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A look at the upcoming season
2002-03 season
Mid-Atlantic Region teams
Washington
College
It's not often
that a team without any seniors on the roster can point to experience
as one of its strengths, but that's exactly what head coach Laneé
Cole-Smith's Washington College Shorewomen can do this season. Nine players
return from last year's squad, including six juniors who have spent two
full seasons together.
Leading that junior class are three returning starting guards. Point guard Yianna Patronas was among Centennial Conference leaders in assists last season. Katie Piringer broke her own school record of 3-pointers in a season and Karen Simos provides WC with another outside threat. Both Piringer and Simos are in their third year as starters, while Patronas is in her second.
Up front, the Shorewomen will look to sophomore Liz Smith, who led the squad in scoring and rebounding as a freshman, for their inside punch. Junior Meghan Hartzell, one of the top shot-blockers in the conference as reserve for two seasons, will step into a starting role next to Smith up front.
Also back for the Shorewomen are sophomore guards Jeremy Cook and Jenny Campitelli and junior forwards Kathryn Zajac and Erin McMahan. Newcomers Kate Drazan, Beth Foster, and Julie Burke will provide depth in the frontcourt.
With an experienced core of players, the Shorewomen will look to make the program's 10th varsity season a memorable one.
Delaware
Valley
It has been quite a run for Delaware Valley over the last four years.
The Aggies have reached the Freedom Conference and Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern Region playoffs three times including an ECAC championship in 2001.
Last years squad went 16-12 and reached the MAC Freedom championship game for the first time in school history as they upset the seventh-ranked team in the country (King's) in the semifinals. The Aggies were also selected for the ECAC playoffs.
Delaware Valley lost two of its all-time greats to graduation in Kristen Henry and Lauren Snyder. Henry finished as the program's second all-time leading scorer with 1,600 points while Snyder topped the career rebounding chart with 951 boards.
Those are two big positions to fill but the 2002-03 edition will look do that and continue the winning ways of the program. Five letterwinners including two starters return for head coach Laura Hogan.
Replacing Kristen and Lauren will not be an easy task but I do believe that there are players on the team who will step up and take their game to another level, Hogan said. If they do that and the freshmen play like I believe they will, we can have another successful season.
Leading the cast of returnees is 2002 second team all-Freedom Conference honoree Amber Smolinsky (Lansdale, Pa./Lansdale), who enters her senior season just 50 points away from the coveted 1,000-point milestone. Smolinsky was second on the team and fifth in the MAC Freedom in scoring a year ago with an average of 14.3 points per game, including a team-best 24 points in the playoff upset of Kings. She also led the team in assists with 10 and placed third in steals with 50.
Sarah Tuffner (Philadelphia/Nazareth Academy) greatly improved her numbers from her rookie to sophomore year, and she will look to continue that trend this season.
The 6-foot-3 Tuffner averaged 6.3 points and 6.2 rebounds in 28 starts last year after notching 2.1 points and 4.6 boards in 2000-01. She also set a school and conference record while ranking 14th in Division III with 71 blocked shots (2.5 avg).
Center/forward Bridget Golden (Philadelphia/St. Basil Academy) came on strong at the end of her freshman year and finished the 2001-02 campaign ranked fourth on the team with averages of 6.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per game. The 6-2 Golden shined in the postseason with 33 points and 25 boards in three contests.
Junior Shannon McCormick (North Wales, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) and sophomore Jackie Hartzell (Philadelphia/St. Huberts) round out the returning letterwinners.
McCormick saw action in all 28 games (three starts) last year and the guard/forward averaged 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in just over 16 minutes per contest. Hartzell saw about nine minutes per game in 16 appearances and she averaged 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds an outing.
Sophomore guard Andrea Pratt (New Woodstock, N.Y./Homer) is back after seeing limited time in nine contests last season.
Hogan is excited about her freshmen class as four rookies join the Delaware Valley squad in guards Ashley Ziegler (Coopersburg, Pa./Palisades) and Juli McGowan (Glenside, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) as well as twins Jennifer McCarthy and Kate McCarthy (Cinnaminson, N.J./St. Basil Academy).
Ziegler was a second team all-Colonial League player as a senior in high school while McGowan earned honorable mention all-star honors in the Philadelphia Catholic League.
Both McCarthys were all-Academy honorees during their high school careers. Jennifer is a 5-10 forward/center, while Kate is a 5-7 guard.
Thiel
Thiel head coach Gloria Pacsi and the Tomcats have very high expectations
regarding the upcoming 2002-03 season. The Tomcats, coming off of a third
place finish in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, return four starters
and 10 letterwinners from last year's squad that finished the season 14-13.
Even with four starters back, Pacsi is faced with the challenge of having to replace one of the top scorers in school history, Sarah Snyder. Snyder, a 2002 All-PAC First Team selection, finished her stellar four-year career with 1,007 points, eighth among all-time leaders.
"Snyder had an outstanding and rewarding career here at Thiel. We saw some talent in her when we recruited her. Right from the start, she bought into the program and worked hard to understand it and make an impact. It is certainly going to be a challenge to fill those shoes," said Pacsi.
Expectations surround the four returning starters, led by junior guard Amanda Swanson. Swanson, named to the 2002 All-PAC First Team, averaged 13.0 points per game last season while leading the team in rebounding (7.3). She ranks third among women's all-time leaders in made 3-point field goals, hitting 94 of 212 (43.3%) 3-point shots over her first two seasons.
"Swanson is truly a diamond in the rough. She is a very good player and gets better every single day. She is going to turn a lot of heads this season. I am hoping that she steps up as a leader on a daily basis. The more she does that, the more her teammates will respond and see improvement in their own game. The better the team gets, the less pressure shes going to have to deal with," said Pacsi.
Senior Mayumi Sasaki returns to handle the point guard duties this season after averaging 3.6 assists per game last year. Sasaki, a native of Osaka, Japan, provided Tomcat fans with glimpses of brilliance in her passing and ball-handling abilities last season.
"Sasaki has adjusted to the game very nicely. She's got a great handle on the ball with her skills. She's seeing more opportunities in the offense and finding people in scoring situations. She is also going to be asked to see herself as more of a scorer and take advantage of those situations," said Pacsi.
Junior guard Kerry Gutherie can be used at both the one and two guard spots. Gutherie averaged 5.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last year while totaling 45 assists and 32 steals.
"Gutherie only knows how to play one way, and that way is hard. She's one of the best on defense, but is going to have to see herself as an offensive weapon this season as well. She's capable of doing a lot offensively, so teams are going to have to slow her down," said Pacsi.
Junior forward Danielle Mezzulo, named an All-PAC Honorable Mention last season, averaged 7.0 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game.
"Mezzulo has come in this season really focused. She may be a little undersized, but she is strong. She is determined to be recognized as a threat inside, and teams are going to feel her presence out there," said Pacsi.
Inside, the Tomcats will look to a pair of seniors in Stacy Shook and Liz Payne. Shook averaged 1.9 points and 1.1 points per game last season while Payne averaged 1.5 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
Shook and Payne know they need to be contributors to this team as seniors and know they understand very well. They are going to be asked to make consistent contributions at both ends of the floor, said Pacsi.
The Tomcats' bench is young, with nine freshmen and three sophomores. Sophomore guard Laura Simonetti returns with the most experience, playing in 24 games last season and starting in 10 of those. Simonetti averaged 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
"Laura was a nice surprise last season for us. She was a real spark. Defensively, she gets afer it. Offensively, she's a shooter. Her attitude can be contagious, which we hope will be rough on our opposition," said Pacsi.
Returnees hoping to provide depth inside will be sophomore center Adrienne Mowry, sophomore forward Laura Fahey. Freshman center Elizabeth Sensenstein and freshman forward Kristin Pollack also hope to vie for minutes.
In the backcourt, three freshmen look to provide spectators a look at the future of the Tomcat women's program. guards Morgan Dibble and Heather Abate should provide Pacsi with solid minutes over the course of the season. Kirsten Schrecongost, currently out with an injury, will return later in the season.
"When looking at the expectations of this year's team, along with the possibilities that are out there," Pacsi said, "we obviously want to be better this year than last. We'll battle for 40 minutes and were going to make teams outplay us. Our level of talent is high and our depth is going to be helpful. I think this team is special and we want to be the best, but we have to take it one game at a time. We just want to get after it and play with confidence and play with passion. We just want to get after it and play with confidence and play with passion."
Lycoming
After missing the playoffs the past two seasons, Lycoming is eager to
return to the upper echelon of the MAC Freedom. The Warriors will be young
with only one senior and two juniors on the roster; but eight players,
including the team's top three scorers, are back from last season's squad.
That experience, combined with a talented freshman class, provides reason
for optimism as the Warriors prepare for the 2002-2003 campaign.
"Last season, we started the year with nine freshmen on the team.
We knew there would be some growing pains along the way, but late in the
season we began to gel as a team and were able to compete with the top
teams in the conference," said head coach Christen Ditzler. "We
still have a lot of work to do to be able to beat those teams, but I think
the foundation is in place to get back to where we were a few years ago."
Lyndy Levan is a large piece in that foundation. The three-time first-team
conference all-star returns for her senior campaign. Last season, she
led the team in both points and rebounds, averaging 16.0 and 8.9 per game,
respectively. This season could also be a record-breaking one for LeVan
who is currently the program's fourth leading scorer all-time and is on
pace to become the most prolific scorer in the program's history.
Junior Emily DiMarco also returns after averaging 9.8 points per game
last season to rank second on the squad. DiMarco has been the team's most
dangerous outside scoring threat the last two seasons with 44 career 3-pointers.
Lycoming's third returning starter was also their third-leading scorer
last season. Sophomore point guard Mindy Culp averaged 7.7 points per
contest during her rookie season. She has the ability to become a major
offensive weapon for the Warriors, as evidenced by her 30-point effort
versus Wilkes last season.
"Lyndy, Emily, and Mindy are the obvious nucleus of the team,"
said Ditzler. "In order for us to be successful this season, there
is no question that they have to produce on the court scoring, rebounding,
everything has to start with them. But perhaps more importantly, they
have to provide the leadership for this team. They have to set the tone
in practice and in games in order for this team to mature quickly and
be successful."
Also returning from last season's team are junior Katie Kresge, and sophomores
Amy Herschman, Kristen Dart, Michelle Stine, and Erin George. The five
combined to average 10.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, primarily off
the bench, a year ago. Kresge and Herschman both saw significant minutes
in the frontcourt for Lycoming last season and will be counted on to control
the paint for the Warriors this season. Dart, Stine, and George will all
challenge for playing time as part of the backcourt rotation.
"I think these players are eager for an opportunity to contribute,"
said Ditzler. "Last season we had a strong group of four seniors
that made it hard to give a lot of minutes to our bench. This season there
is ample opportunity for all of them to step up, either into a starting
role or a key player off the bench."
Lycoming will also welcome six new athletes to the team in 2002-2003.
Sabrina Catrambone joins the team out of Springfield High School; Danielle
Kern comes to the Warriors from Lake-Lehman High School; Stacy Lindeman
graduated from Whitehall High School; Meghan Martin joins the squad after
playing for Cumberland Valley High School; Rebecca Pugh comes to Lycoming
from Pine Grove Area High School; and Amanda Walker joins the team after
starring at Central Mountain High School.
"I'm excited about our freshman players," said Ditzler. "As
a group they have talents and skills that can benefit the team right away.
There is fairly good size within the class and I think they compliment
the previous year's class, which makes us a more balanced team. I'm really
looking forward to seeing how quickly they can make the transition to
this level of play and contribute on the court."
The Warriors' road back to the conference playoffs will not be easy. The
MAC Freedom is one of the strongest in the entire nation. Last season
the league's top two teams qualified for the NCAA tournament, one advancing
to the Elite Eight and the other the Sweet Sixteen. The third- and fourth-place
teams both played in the ECAC Southern Region Championships.
"Without a doubt our conference is one of the toughest in the country,"
said Ditzler. "While that can be frustrating at times, I think ultimately
it is an exciting challenge. While we understand how difficult it will
be for us to make the playoffs and possibly win the conference, we also
understand that if we can do that, we can compete with any team in the
nation. If that doesn't motivate you to work hard in order to get better,
you should be playing intramurals."
Bethany
With four starters back from last year's team and one senior on this year's
roster, No. 23 Bethany is poised toward not only keeping its dominance
in the Presidents' Athletic Conference but also becoming a national powerhouse
in Division III basketball.
Last year, the Bison won a record-breaking fourth consecutive PAC title, hosted and won an NCAA tournament game, the first ever postseason win in Bethany history, before being knocked out in the second round by Wilmington, an eventual Elite Eight team.
The Bison finished
last season with an impressive 22-7 overall record, equaling the mark
for most victories in a season. They won all but one game in the conference,
finishing the year with a 6-2 regular season record and winning the conference
tournament. From there, Bethany was invited to the NCAA tournament for
the third consecutive year and went on to win the first round of the NCAA
Tournament, defeating Benedictine 79-58. However, the women's season ended
in the next round in a loss to Wilmington 82-66.
It's from that point the Bethany hoopsters will begin their chase for
the national title. The Bison open up their season with a rematch at third-ranked
Wilmington on Nov. 22 in the Quakers Tip-Off Tournament.
"Obviously, we were happy with last year," said Bethany Head Coach Jina DeRubbo. "We finally won that first postseason game, but now we want to build from that. With that experience from last year and as this team gets more mature, it should enable us to play better in crucial situations."
As they prepare for the new year, the Bison return four starters and eight letterwinners from last year. Junior Kelley Richardson was the leading scorer a year ago and a powerful force on the boards for the Bison. Richardson averaged 19.2 points per game and 10.5 rebounds as well. A First Team All-PAC and Mid-Atlantic Region selection, Richardson should be the go-to person inside the paint once again for the Bison.
"Kelley worked all summer trying to add another dimension to her game," said DeRubbo. "She worked on her game facing the basket from 15 feet and in. As last year wore on, she faced more and more double- and triple-teams. But other teams won't be able to do that quite as much this season."
Joining Richardson
underneath will be returning PAC MVP Katie Hardie. A more versatile player,
Hardie can go inside and out. Last season, she averaged 16.0 points per
game and 9.3 boards.
"Katie is a great player for us because she is difficult to guard,"
said DeRubbo. "She has the ability to move out and shoot a three,
but she can also score off the dribble. When a player has the range that
she does, it makes her a threat everywhere and opens up the floor for
others too."
The only senior on this year's squad is Kiki Cohen. Cohen is two-year starter at shooting guard and has earned Second Team All-Conference both seasons, including last year when she averaged 10.9 markers and 3.1 assists.
Another guard that will be key to the Bison offense is sophomore Nikki Babik. Babik led the conference last season in two categories, including three-point field goal percentage (40.7) and free-throw percentage (93.8), while averaging 10.2 points per game and earning Honorable Mention All-Conference.
"Kiki and Nikki have been shooting the ball very well for us in practice," said DeRubbo. "We have great shooters and a strong post game which will make our team difficult to defend. A team has to choose one or the other to try to slow us down because it's hard to concentrate on both."
Others returning from
last year's team include juniors Katie Tetzlaw and Shannon Boyle and sophomores
Stefanie Panas and Katie Resanovich. They will join six newcomers to the
Bison squad, as DeRubbo has four freshmen and two transfers joining her
program.
"Katie Tetzlaw is likely going to start for us and brings so much
emotion and leadership to this team," said DeRubbo. "Shannon's
knee is healthy and she is finally 100%. And Katie and Stefanie worked
very hard to improve over the summer. Our bench is gaining more and more
experience and we feel we should be able to put them in a game, regardless
of the situation, and they will play well.
"Our incoming class should have a significant impact on the team," said DeRubbo. "This is the deepest we have ever been and I think that is one advantage we will hold over most teams. This year, we have the ability to go two deep at every position, which has never been an option for us in the past and will be important because we will want to keep fresh legs in the game at all times."
Despite last year's success, DeRubbo says they will have a much different style of play this season and that developing consistency will be crucial towards success.
"We are going to be a running team. Our whole offense has opened up with both Nikki and Kiki in the lineup. We have a great shooting game and post game which will make us more affective all around," said DeRubbo.
"We have great chemistry on the team this year and that is important for any team, but we have to be able to play at the same level every game in order to be a national contender."
Bethany has won the
conference for the past four seasons, which is the longest streak any
team has ever held in the PAC. The Bison have the opportunity to extend
their streak to five this season, although DeRubbo knows the bull's-eye
is on her team.
"Our main goal every year is to win the conference, then to make
it to the NCAA tournament and advance," said DeRubbo. "I think
we will be the team to beat in the PAC this year. When you have been on
top, every team wants to knock you off and you can't take any team lightly."
"W&J returns four starters and they brought in a tough recruiting class," said DeRubbo. "Westminster lost a few people, but they should be a good team again this year and everyone else in the league is capable of knocking us off if we don't come ready to play."
Outside of the PAC, the Bison have a tough schedule to face this year, beginning with the Quakers, a team the women have been waiting for since the buzzer sounded in last year's loss.
"They didn't see us at 100%," said DeRubbo. "Kelley was in the hospital with the flu and Katie broke her finger. We are a completely different team this year and I think it will be a different game. We have to play to our level to beat a team of Wilmington's caliber."
After opening up their season Nov. 22-23 at the Wilmington College Tip-Off Tournament and following that with a game at Penn State Behrend Nov. 26, the Bison will have their home opener on Saturday, November 30, against Pitt-Greensburg.
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