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Zane Teilane-Tamane vs. Senegal (Courtesy www.madrid2008.fiba.com)
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Former Westerwinds Cager on Latvian Olympic Team

July 1, 2008

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MACOMB, IL - - Former Western Illinois University Westerwinds basketball player Zane Teilane-Tamane will compete in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing as a member of the Latvian Women's National Basketball team.

"It's a great feeling to be an Olympian," stated Teilane-Tamane. "To have the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games is every athlete's dream. It's been a lot of hard work, and I feel very blessed."

Latvia qualified for the 2008 Games with an 84-26 victory over Angola. Teilane-Tamane recorded 13 points and added eight rebounds in the victory. With the win, the women's basketball team became the first Latvian team to play in the summer Olympics since Latvia regained independence in 1991.

"It's a pretty big deal for our national team since we will be the first team to compete in the summer Olympics," Teilane-Tamane said. "After we won the pre-Olympic tournament, it was crazy in Latvia. All of the magazines and newspapers were writing about us, and we even visited with our country's president."

The team, who advanced to the Olympic qualification tournament with a fourth place finish at the European Championship, is on a tough practice schedule going two times a day for three days, taking one day off, then back to two-a-days for three straight days. They play young men's teams along with friendship games with other women's national teams. The team plans on heading to Asia one month before the games in order to become accustomed to the time difference, the food and the culture.

The 12-team Olympic basketball tournament will run from Aug. 9-23. Latvia's opening game versus Russia will be on Aug. 9.

Teilane-Tamane was the Westerwinds starting center from 2002-2006, and she finished her career as the all-time school leader in points (1,547), field goal percentage (.529), blocked shots (406) and rebounds (982), in addition to holding the record for consecutive free throws made (53).

"To come all the way to the United States to play at Western was one of my life's biggest challenges," Teilane-Tamane said. "Coach (Leslie) Crane helped me become a much better player; and if I hadn't come to Western, then I probably wouldn't be where I am now."

Where Teilane-Tamane is now is representing her home country on the world's largest stage, competing against the best players that women's basketball has to offer.

"It is an honor and a blessing, especially since we are such a small country of only 2.4 million people and about the size of West Virginia," Teilane-Tamane stated. "It is a competition between the best athletes in the world, and the feeling that I will be there with them is so incredible."

Zane Quick Facts
• 1st women's basketball player in Western Illinois University and Mid-Continent Conference history to be drafted into the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), 2006
• Third round, 35th pick by Detroit Shock
• Played with Washington Mystics

Collegiate honors included:
• 2006 Kodak/WBCA All-American Honorable Mention
• Mid-Con Player of the Year – 2006, 2005
• Mid-Con Defensive Player of the Year – 2006, 2005
• Mid-Con First Team – 2005
• Mid-Con All-Tournament Team – 2006, 2004, 2003

European information link:
www.madrid2008.fiba.com – Under "Teams & Players" select "Player Search" then select "T" for Teilane-Tamane.

Zane – Third Westerwinds Olympian
Zane is the third Westerwinds alumna to compete in the Olympic Games. Standout softball players Dot Richardson, an orthopedic surgeon who played her freshman year at WIU in 1980, was a member of the gold-winning 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic teams; and Canadian Kara McGaw, who competed for WIU 1986-1989, played in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta as a member of the Canadian Olympic Softball Team.

Posted By: WIU Athletics (SID@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing