Women’s Basketball Looks to Continue Championship Ways in 2015-16

Posted: Nov 10, 2015

BEREA, Ohio -- The Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team looks to continue its championship success both in the Ohio Athletic Conference and NCAA Division III in 2015-16.

Veteran Head Coach Cheri Harrer, who enters her 26th season and has a career record of 510-186 at helm of the Yellow Jackets, returns 11 letterwinners and three starters from last year's squad that won its sixth OAC Tournament Championship and advanced to its 13th NCAA Division III National Tournament.

In the backcourt, BW returns one starter in junior Academic All-OAC point guard Mackenzie Colombo (Strasburg). Colombo, who has started every game since landing in Berea, had career-highs last season in points-per-game (6.9), rebounds-per-game (2.4), assists (66) and steals (33).

Joining Colombo in the backcourt will be seniors Erin Allen (Girard, Pa.), Ally Dehart (Beaver, Pa.), Janaya Feaster (Akron/Archbishop Hoban) Allyson Helleis (Rocky River), sophomores Katie Smith (Fairview Park/Fairview) and Katie Swanson (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward Central Catholic) and first-year players Lauren Camm (New Albany), Hannah Fecht (Hilliard/Davidson), Hailey Rae Grant (North Royalton/St. Joseph's Academy), MacKenzi Matthews (North Royalton) and Alex Starr (Millersburg/West Holmes)

Feaster appeared in all 29 games last season and averaged a career-high 5.1 ppg. Allen, Dehart and Smith and Swanson came off the bench to provide key sparks. Camm, Fecht, Grant, Matthews and Starr will look for playing time in the rotation.

Up front, the Yellow Jackets return two starters in All-OAC and Academic All-OAC forward Sydney Clark (Parma/Lake Ridge Academy) and junior All-OAC forward Clara Lemmon (Canton/Louisville). Clark had a standout season as a sophomore and had career-highs with 8.8 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 31 assists, 28 blocks and 32 steals. Lemmon enjoyed a career-season as a sophomore as well as she recorded career-bests with 7.8 ppg., 6.6 rpg., 24 assists, 17 blocks and 23 steals.

Joining Clark and Lemmon in the paint will be senior Alyssa Munro (Mansfield/Lexington), sophomores Geena Gabriel (Andover/Pymatuning Valley) and Megan Schubert (Defiance/Ayersville) and freshmen Courtney Basinger (Akron/Coventry), Courtnay Cruise (Wooster/Triway), Hunter Feltner (Willard) and Rachel Womeldorf (Lewis Center/Olentangy).

Munro appeared in all 29 games off the bench and averaged 5.6 ppg., and 2.2 rpg. Schubert appeared in 26 games last season and averaged 1.7 ppg and 2.3 rpg. Gabriel, who saw limited action last season, along with Basinger, Cruise Feltner and Womeldorf will look to find their spot in the lineup.

The Yellow Jackets open the 2015-16 campaign on Tuesday, November 17 when they host cross-town rival Case Western Reserve University in the first game of a women's and men's non-conference doubleheader in the Ursprung Gymnasium. BW will play in two tournaments as they compete in the Anderson (Ind) University Tip-off Tournament in November and the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic hosted by Wittenberg University in December. The Yellow Jackets open OAC play against the University of Mount Union on December 2.