and is averaging 10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists this season.
 
During the Cowgirls' loss to CSU in Laramie, Mellema was battling with illness. She finished with 11 points, four rebounds, three blocks and two assists in the rematch.
 
"When she's peak Emily she can do a lot of damage, not just scoring but facilitating and being that leader that we need on the court," Fertig said.
 
Barnes, the third member of the decorated recruiting class with Fertig and Mellema, is averaging 9.7 points and 4.0 rebounds. The versatile 6-2 wing from Gisborne, Australia, leads the team with 46 made 3-pointers.
 
"I knew that we were going to be friends for a long time and obviously turned into a family eventually because we're with each other all the time," Barnes said earlier this season of Fertig and Mellema. "I'm very grateful for both of them, they've done so much for me."
 
Dickerson led the Cowgirls in scoring and was an all-MW selection as a junior in 2021-22 before going on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The fifth-year senior from Lyman is rounding back into form down the stretch and finished with 12 points clutch points while helping limit the Rams to 22 second-half points in the critical Border War win.
 
"We're seeing that old McKinley where she comes in and there's no back down," Ezell said. "She's going, get me the ball or I'll get to my spot to get the ball. Every one of us, from one to 16 on the team and all of us coaches, have confidence that she's going to find the right spots and going to produce."
 
Dickerson and Ustowska were members of the 2021 MW Tournament championship team. The 5-10 Ustowska, a defensive stopper from Kartuzy, Poland, is in her sixth season at UW.
 
"She is generally my role model like Quinn was, like Tommi was. I'm so happy that she's back and I'm so happy she went for her mission so I could have one more year with her," Ustowska said of Dickerson. "She was the one with Quinn and the girls when I was a freshman that showed me how Cowgirl tough is and she showed me how I'm supposed to show it to younger girls when she was gone. It's awesome. She's a great player."
 
Igo, who transferred to UW last season after playing two seasons at Casper College, does the dirty work in practice to help her classmates prepare for games. However, she was on the court dribbling out the clock against CSU after Ezell subbed the starters out with a comfortable lead in the hostile road environment.
 
"It's really fun when you hear boos when we're running out on the court. Just to get them at home and get a little bit of revenge because they got us here was cool," Igo said. "It's very bittersweet. Things always come to an end. It has been such a cool and amazing experience here. I'm kind of sad it's coming to an end."
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
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