Athletics
Women's Basketball
Printer Friendly Page (HTML)Send This Page To A FriendReduce the font sizeIncrease the font size
Jump to a Soaring Eagles Team:

2007-2008 Season in Review

 
The 2007-2008 edition of the Elmira College Women’s Basketball team battled through injury and illness to stay in the thick of the post-season hunt all year long.   Highlighted by a 9-6 record down the stretch, the Soaring Eagles maintained a level of determination and fire that made them one of the top teams in the highly competitive Empire 8 Athletic Conference.   With a young and very talented nucleus returning next year, the future of the program looks bright.  

Graduation will affect the Women’s Basketball program as EC says good bye to 2008 Empire 8 Second Team selection Kourtney Troutman ’08 and Empire 8 Honorable Mention selection Bridget Catanese ’08.   Both Troutman and Catanese end their careers as two of the finest players to ever where the purple and gold.  

Troutman ends her career as one of the most prolific scorers and most well-rounded players to ever wear the Soaring Eagle uniform.   She currently ranks in the top three all-time for Elmira College Women’s Basketball in career assists, steals, points, made three-pointers, and made field goals.   A two-year captain, four-time All-Empire 8 Selection, and former 2005 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, her contributions will be missed.

Catanese, a captain in her final season with the Soaring Eagles, earned the respect of her team-mates for her commitment to doing “the little things”.   She finishes her career as one of the top four rebounders to ever suit up for the purple and gold.   Additionally, Catanese will also finish her career in the top ten all-time at Elmira College for career assists.   She has been a two-time All-Empire 8 Selection and has brought a tremendous presence to the Soaring Eagles.

The EC women received outstanding contributions this season from, Mary Symonds ’09, Alysha Giarra ’10 and Chelsey Kent ’10.   They will most definitely be looked upon to set the standards for Elmira College moving ahead.   One of the most pivotal aspects of the success for the future will be the return of Marcia Coakley ’09 from an injury-riddled 07-08 campaign.   Coakley will look to bounce back to her 06-07 form when she was an Empire 8 All-Conference selection, en route to ranking sixth in the nation for NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball in steals per game.

Forwards Katrina Jax ’08 and Alexia Strzalka ’08 once again proved to be an inspirational spark for the Purple and Gold.   Their constant energy and intensity, coupled with her relentless work ethic, proved invaluable to EC this season. They provided depth and intensity off the bench for the Soaring Eagles.

This year’s edition of the Purple and Gold was also bolstered by a strong group of newcomers.   First year players Becky Peterman ’11, Becca Fretz ’11, Erin Rupell ’11, and Tesia Kaczynski ’11, all of whom entered the starting line-up at one point during the course of the 2007-2008 season, had a tremendous impact on the fortunes of the Soaring Eagles, and will look to lead the Soaring Eagles back into the national spotlight next season.  

Several returning players, including, Meghan Sullivan ’10, Alex Hayes ’10, and Stephanie Woychak ‘10 also contributed greatly to the success of the Soaring Eagles this season.   All three brought depth, tenacity and a tremendous work ethic to the guard spot for the Purple and Gold.  Battling through injury in her first season is Christina Coppola '11 (Cheshire, CT -- Cheshire) who will look to add to the success of the Soaring Eagles in her second season. 

EC also received great efforts from fourth-year players Erin Skaradek ’08 and Christie Damo’08.   Both young women brought leadership, determination, and a great work ethic to the Soaring Eagles.   Despite missing all of last season with injuries, both young women battled back and returned to the court and help lead the charge for EC.

The future only continues to look bright for the Purple and Gold.   The team loses Troutman, Catanese, Jax, Strzalka, Damo, and Skaradek to graduation.   EC will look to continue its’ climb in the East Region as they strive to contend for the Empire 8 title in 2008-2009.