BEREA, Ohio - The nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University women's basketball team and veteran Head Coach Cheri Harrer return for the 2022-23 campaign, looking to repeat on top of the Ohio Athletic Conference and return to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Yellow Jackets, who went 23-5 overall and 15-2 in the OAC, return 13 letterwinners to this year's roster. Last season, BW claimed a share of the OAC regular season title and took home the OAC Tournament Championship before surging to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16.
BW, who was recently selected to finish second in the 2022-23 OAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, welcomes back three starters from last year's squad including All-OAC and Academic All-OAC graduate senior guard Megan Hensel (Upper Sandusky), senior Academic All-OAC point guard Izzy Andrews (Ann Arbor, Mich./Rudolf Steiner), and senior Academic All-OAC guard Regan Schill (Sheffield Village (Elyria Catholic).
Hensel, who received her first conference accolade last year, averaged the second-most points on the squad, totaling 8.0 per game and adding 113 rebounds, 25 steals, and 21 assists. Hensel led the team in made three pointers, posting 41 on the year and shooting 39% from range. Andrews started every game from the point position, leading the team in assists with 49 and totaled 73 points while Schill added 82 points and 27 assists.
Another key contributor from the guard position that will be returning is sophomore Emily Irwin (Pickerington/Pataskala Watkins Memorial). Playing in nearly every game for the Yellow Jackets, Irwin averaged the third-most points on the team with 6.2 per game and added 40 assists and 17 steals. Irwin was a stand-out in postseason play, starting with the OAC Tournament where she notched ten points in the semifinals and in the championship to land her on the All-Tournament team. Irwin also posted 13.3 points per game in the NCAA Tournament, tallying her career-high 18 points in the round of 64 against Salisbury (Md.) University.
Also landing on the OAC All-Tournament Team last season and who will be returning for her junior campaign is forward Kira Philpot (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls). Philpot grabbed 93 rebounds last season and added 4.3 points per game. In the OAC Tournament, Philpot tallied her career-high 14 points and in the championship game she added five points and four rebounds.
Philpot along with sophomores Caely Ressler (Napolean) and Bella Vaillant (Perrysburg) will work to fill the void of graduated All-American forward Lilly Edwards and All-OAC forward Megan Scheibelhut. Ressler was the fifth-leading scorer on the roster last year, totaling 5.3 points per game and added 110 rebounds, 33 assists, 13 steals, and 11 blocks. In the Sweet 16 last year, Ressler totaled 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists, knocking down two three-pointers.
Other returning letterwinners are junior forward Sylvie Sonneman (Jamestown/Greenview), junior guard Carolyn Wochele (Mentor), junior forward Megan Jurosic (New Knoxville), returning from injury and junior guard Brenna Varga (Avon/Magnificat), and sophomores Alek Johnson (Gibsonia, Pa./Mars Area) and Sadie Arend (Carey).
Joining the Yellow Jackets this season is a talented group of freshmen. Click here for full list of the 2022-23 newcomers.
BW opens the season on Friday, November 11 when it plays their home opener against No. 2 nationally ranked Trine (Ind.) University in the Ursprung Gymnasium inside the Lou Higgins Center at 6:00 p.m.
