The Trinity College women's basketball team looks to bounce back from a sub-par 2000-01 season, and return to the form that earned them the ECAC Division III New England Championship title the previous year. The Bantams, coached by Maureen Pine (15^st season, 212-116) posted a 7-15 record last season, but return 11 players with varsity experience, including seven seniors, in 2001-02.

Senior co-captain guard/forward Bridget Dullea (Longmeadow, Mass.) and junior center Kate McCloskey (Uxbridge, Mass.) give Trinity two of the top players in the New England region. Dullea possesses a strong all-around game with the ability to score from any spot on the court, while McCloskey is an inside force at 6-foot-2 inches. Dullea averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. McCloskey finished second in the NESCAC in scoring (17.1 ppg) and third in rebounding (9.9 rpg), while leading the league in field goal shooting with a 58.7 percentage.

Coach Pine has a number of options down low along with McCloskey, including senior co-captain forward/center Angela Iandioli (Worcester, Mass.), senior forward Kate Toman (Santa Margarita, Calif.), sophomore Erika Dahlen (Minneapolis, Minn.), and six-foot forward prospect Rebecca Bell (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Iandioli and Dahlen each started eight games last season and totaled 5.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest between them, while Toman was a two-year letterwinner before spending last season studying abroad.

An extremely competitive situation exists on the wing and in the backcourt where nine players should make significant contributions to the team this season. Senior McKenzie Corby (Bethel, Conn.) recovered from an early season injury to average 9.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Dullea, Corby, junior Shannon Herold (Downers Grove, Ill.), who averaged 6.5 points per game and notched a team-high 30 steals last winter, and freshman Michelle McCaffrey (Springfield, Mass.), who can play several position at 5-foot-9 inches, can all play both forward and guard.

Seniors Alison Hadden (Drexel Hill, Pa.), Elizabeth Bontempo (Granby, Mass.), and Kristin Heil (Beverly, Mass.) are experienced veterans in the backcourt. Hadden, who averaged 7.9 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game last season, and Bontempo, who shot 40 percent from the three-point range in 2000-01, will compete for playing time at the shooting guard position. Heil and talented freshman prospect Tracy Nesbit (Wellesley, Mass.) are point guard candidates, along with Dullea, Hadden, and McCaffrey.

With Dullea and McCloskey representing two of the top players in the league, the Bantams are optimistic about qualifying for the NESCAC Championship Tournament. Coach Pine states, "We should become a very good team as the season progresses. We have several players with winning experience, and hopefully the young talent will blend in smoothly. I am excited about the upcoming season."