Women's Hoop Team Ranked Nationally, Regionally, Venne Pre-Season All-American
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) -- The Susquehanna University women's basketball team is 24th in the NCAA Division III pre-season rankings, and number three in the Mid-Atlantic Region preseason rankings according to the Women's DIII News, the monthly newsletter of NCAA Division III Women's Basketball.
Senior power forward Kristen Venne (Shillington/Governor Mifflin H.S.) is also a Preseason All-American according to the publication.
The Crusaders finished the 1997-98 campaign on a five-game winning streak to secure the program's 10th-straight winning season and ninth-straight MAC playoff berth. The squad made that late-season run with no seniors and 10 freshmen on its roster, eventually falling to a more seasoned King's team, 77-63, in the first round of the MAC playoffs. The 1998-99 team will return four starters and nine letterwinners from that team.
"Being nationally-ranked in the preseason obviously is an honor and a privilege. But we've been down that road before and we're more concerned with being ranked at the end of the season," said 12th-year head coach Mark Hribar, who is the winningest coach in program history with a 182-94 career record. "We think we have a good team this season, but we've had good teams before which were ranked in the preseason and weren't there at the end. Being ranked at the end of the season is what we're all about this year."
A three-time league All-Star at power forward, Venne was the 1996-97 Commonwealth League Player of the Year and led the team in scoring for a third-straight season (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.
"Kristen's a returning All-American and has been one of the top players in the country since she began playing for us as a freshman," Hribar said. "We're counting on her for a lot of leadership this year. While I'm sure she's pleased to earn preseason honors, she also is very concerned with helping the team achieve its goals by season's end."
Joining Venne to form one of the nation's top front court duos is two-year league All-Star and junior center Karyn Kern (Brodheadsville/Pleasant Valley H.S.).
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). With 27 double-doubles in her first two collegiate seasons, Kern enters her junior year already with 804 points and 497 rebounds.
The Crusader women's basketball team will open its 1998-99 season by hosting Russell Sage College in the 3 p.m. game of the Susquehanna Kiwanis K.I.D.D.'s Tip-Off Tournaments on Saturday, November 21. Thiel will take on Holy Family in Saturday's 1 p.m. game, with the consolation and championship games set for 1 and 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 22.
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