2006 Franklin & Marshall Women's Basketball Season Preview

by Liz Webber
11/18/05

LANCASTER, PA -- The 2005-06 Franklin & Marshall women’s basketball team returns seven players from the 2004-05 squad that finished the year 11-14 and in sixth place in the Centennial Conference (CC) standings to fall one game shy of the Conference tournament.

Leading the way are point guard Dana Johns (Sr., York, PA/ Eastern York), center Emily Weaver (Sr., Prince Frederick, MD/Calverton) and guard Christy Strunk (Sr., Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) who will serve as team captains.

A 2006 D3hoops.com Preseason All-America Honorable Mention selection, Johns was named the 2005 Centennial Conference Player of the Year and earned mention as an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Southern Women’s Basketball first team all-star and an All-CC first team selection. She was also honored with D3hoops.com Women’s Basketball All-Mid-Atlantic Region second team honors.

The Diplomats will depend on Johns to drive their offensive effort as she led the CC in scoring (16.3 ppg) and ranked second in steals (3.36 spg), third in three-point field goal percentage (.406), fourth in three point field goals made (2.24 pg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.33), fifth in assists (3.40 apg), seventh in free throw percentage (.764) and 14th in field goal percentage (.425) in 852 minutes of play last season.

Johns recorded 407 points (16.3 ppg), 101 rebounds (4.0 rpg), 85 assists, 2 blocks, and 84 steals in 852 minutes of play.

Additionally, Weaver added 216 points (8.4 ppg), 155 rebounds (6.2 rpg), 18 assists, 11 blocks, and 19 steals in 779 minutes of play, while Strunk chipped in 203 points (8.1 ppg), 77 rebounds (3.1 rpg), 56 assists, two blocks, and 19 steals in 711 minutes if play.

Other members returning from last year’s squad include sophomores Brittany Braxton (Pearl River, NY/Nanuet) and Jessica Bishop (Verona, NJ/Montclair) who are expected to contribute to the team’s success.

Braxton tallied 80 points (3.2 ppg), 126 rebounds (5.0 rpg), 13 assists, 1 block, and 17 steals in 364 minutes of play, as Bishop totaled 30 points (1.7 ppg), 17 rebounds (.9 rpg), 14 assists, and six steals in 154 game minutes.

Rounding out the Diplomats’ returning players are Becky Freisland (So., Manassas, VA/Lawrenceville) and Jenna McMahon (So., Rockport, ME/Camden Hills).

Coming to F&M after winning their respective high school conference championships, recruits Maxie Etess (Fr., East Lyme, CT/Lyme-Old) and Sarah Meisenberg (Fr., Severna Park, MD/Severn) are expected to play an active role.

After her high school team won the Shoreline Conference Championship, Etess was honored as a First Team All-Shoreline Team selection, a New London Day All-Area Team selection, and was chosen as a Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-Star Game participant.

Meisenberg was a second team All-Metro Baltimore/Washington selection her senior year, while her high school team won two IAAM B Conference Championships and she ranked fifth on the all-time Anne Arundel County scoring list with 1,764 career points.

The five remaining recruits – Joanna DiPallo (Fr., Dublin, PA/ Pennridge), Jessica Feldman (Fr., Jackson, NJ/ Jackson Memorial), Cara Landolfi (Fr., North Arlington, NJ/ Montclair), Miriam Marcis (Fr., Flemintgon, NJ/ Hunterdon Central) and Amanda Miceli (Fr., North Caldwell, NJ/ West Essex) come to the College with impressive basketball experience as well.

Franklin & Marshall will host the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Widener University and Elmira College in the Franklin & Marshall Tip-Off Tournament at Mayser Center on November 20-21 to open the 2005-06 season.