Northwestern University Athletics
Kristina Divjak Out for the Season
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
December 9, 1998
EVANSTON, Ill. - Preseason All-American Kristina Divjak (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) of the Northwestern University women's basketball team will miss the remainder of the 1998-99 season, as announced today by head coach Don Perrelli. Divjak is scheduled to undergo surgery Dec. 18 for a condition in her left knee known as lateral patella compression syndrome.
"It's very difficult to lose a player of Kristina's ability," Perrelli said. "We must think of her well-being and make sure that she is able to come back and play the type of basketball that we're used to seeing from her. The team must adjust to this loss, step up and meet the challenges that lie ahead. I am confident they can accomplish this as shown over the last three games."
The 6-0 senior forward and co-captain played in four games this season, averaging 16.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game before being sidelined. She tallied a season-high 27 points in a loss to No. 22 UC-Santa Barbara on Nov. 18.
Last year Divjak was the Big Ten scoring champion (22.1 ppg), a first-team All-Big Ten selection and a Kodak Honorable Mention All-America pick.
Last week the Wildcats lost senior forward Anne Giblin (Upper Montclair, N.J./Mount St. Dominic Academy) for four to six weeks with a stress fracture in her right foot. She was out eight weeks last year with a similar injury.
The Wildcats are 5-2 on the season after winning five-straight games, including two last weekend over Ohio and Western Kentucky in the Roger L. White Invitational. Neither Divjak nor Giblin suited up for the tournament.
Northwestern plays at Stanford on Tues., Dec. 15 beginning at 9:30 p.m. CST. On Thurs., Dec. 17, the Wildcats will be at California for another 9:30 p.m. tipoff.
