After a run to the 2009-10 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season championship and a runner-up finish in the NCAC Tournament, the Wittenberg Tigers return five letterwinners, including two starters, for their title defense.
Leading the charge a year after the Tigers posted a 19-8 overall record and won an NCAC-record 12th regular season title are senior wing Katherine Hueter (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Darby) and junior post Sarah Watson (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson). They step into leadership positions after the departure of one of the finest senior classes in program history, including 2010 NCAC Player of the Year Stephanie Boardman.
Hueter ranked third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding in 2009-10, and Watson was fourth in both categories. Hueter was a second-team All-NCAC honoree a year ago after averaging 10.5 points and 7.7 rebounds and finishing with a 66-60 assist-turnover ratio, tops on the team.
Watson increased her scoring and rebounding averages significantly in her first season as a starter, improving to 8.4 points and 6.2 in 2009-10. Nearly half of her shots a year ago were three-pointers as she led the Tigers with 29 triples, while at the other end of the court Watson topped the squad with 17 blocked shots.
Sarah Watson
Watson and Hueter, along with sophomore post Kim Replogle (Houston, Ohio/Houston), will be keys to Wittenberg's dominance on the glass again after the Tigers led the conference in rebounding margin each of the last two years. In 2009-10, Wittenberg outrebounded opponents by 9.8 per game.
The biggest question marks are on the perimeter, where only junior Lauren Cassel (Columbus, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) returns after getting extensive playing time last year. She appeared in 27 games and contributed 2.7 points and 1.0 rebounds per contest, in addition to 18 steals. Junior Lyndsey Clark (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh) rounds out the teams top returning players after she appeared in 13 games in 2009-10.
Numerous players gained collegiate experience as members of the Tigers' reserve team in 2009-10, including sophomores Ashanta Robinson (Yellow Springs, Ohio/Yellow Springs) and Aimee Carpenter (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran West). They are among a host of returning players and new recruits who figure to make an impact on the line-up in 2010-11.
2010-11 Team Information
Letterwinners Returning: (5)Katherine Hueter (W, 5-11, Sr.)Lauren Cassel (W, 5-8, Jr.) Sarah Watson (P, 6-0, Jr.) Lyndsey Clark (F, 5-8, Jr.) Kim Replogle (F/P, 5-11, So.) |
Letterwinners Lost (7)Stephanie BoardmanCarrie Dyer Elise Jenkins Amber Lough Kellsea Vasileff Kali Parmley Allie Leopard |
Other Returning Players (5)Lindley Bell (G, 5-3, Jr.)Aimee Carpenter (W, 5-7, So.) Ashanta Robinson (F/W, 5-10, So.) Ann Tomko (F, 5-9, So.) Sarah Skidmore (G, 5-5, So.) |
Newcomers (8)Erin Lloyd (W, 5-7, Fr.)Kiley McCullough (G, 5-6, Fr.) Mariah Reed (W, 5-7, Fr.) Amber Rice (W, 5-7, Fr.) Brooke Sears (F, 5-10, Fr.) Lily Watson (W, 5-8, Fr.) Cassie Whitley (P, 5-11, Fr.) Jaclyn Willoughby (G, 5-8, Fr.) |