Women’s Hoop Team Returns Four Starters From 15-9 1997-98 Squad,
Opens Saturday Hosting Russell Sage in Kiwanis K.I.D.D.'s Tourney
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — As 12th-year head coach Mark Hribar watched his team win its last five games of the 1997-98 regular season to secure the program’s 10th-straight winning season and ninth-straight berth in the Middle Atlantic Conference playoffs, he couldn’t help but look ahead to this season.
His squad made that late-season run with no seniors and 10 freshmen on its roster. While it eventually fell to a more seasoned King’s team, 77-63, in the first round of the MAC playoffs to finish at 15-9, the prospects for the 1998-99 season still looked bright.
hose prospects still look good, despite the transfer of one starter and the decision by another key reserve not to play because of an injury. Four starters and 10 letterwinners still return to join a pair of talented freshmen.
A pair of Division III national preseason rankings have added to the optimism in camp as the Crusaders are ranked 22nd nationally by Columbus Multimedia, and 24th by the Women’s DIII News.
“With the numbers of veterans we have coming back, including the three seniors, I think we have to be very optimistic,” said Hribar, who is the winningest coach in program history with a 182-94 career record. “We have a lot of players back who got a lot of playing time last season, and with the addition of some very good recruits, we’re definitely focusing on it being a successful season.”
The Crusaders will open their 1998-99 season third Saturday, November 21, hosting Russell Sage in the 3 p.m. opening round game of the Susquehanna Kiwanis K.I.D.D.’s (Kiwanians Against Iodine Deficiency Disorder) Tournament. Holy Family will play Thiel in the 1 p.m. contest Saturday, with the consolation and championship games set for 1 and 3 p.m. respectively on Sunday.
THE FRONTCOURT
Topping the list of returnees are senior returning All-American and three-time league All-Star power forward Kristen Venne (Shillington/Governor Mifflin H.S.), and two-year All-Star and junior center Karyn Kern (Brodheadsville/Pleasant Valley H.S.).
A returning All-American, the 5-9 Venne was the 1996-97 Commonwealth League Player of the Year and led the team in scoring for a third-straight season a year ago (18.3 ppg), ranking third in the MAC. Presently fifth in women’s career scoring at Susquehanna with 1,350 points, Venne also was second on the team in rebounding (7.7 per game) and field goal percentage (58.1%, 176 of 303) last season. She has scored in double figures in 14-straight games, and 70 of a possible 72 collegiately. She repeated as a first-team All-Star despite playing the season with a knee injury. Now completely healed following post-season surgery, Hribar is excited about her return to 100 percent health.
“Kristen played in so much pain last season its just terrific to see her healthy again,” he said. “You can just tell the difference in the way she’s been playing in practice. Her quickness has been better then ever, and she’s just been a super leader as one of our tri-captains.”
The 6-1 Kern was the 1996-97 MAC Commonwealth League Rookie of the Year and led the team for a second-straight year in field goal percentage (61.6%, 146 of 237), rebounding (9.0 per game) and blocked shots (34/1.4 per game), while finishing second in scoring (15.3 ppg). She was fourth in the final NCAA Division III statistics in field goal percentage. With 27 double-doubles in her first two collegiate seasons, Kern already has 804 points and 497 rebounds.
“Karyn’s worked extremely hard in the off-season and is running the floor as well as she ever has. She’s extremely quick and is hitting her jumpers and rebounding well in practice. While she doesn’t look any bigger, I know she’s also added some strength” said Hribar.
Rounding out the “Special K” frontcourt will be 5-8 senior small forward Karrah Henry (5.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg) (Lewistown/Lewistown H.S.), who started 11 games and played in all but one last season. Henry displaced fellow senior Sandy Jenkin (6.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) (Millersville, Md./Severna Park H.S.) in the lineup by season’s end, although Jenkin played in all 24 games and settled into a “sixth player” role. It looks like they will remain in those roles this season. Both players are also tri-captains and Hribar is impressed with the strides they’ve made in their respective games.
The Crusaders have quality reserves at four and five in returning sophomore letterwinners Mandy Horner (Spring Mills/Penns Valley Area H.S.) and Leslie Clementoni (Hughesville/Hughesville H.S.) respectively. Both are six-footers, with Horner playing in 23 games last season and averaging 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds, while Clementoni appeared in 18 games and averaged 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Highly recruited freshman Amy Harrington (Danville/Danville H.S.) scored 1,645 points as the career scoring leader at nearby Danville High School and is also expected to see time at three.
THE BACKCOURT
After sharing the starting point guard job last season, sophomore Sue Trella (3.2 ppg) (Allentown/Allentown Central Catholic H.S.) now has the job to herself with the transfer of Adrienne Wydra to Lycoming. The team assist leader last season while ranking eighth in the conference (3.5 per game), Trella is now back at full speed after recovering from an off-season knee injury. Her recovery has been a big relief to Hribar.
“Our brightest spot of the preseason is that Sue Trella is healthy,” he said. “She’s taken her game to another level. Sue’s really playing a much more controlled game and making better decisions.”
Trella will get relief from junior Lisa Swanhart (Lawrenceville, N.J./Notre Dame H.S.), who didn’t play last season but averaged 2.3 points and 1.3 assists as the back-up point in 1996-97. Henry was also the starting point guard that season and will see some time there this year.
Junior Lisa Stack (2.4 ppg) (Swoyersville/Wyoming Valley West H.S.) has been a spot starter through her first two seasons and is expected to get the nod at two-guard. While she struggled from the field last season, Hribar believes she has regained her perimeter touch through a dedicated off-season effort.
Sophomore Jen Antolick (2.2 ppg) (Bloomsburg/Central Columbia H.S.) canned five three-pointers last year and is expected to be more accurate this season as the back-up at the of-guard position. Talented freshman Megan Marquette (Trevorton/Line Mountain H.S.) is also expected to contribute at either guard spot if she can recover from an early season knee injury.
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