The Wheaton College women's basketball team that opens its 2009-10 season on Nov. 17 at UW-LaCrosse will look much different than the 2008-09 edition of the Thunder that posted a 16-10 overall record with an 11-3 conference record and a second-place CCIW finish.

Wheaton's top three leading scorers from last season Kathleen Fidelia, Jamie Jones and Lynnea Kvam were part of a group of five players that graduated from last year's team. Guard Laura Karsten had a strong freshman campaign last year and was expected to be a key contributor this season. Karsten's hopes for this season were ended before the campaign started when she suffered a season-ending injury in September as a member of Wheaton's women's soccer team.

Longtime head coach Beth Baker, in her 24th season at Wheaton, has guided the program to six CCIW Titles and seven NCAA Tournament appearances in her career. The veteran mentor notes, “This is the youngest team I have ever coached at Wheaton. Half of our players are freshmen and sophomores.” She adds, “The thing about graduating five seniors from an 11-3 conference finish is not only the loss of their basketball talent and skills, but trying to replace their presence as 'leaders' on a squad. I am excited to see who will emerge on this team and communicate to our younger players the tradition that our program has.” Baker continues, “We have some injury concerns and believe that a lot of our success is going to be determined by not only how our youth develops, but by how healthy our team can stay.”

Baker says of her youthful team, “No doubt I am concerned about our inexperience. But, it is a challenge that our coaching staff welcomes. We know that we will be relying heavily on the ability of our underclassmen and we need to be able to sustain a consistent effort through the entire season. We need them to avoid a lot of the ups and downs that your young players typically have.” She continues, “We have a long tradition of winning here at Wheaton and we have the same expectations that we have always had. We want to win a conference championship and we want to win the conference tournament. Those will always be our goals, whether we have five freshmen on the floor or five seniors on the floor – our goals will not change.” Baker concludes, “I think the key is, how competitive is this team going to be?” She concludes, “Young players have yet to invest in a program. They understand that the tradition is there and they think they are working hard, but we have a lot of room to grow in the areas of effort and hustle.”

Baker mentions of some of the team's uncertainties, “We will have to deal with the injury to Laura Karsten who is out for the year. Annie Bowen is another starter who is coming off of an injury, and Lissie McAlvey is coming off of a surgery so we have a lot of question marks.”

Returning upperclassmen Sarah Jones and Annie Bowen will serve as co-captains for the Thunder this season.

Jones, a quick-moving guard for the Thunder, appeared in 25 games last season. Jones averaged 2.6 points as a junior, following an average of 6.9 points per game as a sophomore in 2007-08. Baker says of her, “Sarah Jones will likely be a starter this year. She struggled last year, but she has done a real nice job in the pre-season. She is the hardest worker on our team and has the respect of her coaches. We need Sarah to have a good senior year and she seems to be up to the challenge.”

Bowen averaged 7.6 points per game last year, with a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game. The 5' 9” forward had offseason surgery and has been working to return to her previous form in the pre-season. Baker states of her, “Annie is a good defender who brings toughness to our team. She just goes out and competes and just wants to win.” The Thunder mentor notes, “We aren't sure when she will be back to 100-percent. We hope that she will be back to full strength by the time our schedule begins.”

The contributions of returning post players Kelly Brooks and Lisa Ballenger could be integral to the season for the Thunder. The 6' 0” Brooks played in 21 games last season, with 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Ballenger, a 6' 2” center, played in 22 games last season with 3.5 points per game. Baker notes of the duo, “We need to have Kelly Brooks and Lisa Ballenger perform well on the defensive end. Not only in how they defend the post, but also in controlling the boards. Neither one of them has had a lot of playing time, so this is their year to show us what they can do.”

Guard Lindsey Brenneman played in every game for Wheaton last season, including seven as a starter, averaging 18 minutes per game. She contributed 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Baker says of the sophomore, “Lindsey Brenneman got some key minutes for us last year. She is a steady player, but she needs to expand her role from last year.” She continues “Lindsey is probably our healthiest returning player right now. We are hoping she can hit open shots and be more of an offensive threat.”

Guard Elisabeth Potts played in 17 contests as a Thunder freshman last season, averaging 5.1 minutes per game. She will be looked to step into a more prominent position this year, “Elisabeth Potts is a very athletic player. After getting limited minutes last year, we are counting on her to really step into a much bigger role this year. She has the possibility to be a starter.” Baker adds, “She may be one of our most improved players, and we will need her to develop quickly on both ends of the court. Confidence will be a key factor in Eisabeth's development.”

Junior guard Lissie McAlvey played in 23 games last year, but underwent her second ACL surgery in as many seasons. “Lissie has dealt with injuries in each of her first two seasons. She would love to have an injury-free season this year.” Baker continues, “She is a really good shooter and we hope to get a strong contribution from her.” McAlvey averaged 3.2 points per game last year after averaging 7.5 points per game in eight games as a Thunder freshman.

Five freshmen join Wheaton's roster this season. The newcomers could be looked to step into key roles in their debut campaign in orange and blue. Baker notes, “This is a very talented freshmen class; there isn't a lot of size in this class, but a lot of talent. We are really excited about our freshmen.” Baker notes, “Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, they will be seeing a lot of minutes for us this year.”

Guard Brooke Olson (Winfield, Ill./Wheaton North) is a 5' 9” newcomer. Baker states, “Brooke is a tough kid. She is one of the most natural leaders that we have brought into the program. She will be competing to be a starter at point guard. She has a lot of potential and we are hoping for consistent play out of her at the point.” Baker says of five-foot-ten-inch Breanna Bohlen (Glenvil, Neb./Adams Central), “Breanna has a lot of potential. She may be one of the best shooters on our team and we are excited to have her join the program.”

Baker notes of Shannon McNeil (Villa Park, Ill./Timothy Christian), “Shannon is a tremendous athlete who will see a lot of time.” The Thunder mentor adds, “At five-foot-seven, she has the potential to be one of our best rebounders.” Guard Jennifer Lee (St. Charles, Ill./Wheaton Academy) will join the basketball team once she concludes her season as a member of the Wheaton women's soccer team. As a senior at Wheaton Academy, Lee won the IHSA Class 3A three-point shooting contest. Baker says of the sharp-shooter, “She will be coming in late, but she is a really hard worker and very competitive. We are excited to have her in the program.” Baker mentions of guard Darcy Cornell (Portland, Ore./Portland Christian), “Darcy is a tough player and a good shooter. We hope to see her continue to develop.”