BEREA, Ohio – Fresh off a historic season, Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball returns to action on January 22, following a delayed start to the season. The Yellow Jackets will look to win back-to-back OAC Tournament titles for just the second time in program history.
Head Coach Cheri Harrer returns 12 letter-winners from a team that went 28-2 overall (17-1 in the OAC) and had advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with a shot at the #1 seeded Hope (Mich.) College, before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Yellow Jackets ended the season on a 14-game winning streak and with a win were poised to tie a program-best with an appearance in the Elite Eight.
"We are excited to get a chance to compete and see where this season takes us," said Harrer. "With our limited practices and no scrimmages it's difficult to get a gauge on this team with so many new faces and returners in much different roles. I can tell you this – that our goals at BW never change. We also won't change our focus which is getting better every day and competing as hard as we can every time we step on the court. We will continue, as always, to focus on the process of growing and improving, all while we are great teammates and have each other's backs."
Last year's lone returning starter is junior Megan Scheibelhut (Avon Lake/Elyria Catholic) who provided a key interior presence, ranking second on the team in blocks per game and fourth in rebounds per game. She will play an important leadership role alongside senior Gabby Garrett (Columbus/Bishop Watterson) who played in all 30 games last season and serves as the lone senior this year.
Another key returner for the Yellow Jackets is junior Lilly Edwards (Dublin/Coffman), who took home All-OAC Honorable Mention honors, following a season that saw her average 8.8 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. The spark plug off the bench will likely become a starter this season, as she looks to maintain her strong collegiate start that has her ranked in the top-10 all-time in points per game and rebounds per game at BW. Fellow junior Megan Hensel (Upper Sandusky) filled a similar role as Edwards, playing in all 30 games and ranking right behind her in rebounds per game. Hensel averaged 6.4 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game last season.
Several key contributors as freshmen and sophomores last season will see increased roles in the 2021 campaign. Sophomore Izzy Andrews (Ann Arbor, Mich./Rudolf Steiner) led the way playing in all but three contests, while junior Sydney Snyder (Kirtland) averaged over 11 minutes per game, playing in 26 of 30 games. Several more players including juniors Maighread Laliberte (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) and Emily Lyon (Medina/Highland), as well as sophomores Kelsey George (Centerville), Mackenzie Hance (Mogadore/Lake), Shelby Hemminger (Tiffin/Calvert) and Regan Schill (Sheffield Village/Elyria Catholic), played in 10 or more games and will see further action this season.
Joining the Yellow Jackets are a deep group of 10 talented freshmen. Guards Emily Irwin (Pickerington/Pataskala Watkins Memorial), Sydney Lantow (Middleburg Heights/Berea Midpark), Faith Lewis (Elyria/Amherst), Lauren Snyder (Kirtland), Brenna Varga (Avon/Magnificat) and Carolyn Wochele (Mentor) join the backcourt, while Megan Jurosic (New Knoxville), Kayla Paul (Bellbrook), Kira Philpot (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) and Sylvie Sonneman (Jamestown/Greenview) shore up the frontcourt.
The Yellow Jackets will begin their title defense on January 22 and host their home opener January 23, with a home and home series against the University of Mount Union. The schedule consists of six home-and-home weekend series with 7 p.m. games on Friday's and 6 p.m. games on Saturday's. The schedule then concludes with the OAC Tournament in the first week of March.
