Yellow Jacket Junior Guard Ali Stack Hopes to Help BW Win an OAC Title

Posted: Feb 25, 2010

BEREA, OHIO -- Baldwin Wallace University junior basketball student-athlete Ali Stack is hoping to lead the Yellow Jackets to an Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament title and a spot in next week's NCAA Division III National Tournament.

"Our goal each season is to win the Division III National Championship," said Stack, who will lead the 19-7 overall Jackets into an 8:00 p.m. OAC tourney semifinal contest versus arch-rival Mount Union College on Friday (Feb. 26) at 8:00 p.m. at the Capital Center in Columbus. Every year BW is a contender for the OAC regular season and OAC Tournament titles.

"We knew coming into this season that we had a young team that did not have a great deal of experience and that we would have to work really hard to reach our goals of winning the OAC titles and making it to the NCAA tourney," continued Stack, a resident of Vermilion, Ohio and a graduate of Firelands High School. "Overall, we have made great progress and fell just short of the OAC regular season title. We are hoping that we can play well this weekend and bring home an OAC Tournament title and the automatic berth into the NCAA tourney."

With its 19-7 overall and 14-4 OAC regular season mark, Stack and the Yellow Jackets tied with Mt. Union for second place and were one game back of first place Capital University's 15-3 OAC slate. A win against Mt. Union would vault BW into the title game against either top-seeded Capital or fifth-seed Ohio Northern University on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 3:00 p.m. in Columbus.

"We are excited to go to Columbus to play Mt. Union with a chance to reach the finals," said Stack, who has started the past three games and averages 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds-per-game and has 40 assists, 24 steals and 10 three-pointers this season in 17.2 minutes of playing time per game. "We split our season series with Mt. Union, beat ONU twice and lost to Capital twice. We definitely have the talent and ability to win both games. Now we just have to go out and play well and do it."

Stack's best game this season came three weeks ago in a 65-52 victory against Muskingum University in New Concord when she scored a career-high 10 points. She also had a career-high eight rebounds in a 73-46 win versus Marietta College and twice has passed for a career-high four assists. For three seasons, Stack's improvement has been both constant and consistent.

A year ago, Stack saw limited action off the bench as BW compiled a 22-8 record and advanced to the OAC title game and as far as the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She played in 17 games and averaged 1.4 ppg. in six minutes of action per contest. This season, she served as the backup to point guard Rachel Rossman (Olmsted Falls) and shooting guard Amanda Schroeder (Columbus Grove) until recently moving back into the starting lineup.

"As the season progressed, Ali just got better and more comfortable," said veteran 20th-year BW Head Coach Cheri Harrer, who takes an outstanding 415-144 mark into the game versus Mt. Union. "And, recently, Ali again stepped-up her game so we elevated her back into the starting lineup."

At the beginning of the season, Harrer started Stack because she was one of just five veterans who had experience from last season. As her younger players gained "their legs" and experience, Harrer moved Stack to a role of coming off the bench.

"She definitely added stability to our second group of the rotation that came off the bench," said Harrer. "Ali does alot of things pretty well. She has good fundamentals and is an intelligent student-athlete. Ali is a solid student and a member of the Dean's List, so she utilizes her intelligence to make her a better basketball player."

"Ali also brings a great deal of energy to our team and lineup," continued Harrer. "Everybody feeds off of her energy. I really feel a big reason for the team success this season is her improved play. When Ali's on the floor, a lot of good things happen."

Stack didn't mind the role switch, especially if it helps her team.

"I will do whatever it takes to help my team and be a better leader for the team," said Stack, who carries a 3.532 grade point average in middle childhood education and is a candidate for 2009-10 Academic All-OAC accolades. "I want to contribute on offense and I need to step up more on the defensive end."

As a freshman in 2007-08, Stack felt the experience of being an OAC champ as BW won both the OAC regular season and OAC Tournament titles en route to a 27-3 record. The team also advanced to the third round of the NCAA tourney.

"We know what its like to win the OAC title," said Stack, a two-year letterwinner who will earn her third award this winter. "We know that it takes hard work, dedication, perserverence and commitment as well as chemistry. We have worked hard all season long to do these things and to get to this point. Now we have to take it to the next level this weekend."

"We knew that it would take some time for this team to build its chemistry," said Harrer. "The team is a lot closer, the team chemistry is better and everybody is on the same page. I like the improvement. Now we have to take it to the next level this weekend and play well versus Mt. Union. If we do that, then we will have a shot to win a title and accomplish two of our four main goals (national title, NCAA berth, OAC regular season title and OAC Tournament title)."

Fans and media can listen to the game live on campus radio station WBW, 88.3 FM, and via the Internet atwww.wBW.com. Live video and statistics also will be available by logging onto the BW Athletics Website atwww.bw.edu/athletics.

FOR MORE BW Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Nick Minerd by phone at 440-826-2780 and e-mail at nminerd@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.