| 2000-01 Women's Basketball Outlook | |
The Trinity College women’s basketball team, which posted a best-ever 22-5 record last season and captured its first ECAC Division III New England Championship title, will once again contend for a New England Small College Athletic Conference title.
The Bantams, coached by Maureen Pine (14th season), has to replace a solid graduated class from last season that included All-NESCAC forward and 1,000-point scorer Gretchen MacColl and starting forward Caitlin Luz. NESCAC All-Defensive team selection and Trinity’s Co-Female Athlete of the Year Megan Shutte returns to Trinity in a new capacity as assistant coach.
Sharpshooting guard Jackie Siscone (Hammonton, N.J.) returns as the only senior on the 2000-01 squad. Siscone averaged 10.8 points per game and dished out 91 assists while playing both guard spots last winter. She is a good ballhandler and has unlimited range from the outside, sinking 35 percent (64-183) of her three-pointers as a junior.
Junior Alison Hadden (Drexel, Hill, Pa.) and sophomore Shannon Herold (Downers Grove, Ill.) are both solid behind Siscone. Hadden is a proven long-range shooter, while Herold is athletic and a good defender. Junior Kristin Heil (Beverly, Mass.) is an experienced reserve point guard.
Junior guard/forward Bridget Dullea (Longmeadow, Mass.) is an outstanding player at both ends of the floor. She can drive to the basket or shoot from the outside, rebound, and make plays on defense. The Most Valuable Player of the ECAC Tournament last year, Dullea averaged 12.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Classmate McKenzie Corby (Bethel, Conn.) possesses similar skills and has played a similar role as Dullea in her first two seasons off the bench.
Sophomore Kate McCloskey (Uxbridge, Mass.) was a key reserve last season and is the top returning rebounder and inside scorer for Coach Pine. McCloskey, a 6-foot-2 center, has the potential to dominate in the paint. She averaged 7.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season. Junior Angela Iandoli (Worcester, Mass.) is a solid defender and rebounder off the bench. Freshman prospect Erika Dahlen (Minneapolis, Minn.) could have an immediate impact at forward.
The addition of the first-ever NESCAC post-season tournament to determine the league champion and the NCAA qualifier from the league will make the 2000-01 campaign very exciting. Trinity will be tested immediately with a season-opening trip to Cleveland, Ohio for the Case Western Reserve University Tournament. Coach Pine states," We have several new faces, which should result in healthy competition for starting roles. We need to effectively and quickly blend together as a team in preseason. I expect us to contend for a league title once again."