Around the Ivy Leagues: Women

Last year's Ivy League champion, Dartmouth, had to overcome a one-game deficit on the final night of the regular season and win a one-game playoff before earning the right to be blown out of the NCAA tournament by Rutgers. The Big Green returns just two starters.

Princeton, the team Dartmouth beat, once again failed to secure its first Ivy title since 1985. The Tigers have two All-Ivy players returning, but not much else.

Penn, a sub-.500 team last season, has a rookie head coach.

So how do you pick a pre-season favorite from among these teams?

Well, really, you can't.

Any one of these teams, including the resurgent Harvard Crimson, could walk away with the title and a trip to the NCAA tournament this spring.

But somebody has to be dubbed No. 1, and in a pre-season media poll, this year's honor goes to Penn.

1. PENN

Rookie head coach Kelly Greenberg comes to Philadelphia to help the Quakers (12-14, 8-6 Ivy, 3rd place) improve on last year's finish. Greenberg brings a winning reputation from Holy Cross, where she served as an assistant coach and helped the Crusaders to four NCAA tournament appearances.

Greenberg is helped by the return of four out of five starters, including Ivy League player of the Year Diana Caramanico. A 6'2 junior forward, Caramanico led the league last year with 22.7 points per game and 12.8 rebounds per game.

Joining her is first team All-Ivy guard Mandy West. With 91 assists and 19.9 ppg last season, West will be a perimeter complement to Caramanico's inside presence. As the only senior on the team, West's role as team leader will also be important to guide the new coach and the young starters to their first Ivy title.

"From conversations with Mandy and Diana, there is no question they would give up their high-scoring averages for the good of the team," Greenberg said. "They are true team players."

One of the starters looking to get some big numbers this year is point guard Erin Ladley. The team's leader with 93 assists last season, the 5'10 Ladley poses a match-up problem for other teams in the conference. The final returning starter is 6'3 junior center Jessica Allen (6.5 ppg, 6 rpg).

Greenberg and the Quakers have the definite advantage in terms of experience and depth on the team, with six recruits all potentially filling up time at the guard/forward slots. Luckily for the new coach, she's coming into a stable situation with a great chance of winning the league outright.

2. PRINCETON

After the bitter pill that was last year's failed run at the league title, the Tigers (16-11, 11-3, t-1st) have reloaded and are primed for another go at it. Coach Liz Feeley begins her fourth year with three returning starters, including the team's top two scorers, seniors Maggie Langlas and Kate Thirolf.

Langlas, a 5'9 "quiet assassin" at shooting guard, leads Princeton into battle. She led the team with 13.9 ppg and also averaged 5.3 rpg. A player who's described as "fundamentally sound" in the Ivy media guide, Langlas realizes the sense of urgency the team feels to finally win a championship with the current squad.

"But there are so many new faces," Langlas said. "We have to get familiar with one another before we can think about winning the Ivy League."

Two faces she already knows are those of returning guard/forward Thirolf and junior point guard Jessica Munson. Thirolf was Princeton's second-leading scorer with 11.2 ppg. Both Thirolf and Langlas are expected to break the 1000-point career mark this season.

In the frontcourt, the Tigers will need to replace the departed Julie Angell and Lee Ann Drohan, who were both All-Ivy. Two possibilities are senior center Brooke Lockwood and sophomore forward Lauren Rigney, who contributed solid minutes off the bench last year.

"We know what it takes to get a tie for the Ivy League title," said Feeley. "We should know what it takes to win it outright."

3. DARTMOUTH

The number "13" has never been mistaken for a lucky number. But the Big Green (19-9, 11-3, t-1st) would love to get to No. 13--13 Ivy League titles, that is.

However, repeating as champions won't be as easy as it was for the Yankees. The team lost three starters, including second team All-Ivy forwards Katie O'Connor and Erin Rewalt. Almost every starting spot is up for grabs. Luckily for Head Coach Chris Wielgus, the competition is fierce for those jobs.

Senior guard Courtney Banghart, last year's leader with 14.9 ppg and 83 steals, is one woman whose spot is safe. Banghart led the country with 3.5 three-pointers per game last year and added 70 assists for good measure.

The other guard spot will be a fight between three juniors. Samantha Berdinka saw action in all but one game last year. Sherryta Freeman has a reputation as a defensive stopper with a creative offensive streak. Finally, Stephanie Kinnear dished out 53 assists and also started four games.

Swing player Liz Martin, the other senior, is also the other Big Green leader with a semi-secure spot. She averaged 6 ppg and 4.8 rpg. Jackie Lippe and Jen Koch will fight for the power forward spot, and 6'3 freshman center Heather Hanson will try to fill O'Connor's shoes. Four other freshmen will add depth to the relatively young Dartmouth team.

"We are a balanced ball club; we have depth in all our positions," Wielgus said. "The more games we win, the better our confidence, and the more prepared we will be for Ivy play."

4. HARVARD

For team preview, please see page S-1.

5. CORNELL

When a team returns all five starters from the year before, logic dictates that the team should be as good or better than the year before. Unfortunately for the Big Red (11-15, 5-9, t-6th), that means improving on last year's record and joining the league's top teams, which does not seem likely.

Luckily for Cornell, though, things are looking up. Last year's record was the team's fourth-best ever and this may be the first season since 1972 the team breaks .500. Also, the team's close losses to Penn and Princeton at the end of the season provided added confidence and momentum.

One problem for Cornell last season was the lack of a frontcourt presence. With the return of senior Jumana Salti from a knee injury, some players can return to their natural position. Salti, a 6'2 center from Amman, Jordan, was the team's leading scorer before suffering the season-ending injury.

All that means Kristie Riccio can return to her preferred spot at small forward. Riccio was the team's overall leading scorer, averaging 13.0 ppg. Junior Jennifer Linker, who set the Cornell record for blocks shots in a season with 39, will return to power forward.

A pair of sophomore guards rounds out the starting lineup. Breean Walas was last season's Ivy League Rookie of the Year with 12.4 ppg and 102 assists. Shooting guard Deborah Stevens scored 11.5 ppg and dished out 111 assists.

"We have a lot of experienced players returning this season," said fifth-year Coach Marnie Dacko. "We also have much more size on the front line."

With nine players taller than 6', the Big Red has improved its frontcourt. Unfortunately, any improvement this year won't move Cornell out of the pack in the middle of the league.

6. BROWN

The loss of Vita Redding, a first team All-Ivy player and Brown's all-time leading scorer, will be too much for the Bears (12-14, 7-7, t-4th) to overcome. The Bears are expected to fall off considerably.

The bright points for the Bears will be in the backcourt. Sophomore Rada Pavichevich had a stellar freshman year and saw action in all 26 games. A versatile guard/forward, Pavichevich averaged 5.8 ppg and 2.9 rpg last year. Junior Kris Wiig has been a backup the last two seasons but seems poised to move into the starting role.

Cathy Miller, a native South African, is the team's leading returning scorer (7.9 ppg) and rebounder (5.3 rpg). At 6'3, Keri Larkin is the team's tallest player and should get some quality minutes off the bench.

The heart of the Bear team is forward Kate Veronneau, a senior who was the 1997 Rookie of the Year and is currently co-captain. A 6'1 power forward, Veronneau can post-up smaller defenders but still has the three-point range.

The rest of the Brown team is either inexperienced or ineffective. Becca Jones and Erin-Kate Barton are upperclassmen who figure to get some minutes down low but who played rather poorly last season. Finally, forward Nicole Brown, a 5'10 senior, will try to rebound from a knee injury that sidelined her all of last year and return to her sophomore form, when she started 25 of 26 games.

"We are a very hard-working team," said 12th-year coach Jean Marie Burr, the winningest coach in Brown history. "This is also one of the most athletic teams I've ever coached."

Unfortunately for Burr, that hard work and athleticism won't return the Bears to the winning days of the early 1990's.

7. YALE

Emphasize the "new" in New Haven this year. New coach, new center, new forwards, new guards--everything is new for the Bulldogs (10-16, 5-9, t-6th).

New Coach Amy Backus comes from Northwestern, where she was an assistant who helped lead the team to an NCAA berth in 1997. Backus likes the challenges of everything being new, insisting on calling the team "teachable."

"We will be a team with a new style of play--up-tempo, aggressive, pressure defense and relentless on the boards," said Backus. "We will be a team promising excitement for the fans and players alike."

If by "exciting" Backus means "confusion over who will start and lack of leadership," she will be right. Only point guard Kelly Denit returns from last year's starting five. Denit, a senior, averaged 6.4 ppg and chipped in 71 overall assists.

But that's it. Yale will have to replace, among others, two 1,000-point career scorers in center Katy Grubbs and forward Autumn Braddock.

Sophomore Caitlin Blair will rejoin Denit in the backcourt, where Blair played before injuring her knee last season. Blair had been leading the team in steals. Other guards include sophomores Jamie Riposta (5.0 ppg) and Kate Merker. Even highly acclaimed freshman Helene Schutrumpf will get a chance to fill in at the guard spot.

With the graduation of its starting frontcourt, Yale looks to old backups and new recruits. Junior Alyson Miller, who was averaging more than 10 ppg before succumbing to a torn ACL in January, will try to return. Sophomore Meg Simpson is the Bulldogs' toughest frontcourt defender and should see a starting role. The center spot is securely in the hands of 6'1 junior Lily Glick, who was the team's third-leading scorer last season at 7.2 ppg.

Backus says she is up to her new challenge.

"I'm thrilled to be in the Ivy League," she said. "It's not for everyone, but I believe in the philosophy of the league. It's a perfect fit."

8. COLUMBIA

The Lions lost three of its top scorers, forcing Head Coach Jay Butler to recruit some freshmen over 6'. But the new crew can't save a sunken ship.

Columbia (6-20, 2-12, 8th) should still get beat up and beaten by its tougher Ivy opponents.

"We went after size in the post, and I'm proud to say we got it," Butler said.

However, Butler will have to use what he has right now as several freshmen will be thrown into the starting mix.

Forward Shawnee Pickney, a 6' junior, will be counted on heavily to do most of the offensive workload. Pickney is the Lions' top returning scorer at 9.7 ppg and 7.9 rpg. The other forward, senior Catherine Tubridy, will see an equally-difficult workload. Tubridy, in addition to having to score more her 6.3 ppg last year, will take on the leadership role alongside senior center Erin Erdman and senior guard Katie Sherwin.

Sherwin will have to run the offense for the Lions, but she'll get some relief from Brie Cokos (4.8 ppg) and Meredith Loffredo.

Freshmen will play a much more important role than Butler would like. Shaunte Edmunds, a 6'3 center, and 6'1 forward Beckie Fisher could see heavy minutes in the frontcourt. Highly-regarded guards Patricia Kern and Megan O'Neil will also probably be forced into some type of contributing role.

"Our first strength is upperclass leadership," said Butler. "We have tri-captains with the experience to give us a shot at the top."

Most believe that's a very, very long shot.