COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW President's Athletic Conference women

PITTSBURGH -- Just as expected, the Washington & amp; Jefferson Lady Presidents were the top choice of coaches, sports information directors and members of the media to repeat as President's Athletic Conference champions in the 2003-04 season.In balloting by the 19 voting members attending the pre-season luncheon, the Presidents amassed 111 points on the strength of 16 first-place votes, while the other three first-place votes went to Bethany College, which was picked second with 86 points.Rounding out the six-team field were Grove City (77), Waynesburg (57), Westminster (45) and Thiel College (23)."It's an honor to be recognized by our peers as the pre-season favorite," said W & amp;J coach Carrie Zickefoose. "We had a great year last season, but everyone is even now and we are looking forward to getting things underway."
Washington & amp; Jefferson Presidents
Coach: Carrie Zickefoose (4th season, 46-30)2002-03 record: 23-2, 10-0Key losses: Amy Strosnider (10.4) and Lauren Hull (6.5)Key returnees: Leigh Sulkowski (20.5, 7.3), Lauren Slampak (4, 4.3) and Shawndra McDonald (14, 3)Coach's comment: "Last year was a great ride. Everything came together and we had great success due to a total team effort. Leigh [Sulkowski] is a tremendous player who received a ton of attention last season. She knows she has some things to work on and when she becomes a complete player, she could very well be the best to have every put on a uniform at W & amp;J. We know we are going to be the team that everyone is going to want to beat. We just have to prepare every single night and take it one game at a time. The PAC is going to be tough as usual and we are looking forward to the challenge."
Bethany Bison
Coach: Jina DeRubbo (7th season, 108-52)2002-03 record: 16-10, 3-7Key losses: Kiki Cohen (9.5, 1.8)Key returnees: Kelley Richardson (15.4, 9.2), Katie Hardie (14, 8.3), Renee Shehady (4, 1.8), Katie Tetzlaw (2.9, 2.7) and Nikki Babik (11.6, 2.6)Coach's comment: "Last season is hard to explain. We started the season very strong (13-2) and then we hit some bumps in the road. We had some injuries, some bad shooting nights and we just couldn't seem to recover. It is one of those things that happens in coaching and athletics. Last season left a bad taste [in our mouths]. The team is working harder than ever and I think they want to avenge themselves from last season. We're focusing on taking it one game at a time and improving every time we step on the floor. This team is extremely dedicated and determined. They have fire in their eyes and we're looking forward to a great season."
Grove City Wolverines
Coach: Melissa Lamie (11th season, 120-131)2002-03 record: 12-14, 7-3Key losses: Christy Faller (7.3), Cara Denniston (5.3) and Jocelyn Kempema (5.6)Key returnees: Abby Moose (13), Leigh LeGare (9.1, 9.1) and Sandy O'Keefe (8)Coach's comment: "I just finished with soccer so I haven't had a lot of time to spend with the basketball team so I am not quite sure what to expect this year. What I do see when I am there is a lot of familiar faces which is nice. We have some good experience coming back. We only have two seniors and four juniors, but we do have a lot of game experience in those kids. We return about 80 percent of our scoring from last year, but we only scored 60 points per game so I don't know if that is a good thing or not because that only adds up to 48 points per game. The big question for us will be our depth so to be competitive, we are going to have to stay healthy."
Waynesburg Yellow Jackets
Coach: Terry Acker (5th season, 28-73)2002-03 record: 14-13, 4-6Key losses: Kyana Bradley (13.3, 8.3)Key returnees: Rachel Dillon (5.9, 3.2), Lila St. Denis (3.9, 4), Candice Eyerman (14.3, 4.5) and Ashley Urban (6.3, 2.7)Coach's comments: "We are very young and, like everyone else, we are working hard on a daily basis to get better. I think we are going to be an exciting team to watch. We will be up and down the court, putting up a lot of shots. The other night, we shot about 40 3s and I told the team that I will guarantee them we will lead the nation in three-point shot attempts. We have a nice group of sophomores coming back and we hope to be more athletic this year than we have been in the past. I think it is going to be a good year for women's basketball in the PAC and I am looking forward to it."
Westminster Titans
Coach: Rosanne Scott (2nd season, 10-17)2002-03 record: 10-17, 4-6Key losses: Ashley Kenney (11.9, 3.6), Jennifer Petures (9.9, 4.9), Samor Himes (7.8, 6.7) and Jaime Lynn (6.7, 4.3)Key returnees: Erica Tallo (11.9, 8.9), Mary Jane Eaton (5.2, 4.1) and Alyson Gasper (4.2, 2.2)Coach's comments: "There are a lot of new faces, which has been a challenge. There has been a lot more time spent teaching and working with fundamentals this year compared to least year when we had a senior-dominated team. Even the upperclassmen need to be taught a lot because their playing time has been so limited. That being said, the team is working very hard and getting to know each other. We're just concentrating on getting players used to the system and to each other. Our goal for 2003-04 is simple: to get better. No one expects much from us this year because of our youth which is a real contrast from last season. There's no pressure on us at all so it's up to our players to go out and respond to the challenge."
Thiel Tomcats
Coach: Gloria Pacsi (15th season, 139-232)2002-03 record: 10-16, 2-8Key losses: Amanda Swanson (16.3), Danielle Mazzulo (7.2) and Mayumi Sasaki (6.2)Key returnees: Three-year starter Kerry Guthrie (5.5, 2.3), Heather Abate (5.7, 2.1), Kirsten Schrecongost (2.7, 0.9)Coach's comment: "This year we have the ability to be fairly competitive if we maintain our focus and do the things we have to do each day to get better. Our younger players gained some valuable game experience last year, giving us the opportunity to put a solid veteran lineup on the floor. I think we are going to be a much more athletic, up-tempo team this year compared to the slow down half-court offense we had in place last season. This team wants to excel and with the talent we have, we just have to put our best team out on the floor, regardless of position. These players have great work habits and they continually go out and try to make each other better. That is what we have to do every single day to get better."
-- Bill Albright