Women's Basketball
2008-09 Season Preview
Returning to the hardwood after a disappointing 8-17 (4-9 NEWMAC) season, the Clark University women’s basketball team is anxious to get back on the winning track.
“We play one of the most competitive schedules in the conference and region,” said long-time head coach Pat Glispin, “so it will be challenging. But we really want to take solid steps to get Clark back to a respected program.”
Glispin, who welcomes back 11 players and four starters from last year’s team, said the key for this year’s success will be to blend the recruiting class with the veterans. “It certainly will be a challenge,” she said. “We return a strong senior class and our first-year group is pretty solid as well. Certainly our sophomores and juniors will be critical; but the key will be how well we can accept roles and blend together as a team.”
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Co-captain Sarah Roderigue, a NEWMAC All-Star and D3hoops.com All-Northeast Region selection, leads the list of returning starters that include Sara Hagstrom, Jillian Camilleri and Blaize Denfeld. Roderigue (17.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg) will once again serve as the team’s top offensive option; Hagstrom, the Cougars’ co-captain, hopes to add solid defensive play and improved offensive numbers as the team’s starting point guard, while Camilleri (11.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg) will crash the boards and score underneath to make her presence felt. Denfeld, a low post scorer and rebounder, hopes to expand her role this season.
Katie McCloskey, Nicole LeVecque and Emily Skelton provide Clark with a veteran trio in the backcourt. McCloskey and LeVecque will give the Cougars a solid three-point threat off the bench, while Skelton’s skills should continue to improve this season. Hannah Lacaire, an energetic performer and scrappy defender, joins sharp-shooting Ariel Feinstein as key contributors in the rotation.
Forwards Kate Petty and Chloe Carden round out the list of returning players. Petty gives Clark a shot blocker in the middle, and Carden, a defensive intimidator, can handle the physical play down low.
Coach Glispin feels she has several talented recruits that can make an immediate impact. Adding size to the line-up will be forwards Kate Minister, a pure shooter from Proctor Academy, and Maggie Croft, a hard-nosed competitor from a solid high school program in East Aurora, N.Y. Michelle Chambers, a two-time Most Valuable Player at the Hyde School (Conn.), will use her athleticism and speed to provide back-up at point guard and classmate Ivori Aiken, also from the Hyde School, will figure prominently in Coach Glispin’s plans.
While Glispin concedes the NEWMAC will be strong as usual, she feels that the Cougars non-conference schedule, which includes a winter break tournament in Daytona, Fla., will help prepare them for the play-off race. “There are absolutely no weak games on our schedule,” she said. “A schedule like ours will only challenge our team and make them better.”
About the Program
Success is nothing new to the Clark University women’s basketball team; its accomplishments have been extraordinary at both the regional and national levels for well over two decades. Highlights from its long and impressive history include, nine trips to the NCAA Tournament – with consecutive appearances to the Final Four (1982-83) – three ECAC New England titles (1988, 1990-96) – one of just two squads to accomplish the feat – and four Massachusetts Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women state championships (1977-79, 1981-82). The Cougars also set an NCAA Division III record with 36 consecutive wins dating back to 1988.
The Coach Glispin era has seen more than remarkable results. In the last 24 years, she has led the Cougars to a 435-211 overall record, 11 20-plus win seasons and seven NCAA Tournament berths – its most recent in 2003-04. In 1988-89, Coach Glispin's squad posted a perfect 26-0 regular season record, winning the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and playing into the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals.
Coach Glispin educates her players on the importance of commitment, dedication, hard work, selflessness and teamwork. “Participating in athletics teaches student-athletes many of the basic principles that help them succeed in life,” Glispin says. “These attributes are the keys to success – on and off the court – and are the things we strive for at Clark.”
The Cougars compete in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference, where they advanced to the conference tournament 11 straight seasons and captured four NEWMAC titles.
Clark welcomes back a veteran squad whose leadership and experience will play a key role in the 2008-09 campaign.
Recent Highlights
• Sarah Roderigue ’09 named to NEWMAC All-Conference first team and D3hoops.com All-Northeast Region second team.
• Team captured its 11th Worcester City Championship in 12 years and 18th total championship; Roderigue earned the tournament’s MVP honor.
• Team ranked first in the league in offensive rebounds (15.85), while Roderigue and Sara Hagstrom ‘09 topped the NEWMAC in scoring (18.5) and assists (5.62), respectively.
• Cougars hosted their first-ever Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) “Think Pink” Campaign, where they raised awareness and funds for breast cancer.
For more information about Clark University Women's Basketball, please contact head coach
Pat Glispin at (508) 793-7628 or by email
at pglispin@clarku.edu
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