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Virginia Beach

Coverage of the women's Final Four

2004 season

Wilmington fans rock Quakers

Photo by John Swartzel Emily Cummins lets the shot fly that put the Quakers in the Final Four for the first time.

By Gordon Mann
D3hoops.com

The Connor Convocation Center isn't Wilmington's home court. But it sure felt like it this past weekend.

With the Quakers traveling to Thomas More's gym in Crestview Hills, Ky., for the Regional Finals, the Wilmington crowd filled the Center as coach Jerry Scheve's squad captured the school's first ever NCAA national semifinal appearance in any sport.

After defeating host Thomas More and the Puget Sound to earn a trip to Virginia Beach, the Quakers knew they could count on a throng of fans to come along for the ride.

"It's unreal when you can have this big of a fan base at your games and to be followed as much as our fans follow us, it's unbelievable," remarked 2004 D3hoops.com All-Region first team selection Tara Rausch. "They sure do love us and we appreciate them."

Given the college's affiliation with the 'Religious Society of Friends,' it's somewhat fitting that the Quakers' success story, both on and off the court, has been one of strength in numbers.

Quaker Crazies part of the cause
With their audible chants, cheers and jeers throughout the game, the Quaker Crazies are one of the more lively cheering sections in Division III women's basketball.

This weekend they filled their portion of the Connor Convocation Center with green and black for Friday's contest with the home standing Thomas More Saints. Then the Crazies snapped up their portion of tickets — and some of the Tacoma-based Puget Sound Loggers' allotment — for Saturday's regional finale.

The 'Crazies' are an interesting mix of family, friends and former team members.

A handful of fans sporting black T-shirts with the number "44" and "Rausch" on the back in honor of senior star Tara Rausch travel to every game. "(They're) my fiancée and my family," admitted Rausch after the win over Puget Sound. "There's nothing (better) in the world than to know that your family is there supporting you in anything you do. It's the best feeling ever."

Last weekend's contingency of Quaker Crazies also included former players and coaches, including the school's all-time assist leader and 2003 D3hoops.com All-American Megan Woodruff.

After the victory against Puget Sound, Scheve pointed out that this year's success is due in part to the success of Woodruff and the other members of previous Wilmington teams.

"We had so many ex-players and ex-coaches (at the sectional final) and we brought them all into the locker room after the game to have them share in it because I just feel they were all a big part of it to build toward this spot where we are tonight."

To understand the bond between past and present Quakers, it's important to see the context in which those former Wilmington teams played.

Before joining the OAC in 2000, the opportunities for the Quakers to play in the NCAA Tournament were tough to come by. "We were either in leagues that did not receive automatic bids to the tournament, or were an independent," Scheve explains.

In an era without Pool B bids for such teams, the Quakers missed the tournament despite 20-win seasons in 1996-1997 and 1997-1998. "We had several teams that could have made a nice run in the tournament, but we were not invited," notes Scheve.

While members of those teams may not have had the chance to shine in the NCAA Tournament, the same cannot be said of this year's group of seniors.

A star in a bright constellation
The Quakers have now made the tournament three seasons in a row, led in large part by 2003 D3hoops.com All-American Tara Rausch.

"She's just, from day one, been a perfect fit with what we do, the way she runs the court with her athleticism, her ability to catch the ball on the run," explains Scheve. "She used to get most of her baskets in transition. This year she would just post up and she just really, I thought, improved her ability to score inside."

Since coming to Wilmington from nearby Marysville, the forward has had a career full of accolades. 2003 Conference Player of the Year. 2004 conference leader in points, rebounds and shots blocked per game. Just the second Quaker to notch 1,000 points and rebounds in her career.

But, when asked to reflect on the most meaningful moment of her yet-to-be-completed career at Wilmington, Rausch points to the NCAA Tournament appearances, particularly this run to the Final Four. "We've never been this far. It's just amazing to be a senior leader on this team and be able to push the team this far."

As good as Rausch is, she knows last weekend's wins over Thomas More and Puget Sound showed that the Quakers' strength lies in their depth.

In Friday's Regional Semifinal, Rausch picked up her second personal foul and went to the bench with 9:43 to play in the first half. Junior Siobhan Zerilla scored six points in her absence as the Quakers maintained their lead at the half, despite Rausch only having three points at the break.

Zerilla would combine with senior guards Amy Kincer and Emily Cummins to score 56 points, including a crushing 3-pointer by Cummins at the 1:13 mark which stood as the game winner.

The next night both Rausch and Zerilla picked up two fouls early in the first half against Puget Sound. This time freshman Erica Smith tallied nine points in the first half as the Quakers maintained their lead without their two top low post players.

Smith ended with a new career high in points (16) and Cummins again enjoyed late game heroics, hitting the game winner with 23 seconds left. At the end of the weekend, the Quakers put two players on the All-Tournament sectional team, but neither was Rausch. Instead Zerilla and sectional MVP Cummins took home those honors.

And while Rausch's performance this weekend will be a big factor in determining whether Wilmington's season ends in a national championship, she, her teammates and the faithful Crazies who make the trip to Virginia Beach know that, for the Quakers, it's a matter of strength in numbers.

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