Young Teams Look to Start Season on the Right Foot

Michelle Hall

WOOSTER, Ohio — Four youthful, yet experienced teams will be taking the court at The College of WoosterÔs 9th annual Nan Nichols Classic. With just eight seniors combined out of the 65 roster players, each of these teams feature young talent looking to get started on the right foot for the 2004-05 womenÔs basketball season.

Albion College, the Univeristy of Pittsburgh-Bradford, and Washington & Jefferson College have a combined record of 54-31 from last year and will challenge the Scots, who finished 10-16 a year ago, in their attempt to repeat as tournament champion.

This yearÔs tournament will feature some exciting match-ups, as Washington & Jefferson will battle Albion, both 20-game winners a season ago, to open the festivities on Saturday, Nov. 20, at 1 p.m. Wooster and Pitt-Bradford will battle 30-minutes after the conclusion of the first game, while the consolation and championship games are slated for 1 and 3 p.m., respectively, on Sunday, Nov. 21.

Below is a brief capsule on each team:

Under fourth-year head coach Doreen Belkowski, Albion has proven to be a major contender in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Last season, the Britons posted a 22-6 record and ran through the MIAA Tournament to earn the schoolÔs first bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, where they lost by just four points to eventual national champion Wilmington College in the first round. Seniors Sarah Caskey and Vanessa Thompson are AlbionÔs most dangerous players. After putting up 402 points last season, Caskey needs just 15 more to reach the 1,000-plateau for her career. Caskey finished the season averaging 13.9 points per game, as well as 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and a league-best 2.62 steals. Thompson is a proven player for the Britons after appearing in every game last season while averaging 23.7 minutes and 7.8 points.

Pitt-Bradford is looking to improve upon an 11-16 season and fourth-place finish in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. Sixth-year head coach Dalyann Fuller has a very young squad with 10 freshmen and sophomores, led by Samantha Groller. Groller put up big numbers for the Panthers in her first year, finishing third on the team in points (9.5) and first in rebounds (7.6). Senior Calista Walker returns as the teamÔs top scorer after averaging 10.0 points per game, while sophomores Dani Hamilton and Megan Richards should also be steady contributors after averaging 7.8 and 7.0 points in the guard and forward spots, respectivley.

Washington & Jefferson returns to the tournament after dominating the opposition in the 2002 Classic. The Presidents enter as the team to beat, as they are ranked 25th in the nation by D3hoops.com and picked to win the PresidentsÔ Athletic Conference. First-year coach Jina Derubbo has a lot of expectations to live up to after W&JÔs 20-9 season and post-season appearance in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament. Leading the way for the Presidents will be two-time All-American Leigh Sulkowski, the 2002 Nan Nichols Most Valuable Player. Sulkowski finished among the leaders in the PAC in nearly every statistical category, highlighted by 17.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Amanda Stanonik is another threat for the Presidents after finishing third on the team in scoring with 11.1 points per game, while pulling down 6. 7 rebounds.

Under eighth-year head coach Lisa Campanell Komara, Wooster will be looking to repeat as tournament champions for the first time since Hanover College did it in 1998-99. The post-oriented Scots finished last season 10-16 and will be looking for all-confernece performer Michelle Hall and sophomore Carly Loehrke to lead them to their first winning season since 1992-93. Hall led Wooster with 11.0 points per game, while Loehrke was the only other Scot to post double-digits in scoring with 10.0 points and led the team with 7.7 rebounds per game. Junior Natalie Barone is the teamÔs best rebounder out of the guard spot after averaging 4.0 caroms last season, and after suffering a season-ending knee injury at the end of last season, senior Molly Rallo should be ready to add in her positive assist-to-turnover ratio (1.00) from a year ago.