Young Teams Look to Start Season on Right Foot

Molly Rallo

Four teams, with just eight combined seniors among the 71 players on their rosters, will not only start gaining game experience this weekend at The College of Wooster's 8th annual Nan Nichols Tournament, but they all are hoping to set the tone for a winning season in 2003-04.

Manchester College, Thiel College, and Westminster (Pa.) College are all coming off sub-par seasons at 5-21, 10-16, and 10-17, respectively, while the host Scots went 13-13 last winter, however, they lost six seniors from that squad.

With that in mind, it's hard to figure what to anticipate at this year's tourney, which kicks off on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m., with Manchester and Westminster taking the floor of Timken Gymnasium. The second first-round match-up, featuring Thiel and Wooster, will follow shortly thereafter, while the consolation and championship games are slated for Sunday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Below is a brief capsule on each team:

Manchester, under its sixth-year coach Michele Gill, is looking to turn around its fortunes from 2002-03 when the Spartans struggled to a seventh-place finish in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. They will turn to top returnees Julie Heckman, Erica Sewell, and Erin Ward, as well as nine newcomers. Sewell is coming off of an all-league campaign, during which the junior center averaged a double-double of 13.0 points and 10.3 boards. Ward, a threat from the outside and one of Manchester's top defenders, also finished in double figures, scoring at a rate of 10.8 points per outing, while Heckman, a senior wing, brings much-needed experience to the squad.

Thiel is looking for a bit of a fresh start. Just one starter is back for veteran head coach Gloria Pacsi, but that may be a good thing after last season's disappointments, including a sixth-place finish in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. The unquestioned leader of the Tomcats is senior point guard and three-year starter Kerry Gutherie. Others with significant experience in the backcourt include sophomores Heather Abate, who averaged 5.7 points and 2.1 rebounds, and Kirsten Schrecongost. Up front, Thiel has even less experience with juniors Laura Simonetti and Adrienne Mowrey as the only post players who saw action in 20-plus games during last season. The Tomcats will likely lean heavily on several of their 13 freshmen for regular varsity minutes.

Westminster, guided by second-year mentor Roseanne Scott, also suffered a big hit to graduation, including two players who were All-PAC. The Lady Titans do have back now-junior forward Erica Tallo, who picked up second-team all-conference recognition after averaging 11.9 points and 8.9 rebounds in 31 starts. Although no other starters are back, juniors Mary Jane Eaton and Alyson Gasper were keys during Westminster's 10-win season a year ago. They averaged 5.2 and 4.2 points, respectively, and are expected to raise their level of play this season, while Scott will also be counting on her first recruiting class - seven first-years - for numerous contributions.

Wooster is going to have a slightly different look, too. Under the direction of its seventh-year coach Lisa Campanell Komara, the Scots have been primarily a post-oriented team, led by such greats as Nara DeJesus and Kristen Rice. But, they have now departed and the majority of Campanell Komara's top returnees are perimeter players. She will look to seniors Lindsey Schaaff and Jen Flavin, junior Molly Rallo, and sophomores Natalie Barone and Mary Bell for a lot of production. Schaaff may be the most effective of that group if the sharpshooter can replicate last season's numbers - 8.8 points, 52 three-pointers, and .394 three-point percentage. In the post, sophomore Michelle Hall and freshman Carly Loehrke will be the go-to players until all-conference honoree Alexis Louttit returns from injury.