Gillian Bjerke #24

Bio

At Concordia:
2008-09:  NSIC All-Academic ... played in 31 games and made 17 starts ... was the team’s fourth-leading scorer with 8.6 ppg and was tied for the team lead with 6.4 rpg ... had three double-doubles on the season ... her season’s performance plateau came on Dec. 12 against Minnesota, Crookston, dropping in 18 points and also grabbing 12 rebounds ... reached 16 points on three other occasions ... scored in double figures in 12 games and reached 10+ rebounds six times ... had 30 blocked shots, including four swats in two games.

Previous:
Iowa State University: Spent her freshman and sophomore years at Iowa State before transferring to CU in the spring of '08 ... played in 26 games ... scored a career high 12 points and had seven rebounds against Nicholls as a freshman ... has played two career games against the University of Minnesota, scoring three points each game ... as a sophomore, Bjerke scored 20 points, had nine rebounds and two blocks while shooting 50% (7-14) from the field in 14 games.

High School: Is a graduate of Pelican Rapids High School, where she earned Class 2A All-State honors as a junior and senior ... set the single season scoring record of 499 points as a junior before breaking her own record with 547 as a senior ... is the school's all-time leading scorer (1,404) and rebounder (753) ... helped her North Tartan AAU team to a 2004 State Championship.

Personal: Born on August 9, 1987 ... has a brother, Alex, and sister, Chelsea ... is a sports management major at Concordia.

Fast Facts: Favorite food is Mexican, especially enchiladas ...  roots for all Minnesota athletic teams ... nicknames are G and G-Money ... favorite quote is "Dream it, believe it, and you will achieve it!" ... her parents have been the most influential people in her life, supperting her through thick and thin ... cannot stand the sniffling "like a pig sound" or when people don't use their turn signals ... also enjoys playing volleyball ... people might not know that she played the violin ... got her basketball skills from her talented parents.