Season Preview: Women's Basketball aims for fifth straight OAC Regular Season title, 10th consecutive winning season in 2018-19
By Blake Moore
| 2018-19 Women's Basketball Schedule |
ADA — After capturing their fourth consecutive OAC Regular Season title and ninth successive winning season one year ago, the Ohio Northern women's basketball program seeks continued success on the conference and national stages under 18th-year head coach Michele Durand in the 2018-19 campaign.
In 2017-18, Northern would finish another strong season as the Polar Bears finished 23-5 overall, including a 15-3 mark in conference play to top the league standings, and ranked as high as No. 7 in the D3Hoops.com national polls. The Polar Bears would conclude their campaign with the program's 23rd consecutive trip to the OAC Tournament where they would fall in the championship game to Marietta 85-68.
The past season also marks the seventh straight campaign with 20-or-more victories for the Ohio Northern women's basketball program. The victories included a 17-game win streak that lasted from mid-November to late January.
The 2017-18 team's first win over St. Mary's (Ind.) at the North Park (Ill.) Tip-Off Tournament would also make Durand the school's all-time winningest women's basketball coach as she surpassed former Hall of Fame coach Gayle Lauth, who owned 275 victories at the institution, in the school record books.
This season, the Polar Bears were projected to finish third in a highly-competitive Ohio Athletic Conference loaded with talented players and coaches. Despite a young, inexperienced roster, the team is ready for the challenges in the campaign ahead.
"We are extremely young this year. However, we have a lot of good players on our roster and will look for each to contribute this season right away," Coach Durand stated regarding her new-look team. "The team has been picking things up quickly and have been coachable in our early-season practices. As long as we play together, we should have a good season ahead."
Coach Durand and her staff will welcome back nine previous letterwinners, one former All-OAC honoree, and two starters in seniors Jenna Dirksen (Beavercreek/Carroll) and Tori Wyss (Ada).
The 2018-19 Ohio Northern varsity lineup will also feature six incoming freshman vying for playing time and hoping to make an immediate impact on the court.
The following is a breakdown of the 2018-19 ONU women's basketball team according to position:
Point Guard
At the point guard position, Ohio Northern will look to senior guard Alyssa Manley (Lima/Bath) to fill the starting floor general role.
Manley, a three-time letterwinner, takes over as the team's starting point guard after primarily playing at the two spot throughout her Northern career. The senior appeared in all 28 games as a junior, recording 14.7 minutes per contest, 4.7 points per contest, 41 assists, and leading all returners with 23 made three-point field goals at a .426 shooting clip.
Meanwhile, freshman Lexi Jacobs (Wapakoneta) will also see playing time off the bench in her first season at ONU.
"Alyssa has never played the point guard for us, but did play the position back in high school and has done well to lead us as a senior," Durand noted. "She is a good shooter from the perimeter and makes good decisions with the ball. I believe Lexi can be very good as well. She will come off the bench and back up Alyssa to start the season."
Wings
The two and three position starting spots will be occupied by junior Abby Weeks (West Chester/Mount Notre Dame) and Dirksen, respectively, during the 2018-19 campaign.
Weeks, who will start at the shooting guard position, has primarily served in a reserve role the past two seasons, appearing in 58 games off the bench for nearly 12 minutes per contest. Last season, the two-time letterwinner finished third among returning players with 5.4 point per contest while adding 2.3 rebounds per game.
Dirksen, a Second-Team All-OAC selection, comes back for her final season and will hold down the three position after leading all returners with 8.9 points per game in 2017-18. The senior also led the Polar Bears with 35 steals, 2.9 assists per game, and 27.7 minutes per contest one year ago.
"Abby is in her third year and has primarily served as a sub, but has shown a lot of promise in practice to fill the new role," Durand mentioned. "She can drive the ball to the basket, shoot from the outside, and play solid defense. We also expect a lot out of Jenna this season. She can score driving to the basket and from the perimeter, and her defense has gotten a lot better through her three years here. We will rely on her experience since she has been in many big games during her career."
Meanwhile, sophomore Emily Brock (Akron/Revere) is slated for the backup slot at the two and will serve as a third point guard option for the Polar Bears this season. She competed in 20 games last season for six minutes per contest and drained 11 three-pointers.
"Emily is a really good three-point shooter and will be a nice backup at the two behind Abby. She should fulfill that role nicely for our team this season."
Durand notes that several other players could contend for playing time at the three position in substitute roles backing up Dirksen, including freshmen Alissa Stahler (Lima/Shawnee), Jaidyn Hale (Lima/Bath), and Annie Weckesser (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne).
"We have several freshman filling in the three position backup roles, but we have talent. Alissa has a large upside and can become a very good player. Jaidyn will likely see time right away and make an impact. Annie could also play a lot throughout her first season."
Forwards
Wyss, a three-time letterwinner who started 27 games as a junior, will reclaim her starting role this season at the power forward position. She topped all returners with 5.0 rebounds per game last season while also tallying 3.1 points per contest.
"I call Tori our 'glue'. She is not a flashy player, but she gets the job done that we need her to do on the court," Durand explained. "She is someone I can always count on to make a play."
Additionally, junior letterwinner Jaclyn Yankle (Youngstown/Cardinal Mooney) and classmate Martrina Parks (Columbus/Thomas Worthington) will also battle for time off the bench, providing some depth to the position.
Yankle returns after receiving her first varsity letter last season when she appeared in 10 games for the Polar Bears. Meanwhile, Parks has played on ONU's junior varsity team the past two seasons, but has shown significant improvement that has impressed the coaching staff.
Freshman Kate Iliff (Lorain/Amherst Steele) will also contend for playing time after showing her skills to the coaching staff in early-season practices.
"Jaclyn can score so we believe she can give us an advantage playing at the power forward position. Martrina has shown a lot of improvement and is a lot like Tori - she is someone you can always count on to play hard and do the little things well. Kate has looked good in practice so far. She is a very athletic forward and will be a nice addition."
Center
The starting center position will belong to junior Emily Mescher (Maria Stein/Marion Local), who will assume the role following All-American Amy Bullimore's departure from the program due to graduation. She had previously served as the backup to Bullimore in her first two seasons with the Polar Bears.
Last season, Mescher appeared in all 28 games, averaging 6.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest. She would lead the team with a .568 field goal percentage and earn All-OAC Tournament Team and Academic All-OAC honors.
Currently, she stands as the program's all-time leader in field goal percentage with a .576 clip from the court.
"Emily has backed up Amy the past few years, and I think she is ready to take on a new role for us," Durand noted. "She runs well, is physical inside, and can be a strong rebounder."
Junior Kaitlyn Hurd (Buchtel/Nelsonville-York) and sophomore Sydney Ward (Columbus/Upper Arlington) will return as previous letterwinners to provide some experience and depth at the center position this year.
Freshman Taylor Kogge (Minster) will round out the options at center.
"Sydney, who is a little taller than Emily, can score and will be one of our best rebounders. Kaitlyn has been practicing well, and we will use her in the five spot as well. We also really like Taylor. She comes from Minster and won a state title last season so she has been in some big games already."
Schedule
In addition to seeking their fifth straight regular season title and 10th consecutive winning season, the Polar Bears will look for their fifth trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament in seven seasons during the 2018-19 campaign.
Their pursuits begin this weekend as Northern will travel eastward to compete in the Allegheny (Pa.) Tip-Off Tournament on November 16 and November 17. ONU is slated to open their season against Chatham (Pa.) on day one while they will face their weekend host Allegheny on day two. Both matchups are set to begin at 1 p.m.
The nonconference schedule will be headlined by a late-December trip to Las Vegas, Nevada where Ohio Northern will compete in the annual D3hoops.com Classic. The Orange and Black will face off with Carthage (Wisc.) on December 27 and battle Willamette (Ore.) on December 28 to wrap up the 2018 calendar year.
Following their tournament opener, the Polar Bears will raise the curtain on their regular season home schedule with dates against area-rival Defiance on Tuesday, November 20 at 5:30 p.m. and Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday, November 24 at 3 p.m. The remaining nonconference date is slated for November 28 when Northern travels to Case Western Reserve.
The conference schedule will open on December 1 when ONU heads to Alliance, Ohio to take on the Mount Union Purple Raiders at 3 p.m. The conference home slate will commence the following game as Northern will host Wilmington Wednesday, December 5 at 7 p.m.
The Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament is slated for February 19, 21, and 23 to be held at various campus sites around the league.
"Our schedule is going to be difficult this year," Durand stated. "The league is going to be really good this year and very balanced. There are probably seven or eight teams that have a good chance at winning the title."
"We are looking forward to the upcoming season and the new look for the Polar Bears on the court this year. I have had a lot of fun in the offseason with the new team, and we are ready to get started this weekend."