Turning A Corner

Assistant Sports Editor In the many stages of building the women's basketball program at Franklin & Marshall, this season presents its own set of unique challenges. But the progress made this season may prove to be the bedrock for many seasons to come. The Diplomats graduated three of their top players, including leading scorer Sarah Meisenberg, who Coach Ashlee Courter called "one of the finest athletes in F&M history.'' So, F&M turns a corner and that includes bringing in six freshmen, who will not only have a hand in determining F&M's fortunes this season but for several years to come. "I think the talent we brought in with this freshman class and the players who we have returning, once we can kind of get that chemistry down, ... I think we'll surprise a lot of people this year,'' Courter said. To do that, the Dips will need an immediate impact from the freshmen. But that's not impossible. They seem to have strong "basketball IQs,'' according to returning starter and point guard Beth Holt. "They have understood the concepts we're trying to put in very fast,'' Holt said. Holt said the most difficult adjustment for a player moving to college basketball from high school is the pace of the game and how much quicker it is. "In high school, there might be one or two players per team who are good,'' she said. "When you get to college, every player on every team is good or at least talented. Because all of those players are good, the pace of the game steps up a level.'' Courter has faith in the freshmen based on how competitive the Diplomats' practices have been. Having that transfer to the game, well, she will find out Saturday. "They (the freshmen) are adjusting really well,'' said sophomore guard Megan Pauley, the Dips' other returning starter. "Just the shot clock alone makes a huge difference but they're getting the hang of it.'' Pauley, having been a freshman just last season, can relate to what the freshmen are going through. Her advice? Overcome the nerves. "We tried to get them to do that at our Midnight Madness with the crowd being there,'' Pauley said. "And they did. They just played.'' F&M finished with a 14-12 mark last season, tied for second in the Centennial Conference and played in the CC semifinals, bowing to Johns Hopkins. In losing Meisenberg, the Dips lost a career 1,529-point scorer who left with several records including tops in free throws made (430) and assists (367), third in steals (235) and fifth in career points. Meisenberg also started more games then any other Diplomat with 101. Besides Meisenberg, F&M also lost its leading rebounder, Cara Landolfi, and Amanda Miceli. They bring back Holt, Pauley, guard Allison Bauer (Conestoga Valley) and center Alison Menna. The freshmen include Alexa Barbush, a four-year starting guard at perennial high school power Trinity and Michelle Montagna, who scored 1,342 points in high school and Colleen Bott, who left Villa Walsh Academy as the team's career scoring leader with 1,320 points. Another player expected to make an impact is Emily Johnson who sat out last season rehabbing an ACL tear. Rebounding and defense are her strength. Being the point guard, much of melding the team into a unit will fall to Holt, who had a team-high 23 3-pointers last season. "We're looking for her to be a leader and she can do it,'' Courter said. "Coming from a strong program like Lancaster Catholic's, she has a great knowledge of the game.'' Unlike the case at F&M, many of the teams in the conference retained most of their starters from last season, making it a little more difficult for Diplomats. By no means will it be easy this year, with the players we lost,'' Courter said. "It's going to be a struggle to make the playoffs. Do I think we can do it? Absolutely.'' Roster Name Cl. Pos. Ht. Kate Shaffer Sr. G 5-7 Allison Bauer So. G 5-8 Michelle Montagna Fr. G 5-1 Alexa Barbush Fr. G 5-7 Veronica Kresse Fr. G 5-7 Beth Holt Jr. G 5-6 Elizabeth Snyder Fr. G 5-8 Amy Chabitnoy Jr. F 5-10 Colleen Bott Fr. G/F 5-9 Megan Pauley So. G/F 5-10 Emily Johnson So. F 5-10 Tracy Hahn Fr. C 5-11 Alison Menna Jr. C 6-1 Schedule November 21 - Franklin & Marshall Tournament, vs. Goucher, 3 p.m.; 22 - Franklin & Marshall Tournament, vs. Brooklyn or Elizabethtown, consolation, 1 p.m., championship, 3 p.m.; 24 - at Washington (Md.), 7 p.m.; 29 - Susquehanna, 6 p.m. December 3 - Ursinus, 7 p.m.; 5 - at McDaniel, 1 p.m.; 9 - Gettysburg, 6 p.m.; 12 - at Muhlenberg, 2 p.m. January 2 - at Marymount (Va.) Holiday Classic, vs. Montclair State, noon; 3 - at Marymount (Va.) Holiday Classic, vs. TBD, TBD; 6 - Haverford, 6 p.m.; 9 - at Swarthmore, 1 p.m.; 12 - Washington, 6 p.m.; 14 - Bryn Mawr, 6 p.m.; 16 - McDaniel, 2 p.m.; 20 - at Dickinson, 6 p.m.; 23 - at Haverford, 1 p.m.; 27 - at Johns Hopkins, 6 p.m.; 30 - Swarthmore, 6 p.m. February 1 - at Ursinus, 6 p.m.; 6 - Muhlenberg, 2 p.m.; 10 - at Gettysburg, 6 p.m.; 13 - vs. Bryn Mawr at Haverford, 2 p.m.; 17 - Johns Hopkins, 6 p.m.; 20 - Dickinson, 2 p.m.