SAINTS PREPARED FOR ANOTHER

WINNING SEASON

Nov. 15: After over a month of training and preparation, the St. Lawrence women’s basketball team will walk out onto the court for the first time in the 2007-2008 campaign this upcoming weekend in the Stevens Tip-Off Tournament in hopes of getting off to a strong start in the season.

The Saints are coming off a very successful season, after finishing 24-3 overall and 14-2 in the conference, winning the Liberty League regular season title and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Saints’ also broke a school record after winning 20 straight games, breaking the previous record of 18.

Their success from last season has helped them earn the second-place spot in the inaugural Liberty League Preseason Coaches’ Poll, which came out Wednesday. The Saints come in right behind Hamilton, who won the league tournament last season. Saints head coach Jennifer Kroll, who is beginning her fourth year as head coach for St. Lawrence, believes that it will be the combination of the experience on the team and the rookies that will lead to success for the Saints this year.

“With the return of three starters, all members of the Liberty League All-Conference team, we feel good about our chances of competing in the Liberty League and regionally,” Kroll said. “The perimeter presence of seniors Kim Sikule and Jamie Wolff, as well as the emergence of junior Lauren Sischo and sophomore Brittany Parham, gives our backcourt a veteran look.”

Sikule and Wolff, who have been named the captains of the 2007-2008 squad, were both key assets to the Saints on the court. Sikule had 168 points last season, averaging 6.6 points per game. The Westerlo, NY guard led the team in both offensive (57) and defensive rebounds (109), as well as steals, tallying 65 in her junior year.

Wolff netted 311 points in 2006-2007, averaging 11.7 points per game. The Buffalo, NY native also led the team in assists with 57, and averaged nearly 2 three-pointers in each game. The guard also averaged 31.1 minutes per game, another team-high for last season.

Sischo, who played in 24 games, and Parham, who played in 12, combined for 76 points in 2006-2007, and will continue to add depth to the Saints lineup.

Kroll will also look to the experience of her forwards to help the team to yet another successful season.

“Inside the paint, we return the Liberty League Player of the Year in junior Katie Palmer, as well as senior Amy Fortener and junior Jenna Krzemien,” the coach said.

Palmer, who was also named a 2007 Kodak/WBCA Regional All-American, was the Saints’ leading scorer in 2006-2007, totaling 366 points in her sophomore campaign, averaging 14.1 points per game. The forward also had 60 steals and made 68 free-throws for the Saints. Fortener, who played in 24 games, had 80 points, while Krzemien had 48 points in 23 games for the Scarlet and Brown.

Kroll is optimistic that the experience of the upperclassmen will be most helpful in preparing the newest additions to the Saints’ roster: junior Tiye Gordon, sophomore Sam Joudoin, and first years Abby Stanton, Katie Benzing, and Phylicia Martel.

“After graduating four seniors and ushering in five newcomers, our success may be determined by our ability to develop those new faces,” Kroll said. “The conference gets more and more competitive each year. It will be a battle right to the last weekend to see who will cross the finish line first. We expect to be in the thick of that battle.”