Martin returns after a year absence to injury and will lead the Skyhawks senior laden squad. (PHOTO BY Peter Buehner) |
Skyhawks return senior-laden team, open at rival Bentley next Wednesday
NE10 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll Release
EASTON, Mass. (November 9, 2017) – With the return of six seniors, including fifth-year point guard Kelly Martin (Scituate, Massachusetts/Scituate) after missing last season to injury, the Stonehill College women's basketball team is predicted to be right in the mix again this winter, being selected second in the Northeast Division according to the Northeast-10 Conference's preseason coaches' poll.
Stonehill received three first place votes and 93 points from the NE10's 15 head coaches, trailing just defending divisional champions Bentley University (103 points), who received the remaining 12 first place votes. Assumption College (74 points) is picked third behind Stonehill, followed by Saint Anselm College (58) in fourth and Southern New Hampshire University (48) in fifth. American International College (90), with 12 first place votes, are the preseason favorites in the NE10's Southwest Division, followed by defending NE10 Tournament champions Adelphi University (73), with two first place votes, in second and Le Moyne College (72) in third with the remaining first place vote.
Stonehill head coach Trisha Brown, in her 17th season at the helm, returns all 12 letterwinners from last season, which finished with a 12-14 record overall, including 11-10 in the NE10 to earn the program's record 36th-straight appearance in the NE10 Tournament. Among the 12 returnees are six seniors and all five starters from last year's squad, with the key addition the return of Martin after suffering a season-ending injury the week leading up to the 2016-17 season opener.
Walsh was an All-NE10 pick as a junior after averaging 14.2 points per game (PHOTO BY Peter Buehner) |
Martin gives the Skyhawks three All-NE10 performers among the returnees as the 2016 All-NE10 second team pick joins seniors Samantha Hyslip (Westford, Massachusetts/Westford Academy) and Courtney Walsh (Windham, New Hampshire/Central Catholic) as team captains for the season. Hyslip earned second team All-NE10 honors as a junior, while Walsh was a third team All-NE10 pick a year ago. Hyslip averaged 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a junior, while Walsh contributed 14.2 points on 39.4-percent shooting from three-point distance, 2.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game last winter. Martin enters her senior season 63 points shy of the 1,000-point plateau, having averaged 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 2015-16.
Junior forward Maty Diabate (Holden, Massachusetts/Wachusett Regional) averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for Stonehill last season, while sophomore Kelsey Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island) was an NE10 All-Rookie Team pick after contributing 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest as a freshman. Senior Kate Ross (Fall River, Massachusetts/The Lincoln School (R.I.)) started all 26 games for Stonehill last season, while classmate Elizabeth Grip (Shrewsbury, Massachusetts/Shrewsbury) and junior Tayler Wornum (Randolph, Massachusetts/Archbishop Williams) also saw starts and significant minutes. Rounding out Stonehill's senior class is Stacy Madelmayer (Garden City, New York/Kellenberg Memorial), who brings added leadership to this year's squad and will battle for minutes.
Hyslip earned second team All-NE10 honors as a junior, leading the Skyhawks in scoring and rebounding. (PHOTO BY Peter Buehner) |
Sophomores Grace Carter (Arlington, Massachusetts/Arlington), Gabrielle Reuter (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Lawrence Academy) and Morgan O'Brien (Clifton Park, New York/Shenendehowa) round out Stonehill's returnees. Freshmen Jennifer Worden (Abington, Massachusetts/Abington), Madison Seymour (Glastonbury, Connecticut/Glastonbury) and Makayla Glenn (Brockton, Massachusetts/Brockton) are the newcomers who will compete for minutes.
Stonehill, which handed NCAA Division I University of Maine a 68-49 defeat in an exhibition game on October 28, tips off its 2017-18 season on Wednesday, November 15, at rival Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, at 5:30 p.m. The Skyhawks home opener is the following Saturday, November 18, against Saint Michael's College inside Merkert Gymnasium at 1:30 p.m.
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