The Washington College women's basketball team ended last season with a 12-12 record overall and were 7-8 in conference play. The Shorewomen graduated two starting players last spring, Katie Bierzonski and Kerry Lomax, but with a number of key returning players and incoming freshmen the 2001-2002 Shorewomen are looking forward to another strong season.
The team boasts 11 returning players this season, as well as three freshmen. This year's team captain is senior forward Allyson Britton. Britton was the team's high scorer last season averaging 12.8 points per game. Unfortunately, Britton is injured and will not be able to play until December; she will be rooting her team on from the sidelines for the first part of the season and working towards being the fourth member of the 1,000 Point Club in the second half. She is only 120 points away from the prestigious honor.
"I think the team is looking good this year," said Britton. "Overall, the team is fairly young and there is a lot of talent and we have a good chance of finishing in one of the top spots in the conference."
Other key returners for the Shorewomen will be the backcourt duo of Katie Piringer and Karen Simos. Simos led the team in minutes played as a freshman last year with 769 and Piringer already holds the record for most three-pointers made in a single season with 48. Both players averaged over nine points per game and look to better those statistics.
The two young guards will need to play a vital role this season if the Shorewomen want to meet and exceed their high goals of making it to the playoffs and the NCAA tournament.
Other key returning players include senior forward/center Janine Morehead and sophomore Meghan Hartzell. With the departure of Bierzonski and the absence of Britton until December, these two bangers will have to collect many rebounds and show a strong presence in the paint for the Shorewomen.
The Shorewomen ended their season on a strong note last year. They did so by winning six of their last seven games. In their final game of the 2000-2001 season the Shorewomen defeated Western Maryland in an exciting game that went into triple overtime.
Head Coach Lanee Cole-Smith is entering her ninth season as head coach at WC. Assisting Cole-Smith will be newcomer to WC Dave Griffith. Griffith's previous coaching experience includes eight years as head coach of the girl's basketball team at Annapolis High School where he was twice named Coach of the Year.
The Shorewomen will begin their 2001-2002 season on November 16 when the take on Marietta College in the first round of their annual Sho'time Shootout. They will play at 8 p.m. in the Cain Gymnasium.
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