Senior-Laden Gators Aim for Top-Four

Nov 6, 2006

MEADVILLE, Pa. – Since coming to Allegheny College in the fall of 2000, head coach Jennifer Reimer has utilized a deep rotation that has been successful to the point of finishing among the top-four in the North Coast Athletic Conference every single year. The 2006-07 squad won’t be quite as deep as previous seasons, but with eight letterwinners returning, bolstered by five experienced seniors, the Gators are ready to resume their place among the conference’s elite.

Reimer, who enters her seventh season with a career record of 138-94, including 101-59 at Allegheny, guided the Gators to a second-place finish in 2005-06, winning 13 of 16 conference games and finishing with an overall record of 18-9. Gone from that team are six seniors who combined for 36.4 points and 17.8 rebounds per game, including the top-two leaders in both of those categories. Reimer knows it’s impossible to replace the likes of all-conference performers Courtney Steding and Caitlin Murtagh, but this year’s team has the potential to perform as well if not better.

“You don’t replace players like that,” said the Gator head coach, who is just 10 wins away from becoming Allegheny’s all-time career victories leader. “We lost scoring and depth, but we bring back a ton of experience with our senior class. We’re going to need our younger players to adapt to an increase in playing time, and if they mature quickly, we’ll be set.”

Out of Allegheny’s five seniors, two return with starting experience from a season ago. Katie Kestler (Mt. Lebanon, Pa./Mt. Lebanon), left, and Meghan Vasilisin (Munhall, Pa./Oakland Catholic) were third and fourth on the team in scoring in 2005-06 at 9.2 and 8.3 points per game, respectively. Kestler led the NCAC with 2.04 made three-pointers per game and is just four deep balls shy of becoming Allegheny’s leader, while Vasilisin finished second on the squad in field goal percentage (.484) and can play just about any position on the floor.

“With Katie we have scoring and we’ll have to see where Meghan is after having knee surgery in the off-season,” said Reimer. “Where we do our damage will be determined by the players around them.”

Three of those players are seniors Jennifer Latronica (Gibsonia, Pa./Deer Lakes), Becca Gasiewicz (Grove City, Pa./Kennedy Christian), and Rosina Walton (Ingomar, Pa./North Allegheny). Latronica has established herself as a legitimate threat in the paint, swatting away a league-high 2.71 shots per game last season, as well as averaging 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Gasiewicz appeared in 22 games as a reserve last winter, tallying 3.3 points per game and connecting on 15 three-pointers, while Walton has been a contributor off the bench all three years.

Three other Gators that will see a major increase in playing time will be sophomores Hilary Collins (Franklin, Pa./Franklin), Maggie Mucha (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry), and Stephanie Wolf (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny), right, who all played behind seniors last season. The trio has been working hard and any one of them has the potential to have a breakout season for Reimer.

“We’re excited to see what those three are going to offer this season,” commented the Gator coach. “Collins and Wolf are very good basketball players, but had their time limited by the seniors ahead of the last season. Mucha can be a deep ball threat on the perimeter.”

Several returning contributors and a trio of freshman all look to factor into the mix as well. Juniors Lauren Burdelsky (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brentwood) and Jamie Seman (North Versailles, Pa./East Allegheny) saw varsity action as freshman and will compete for spots on the perimeter, while sophomore Jennifer Robinson (Cabot, Pa./Knoch) will add her 5-10 frame to the middle.

Three freshman will aim to make an immediate impact this winter, particularly in the case of Brittany Bell (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) and Emilie Simone (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon). Bell is a threat from the outside and possesses good ball-handling skills, while Simone is a great athlete and could potentially fill the gap left by Steding. The third Gator first-year, Katie Wood (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair), adds depth to Allegheny’s post presence.

Last season, 11 players saw action in at least 15 games and averaged over 8.0 minutes per game. That depth probably isn’t going to be seen this year, but Allegheny’s head coach believes her team is more than capable of living up to expectations.

“It’s important to recognize what we have and go with our strengths,” said Reimer. “We’ll continue to be a full-court pressure team and be up-tempo offensively, but we’ll be making adjustments because we don’t have that depth this season.”

Never one to shy away from competition, Reimer has packed the schedule full of quality competition, including 20-game winners Washington & Jefferson College and Maryville (Mo.) University. The non-conference slate also includes LaRoche College, Ohio Northern University, and Bethany College at Allegheny’s season-opening National City Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 17-18.

As competitive as the non-conference schedule will be, the Gators will need to be at their best heading into NCAC play. Last season, five teams finished with 10 or more wins in conference play and Allegheny kicks off its league schedule against one of those teams, Kenyon College, on December 2. From top-to-bottom, the NCAC is looking as strong as ever to Coach Reimer.

“The teams that finished last year in the lower half are much-improved and the teams in the upper half all stay solid,” said Reimer. “It’s going to be a dogfight every single night.”

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