SAINTS READY FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SEASON IN 2008-09

Nov 21: After a lot of hard work in the off season and more than a month of intense practices, the St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team could not be more excited for the 2008-2009 season to begin, with their first scheduled tip-off of the season set for 8:00pm against Lehman College at the Amherst Invitational in Amherst, MA on Saturday.

The Saints reaped the benefits of their hard work in 2007-2008 with a Liberty League Championship title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.  St. Lawrence defeated William Paterson in the first round, but fell to eventual national runner-up Messiah College in the second round to complete their season with a notable 24-5 overall record. 

“We’ve made the NCAA Tournament two consecutive years now, and each year we’ve made it a step further than we did before,” says Head Coach Jennifer Kroll.  “We understand that it’s hard just to get to the NCAA tournament.  Instead of focusing on wins, as a team we’re going to focus on keeping everything in perspective, not looking too far ahead, and improving every time we step on the court.”

The Saints, recently ranked second in the conference’s preseason poll, are led by Captain Lauren Sischo and fellow seniors Katie Palmer, Jenna Krzemien and Tiye Gordon.  This is a special year for Coach Kroll, as Sischo, Palmer and Krzemien were her first recruiting class at St. Lawrence.  The Saints return three of five starters from last season and are very excited about the team’s six newcomers.  

Gordon shared her thoughts on the team. “This is a new generation for the St. Lawrence women’s basketball program. This season our team is made up of people with so many talents, as our season gets underway we are trying to figure out what combinations work best.  We are all having fun redefining our roles as individuals within the team.”

Krzemien echoed her sentiments. “This season we have a relatively young team so we have to be persistent working on the small things one day at a time if we want to accomplish our goals.”

Katie Palmer, a 2007 WBCA Regional All-American, who averaged 15.1 points per game last season and earned Liberty League First Team honors, is ready to face the challenges of a new season. “This year, we are a close-knit and determined group working toward a common goal.  We understand that there is value in the process, not just the outcome and we live that each day at practice. It’s great seeing the team learn and grow together, and we look forward to making even more improvements throughout the season.” 

Sischo, a two sport captain at St. Lawrence knows a little something about leadership and success.  A true floor general, she played more minutes for the Saints than any other player throughout the 2007-08 campaign.  “It would be really nice to talk about making it back to the NCAA tournament again this year, and at times it almost seems like it should be a given.  However, this season we want to focus on improving each practice, take pride in doing the little things well and concentrate on one game at a time.  This season is not about what we have done in the past,” says Sischo.  “I believe that ‘tradition never graduates,’ but we have to use every opportunity and work our hardest everyday to achieve big things.”

Assistant Coach Amanda Leahy has high hopes for the talented group.  She says, “The possibility that fills the beginning of each new season is undeniably exciting but at the same time it can be a challenge not to get bogged down by long term goals.  I am impressed by our players’ ability to set those long term goals and yet maintain focus on the importance of what we are doing right now.  They have done a great job so far of recognizing the value in the process. It’s not easy to come to practice every single day and be ready to compete and make each other better each and every drill.” 

While many programs measure their success by player accomplishments on the court, Kroll has been adamant about ensuring her team understands the importance of being accomplished in the classroom as well.  Last season, the squad boasted a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.528, earning a rank of third on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) 2007-2008 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll, a poll that considers all Division III women’s basketball programs.  Kroll hopes through the guidance of her upperclassmen that her team will continue to be one of the most successful programs in the country in every sense of the word.  

SAINTS ARE SECOND IN CONFERENCE PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Nov. 11: The St. Lawrence University women’s basketball team earned a second place ranking in the 2008-2009 Liberty League Preseason Coaches Poll released Tuesday. 

Only five points separate the top four teams in the poll, with William Smith College, the 2008 Liberty League regular season champions, leading the way with three first place votes.  The Herons are followed by the Saints, who won the Liberty League Tournament in February. Rounding out the  top-three is Union College, closely followed by Hamilton.

For the Saints, the 2008-09 basketball season gets underway Saturday, November 22nd at the Amherst Tip-Off Tournament, while Liberty League play begins on January 16, 2009.  The top four teams in the conference’s final standings will compete in the Liberty League championship tournaments with semifinals taking place on Friday, February 27th and the championship games on Saturday February 28th. The top seeded team on each side will host all tournament games.  The tournament winner will receive an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in March.

2008-09 Liberty League Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

(First-Place Votes in Parentheses)

LEAHY JOINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL STAFF FOR UPCOMING SEASON

The St. Lawrence women’s basketball team, coming off an impressive 2007-2008 season that included a Liberty League championship and a second round trip to the NCAA Tournament, welcomes 2008 Bowdoin College graduate Amanda Leahy as the assistant coach for the 2008-2009 season.

“Amanda's experience at Bowdoin, both on the basketball court and in the classroom, will be a huge asset for the Saints. Her leadership will be felt immediately as she can identify with the expectations of our players,” Saints’ Head Coach Jennifer Kroll said.  “Having participated in the NCAA Tournament in each of her four four years at Bowdoin, Amanda knows what it takes to compete at the highest level of Division III Basketball.”

A two-sport athlete for the Polar Bears, Leahy served as captain of both the basketball and volleyball teams in her senior campaign.  On the basketball court, the guard guided her team to three consecutive NESCAC Championships and four NCAA appearances, where Bowdoin enjoyed much success as they made it to the Elite Eight three straight seasons.  For the volleyball team, Leahy provided leadership the two seasons she participated on the sqyad, leading the team to its first 20 win season in 18 years and to its first consecutive winning seasons since 1989.

Leahy also took part in the New England Crusaders AAU Program, serving as the assistant coach for the past two summers.  She also was a coach and camp counselor, as well as league commissioner at various summer camps throughout New England, where she coached girls at a variety of ages and skill levels. 
Leahy double majored in government and legal studies, as well as history at Bowdoin and headed several volunteer efforts both near Bowdoin and around her hometown of Abington, MA.