NAIA and NCAA To Do Battle in One of Deepest Fields in Tourney History

Carly Loehrke

WOOSTER, Ohio — Featuring one of the most talented fields in recent history, the 10th edition of The College of Wooster’s Nan Nichols Classic should prove to be one of the best, as women’s basketball teams from the NAIA and NCAA Div. III will square off in an attempt to claim the tournament title. Notre Dame (Ohio) College and Seton Hill University, both members of the NAIA, along with Alma College combined for a 60-28 record in 2004-05, thus presenting a challenge for the host Fighting Scots, who finished just below .500 last season (12-14), claim their third Nan Nichols title.

This year’s event features some exciting match ups, as Notre Dame and Seton Hill, both American Mideast Conference North Division rivals, will kick things off on Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by the “Battle of the Scots” between Alma and Wooster at 3 p.m., or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. On Sunday, the NAIA and NCAA will square off in the consolation and championship games, as the two losing teams from the previous day will face one another at 1 p.m., followed by the winners in the finals at 3 p.m.

Below is a brief capsule on each team:

Alma is looking to make it two Nan Nichols titles in a row for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, following Albion College’s win in last season’s event. Long-time head coach Charlie Goffnett led Alma to a 13-11 overall mark last season and a fourth-place finish (7-9) in the MIAA. Now-senior Ashley Borcherding was the squad’s top threat from deep, connecting on a team-best 19 trifectas en route to averaging 8.0 points per game, while classmate Katey Peacock led the squad in scoring at 15.7 points per game in addition to averaging a league-high 2.4 steals en route to first-team all-conference honors. In the post, the Scots will look to 6’0” sisters Darcie and Erica Philp. Darcie appeared in nine games at the end of 2005-06 and averaged 7.0 rebounds and 10.2 points per game over that span, while Erica earned second-team All-MIAA honors after averaging 6.4 rebounds and 12.1 points per game.

Notre Dame is making its third appearance in the Nan Nichols Classic and following its most successful season in school history, the Falcons are poised to make a run at the tourney title. Fifth-year head coach Dick Deasy has rejuvenated Notre Dame’s basketball program, culminating in a 26-7 overall record and a third-place finish (tie) in the AMC North Division last season. Senior Kristi Wendolowski finished third on the team in scoring last season at just under 11 points per game, with most of the damage coming from long-range where she connected on 80 three-point attempts. Tamika Watkins is the Falcons’ top returning post player as the 6’0” senior put up 8.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season.

If the tournament were based on size alone, Seton Hill would take the title as the Griffins’ roster sports nine players 5’10” or taller, including 6’2” NAIA All-American honorable mention Elena Radenkovic. Radenkovic averaged 17.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game last season, while leading Seton Hill to a 21-11 overall record and tying for third (13-5) with Notre Dame in the AMC North Division. Radenkovic isn’t the only threat for third-year coach Scott Breegle, as he also has a pair of senior guards to set the pace in Denishia Salter and Kaleeda Jenkins. Both averaged double figures in points last season at 11.4 and 10.2 per game, respectively, with Salter dishing out 4.1 assists and Jenkins grabbing 3.8 rebounds. Joining Radenkovic in the paint will be 5’10” sophomore Autumn Himes, who was named to the AMC North All-Freshmen Team in 2005-06 after averaging 9.8 points and 4.6 caroms.

Wooster will be trying to make the tournament finals for the seventh consecutive year under ninth-year head coach Lisa Campanell Komara, who led the Scots to a sixth-place finish (7-9) in the North Coast Atlantic Conference during 2005-06. The Scots may switch things up a bit from the past with more guard-oriented lineups this season, which will include juniors Beth Besancon and Maria Gonzalez. Besancon finished second on the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game, including connecting on 43 attempts from behind the arc, while Gonzalez showed she was one of the Scots’ most versatile players last winter, averaging 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game. Despite the slight change in strategy, the focus of Wooster’s game plan is still 6’0” junior forward Carly Loehrke. Loehrke earned second-team All-NCAC honors in 2005-06 after pacing the Scots in points (14.0 ppg), rebounds (7.7 rpg), and blocks (1.2 bpg), while setting a school record in shooting from the field (.561).