The Yellow Jackets, under the direction of veteran Head Coach Cheri Harrer, return 10 lettermen and three starters from last season's team that finished 23-6 overall, won the prestigious Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
The Yellow Jackets will be led by senior All-OAC point guard Nikki Altenweg (Perry) and senior post player Jenn Neal (Mentor). Junior forward Michelle White (Hudson) also returns as an All-OAC player.
Altenweg comes back for her fourth season as the starting point guard and has 555 career points, 268 assists, 216 rebounds and 156 steals. She is among B-W's all-time leaders in assists and steals.
Neal returns with 509 points and 280 career rebounds and loves to block shots. She is a force inside and is a career 52.7 percent shooter. She will be joined on the inside by White, who came into her own last winter when she averaged 8.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. She shot 55.1 percent from the floor.
The Yellow Jackets open the season on November 18-19 at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Tournament and will face Bethany (W.Va.) College in its first game on Nov. 18 at 3:00 p.m. Following the Rochester Tournament, B-W will then host non-conference rival Wittenberg University on Nov. 22 in the home opener at 7:00 p.m. at the Rudolph Ursprung Gymnasium. The Yellow Jackets travel to University Circle for a matchup with Case University at 7:00 p.m. before beginning conference play against Otterbein College on Dec. 3 at 3:00 p.m. in Berea.
"We had a strong season of growth but were left with a bad taste in our mouths when we lost in the second round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament," said Head Coach Cheri Harrer, the winningest women's basketball coach in school history. "We did not have a senior on the team a year ago, so each of our student-athletes gained valuable experience as the season progressed," added Harrer. "We are hoping that the experienced gained will pay dividends this year."
FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, please call Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple at 440-826-2327, FAX him at 440-826-2329 or e-mail him atkruple@bw.edu. We also invite you to visit our athletics web site at www.bw.edu/athletics.
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