|
LANCASTER, PA -- The Franklin & Marshall College women's basketball team will take the court this season looking to get back to the top of the Centennial Conference. Leading the way for F&M in 2004 will be All-Conference and D3hoops.com preseason Honorable Mention All-America Amy Abernathy (Sr., Far Hills, NJ/American School - Paris). An All-Centennial Conference and All-Eastern College Athletic Conference first team selection last year, Abernathy earned D3Hoops.com All Mid-Atlantic Region second team honors as she led the Diplomats in points (391), rebounds (247), blocked shots (51), steals (49) and field goal percentage (.555) last season. For her career, she now has 1,072 points, 811 rebounds, 158 blocks, 128 steals and 78 assists as she is on pace to join Anne Krumrine '90 as the only players in program history to finish with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their careers. In the history of the program, she enters the season ranked third in blocked shots, 10th in scoring and fifth in rebounding as she could challenge Krumrine's first place marks in points (1,811), rebounding (1,180) and blocks (309). Last year, she earned the Most Valuable Player award at the Bahamas Goombay Shootout in Nassau for scoring 14 points, grabbing 14 boards and blocking six shots in a 57-53 win over then #25 ranked Carnegie Mellon University. She was the team leader in scoring 14 times, rebounding 19 times and blocked shots 21 times during the 2002-03 season recording season high totals of 30 points (vs. Haverford, 2/15/03), 21 rebounds (vs. Haverford, 2/15/03) and six blocks (vs. Carnegie Mellon, 1/6/03). The Diplomats will also look to guards Dana Johns (So., York, PA/Eastern York) and Courtney Tierney (Sr., Princeton, NJ/The Hun School) to help Abernathy in the scoring column. Johns enters her sophomore season after playing in 20 games last year with eight starts. The 5'3" guard averaged 6.6 points while dishing out a team high 2.9 assists per game to go along with 58 total assists and 36 steals. Tierney, a second year transfer from Division I FDU-Metropolitan, averaged 11.1 points per game as she led the Diplomats in three-pointers (39) and assists (63). Along with Johns and Tierney in the backcourt, Maura Lentz (Jr., Baltimore, MD/Catonsville) will add experience and an outside touch. Lentz played in 17 games last season while averaging 2.1 points per game. Defensively she recorded three blocked shots and six steals. Center/forward Lauren Dodrill (Jr., Timonium, MD/Roland Park) will assist Abernathy in the front court. The 6’0" junior played in all 23 games last season averaging 4.0 points per contest. Her seven blocked shots were third on the team. Captains Ann Parker (Sr., Baltimore, MD/Notre Dame) and Kelly Williams (Sr., Forty-Fort, PA/Bishop Hoban) will also see significant time this season in the backcourt. Franklin & Marshall College will open the 2003-2004 season on November 22 when they host Lebanon Valley, Washington & Jefferson and York College in the 16th Annual Women’s Collegiate Tip-off Tournament. The Diplomats tip-off at 1:00 PM versus York while Washington & Jefferson will square off against Lebanon Valley at 3:00 PM. The Consolation game is scheduled for Sunday November 23 at 1:00 PM with the Championship game to follow at 3:00 PM. Franklin & Marshall will open their Centennial Conference competition on November 25 when they travel to Muhlenberg College. Game time is set for 6:00 PM.
|
