The Wheaton College women's basketball program appeared in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament in 2012-13. The postseason appearance was the first for the Thunder since 2007. The 2013 edition of the Thunder looks to build on last season's success, despite the gradation of guards
Brooke Olson,
Breanna Bohlen and
Jenn Lee.
Thunder head coach
Kent Madsen says of his team for this season, "You are always evaluating your team and look at what you need to stress each year." He continues, "We go from a team the last few years that has been reliant on outside shooting. Whereas this year, one of our strengths should be the depth at the post position, and it has been a few years since that has been the case. I think we have to make sure that we have a better balance between our inside and outside scoring."
"I think our biggest asset heading into this season is our depth in the post," says Madsen. He continues, "We have an All-Conference player in
Maris Hovee (PICTURED LEFT) returning. Hannah [Considine] was the CCIW's Newcomer of the Year last year and
Lauren Graham has played well in her two seasons. At the end of last season
Sarah Drury stepped up and made contributions as a freshman and I can always use
Maria Panaggio (PICTURED RIGHT) in the post if we want to go a little bit smaller. We also add
Christina Sandstedt this year as well. It feels like using that depth will be key for us this year."
Madsen says of the newcomers to his team, "We have brought in some athletic players to join the returning group of athletes that we already have. We will be quicker this year and should be able to take advantage of that." He adds, "When you are as young as we are, with only three upperclassmen, the area that will need to evolve is our consistency in maintaining maximum effort."
Madsen has put together a strong schedule that will challenge his team out of the gate, including a trip to nationally-ranked George Fox for a tip-off tournament. Madsen notes, "I think we have a tremendous non-conference schedule that should prepare us well for CCIW competition. I am looking forward to seeing how we grow as a team during the non-conference schedule. The key will be that we keep progressing as the year moves along." He concluded, "We need the young players to become acclimated with the college game quickly and I think our non-conference schedule will afford them that opportunity."
Maris Hovee earned Third Team All-CCIW recognition last season in the post for the Thunder. An outstanding defender throughout her career she led Wheaton in rebounding with 9.6 rebounds per game and contributed 2.5 blocked shots per game. Hovee chipped in 5.4 points per game as a junior. Madsen states of her, "Maris has always been a big presence on the defensive end. It is exciting to see her continue to grow on the offensive end. That's something we should see her continue to do this year."
As a freshman last season, six-footer
Hannah Considine (PICTURED LEFT) flourished in her debut. She averaged 9.3 points per game, shooting 54.8% (109-199) from the field and she added 5.1 rebounds per game. Madsen states, "Hannah really flourished in the second half last season. It was nice to see her honored by the coaches as the CCIW Newcomer of the Year." He adds, "It is exciting to see her constantly expanding her game. She has improved her range and she can score in a variety of different ways."
Forward
Lauren Graham (PICTURED RIGHT) played in 20 games last season, playing with injuries. Graham averaged 7.5 points per game as a sophomore last season. Madsen says, "The biggest thing with Lauren is to have her back healthy. Lauren has been a scorer for us over the years. I am excited to see her continue to improve as defender."
Sophomore guard
Ellie Zeller (PICTURED LEFT) contributed 7.7 points per game last season as a freshman and added 4.8 rebounds per contest. Her play improved as the season progressed, averaging more than eight points and five rebounds per game during the conference schedule. Madsen mentions, "Ellie is the steady kind of player that every coach loves to have on their team. She played the second-most amount of minutes on the team last year and that tells you how valuable she is. Her strength is her versatility and she attacks the rim well. She creates a lot of problems for our opponents with her aggressiveness offensively."
Senior
Maria Panaggio, a five-foot-nine inch guard, played in every game for the Thunder last season. Madsen notes of her, "Maria allows us the flexibility to use her in different roles. If we want to put her on the wing we can do that, but she can play in the post for a smaller lineup. She is one of those players that provides you with the ability to change up your style if you want to. She has tremendous versatility."
Sophomore
Moriah Reeves (PICTURED RIGHT) had a strong debut with the Thunder last winter, with 4.5 points per game. Her head coach mentions, "Moriah was hampered by injuries during conference season last year, but started to come along around the conference tournament. It is nice to see her healthy and she is going to be a strong contributor to this team. I like the way she defends and she can score inside and out."
Sophomore
Sarah Drury (PICTURED LEFT) played in 26 of Wheaton's 28 games last season. Madsen says of the forward, "It was nice to see
Sarah Drury's progress last year. She has grown and feels more comfortable this year because she has a better understanding of what is expected and has better recognition of the demands of the college game."
Sophomores
NatalieRose Brogan and
Leah Perera begin the 2013-14 season dealing with injuries. "Our hope is that at some time this year NatalieRose can return from injury and contribute this year," says Madsen. He adds, "Leah is dealing with injuries and we hope to have her back."
Madsen states of the freshmen that join the program this season, "We are really excited about our freshman class. I think that we brought in four players that add more athleticism to the program. Each of them has a different skill set, which will benefit us."
He says of five-foot-six-inch guard
Katie McDaniels (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View), "
Katie McDaniels is a very quick player who will help us at the point guard position." Chantal Meachem (Champaign, Ill./Champaign Centennial) is a five-foot-eight-inch guard for the Thunder this year. "Chantal Meachem provides us with outstanding outside shooting, plus she can handle the ball extremely well," says Madsen. He adds, "She creates more versatility for us as somebody that can play different positions." He continues, "
Abby Dorman (Colorado Springs, Colo./Evangelical Christian Academy) and
Melodie Yu (Irvine, Calif./University High) are athletic players. It has been nice to see the progress that they are already making on the court."
