2006-07 Team Preview
The 2006 - 2007 Swarthmore College women's basketball team heads back to the court combining a formidable offense with a stingy defense in hopes of returning to the competitive Centennial Conference Championships.
The Garnet graduated a quartet of top-notch players last year, including Debbie Farrelly '06, Jennifer Stevenson '06, Cara Tigue '06, and Radiance Walters '06. Stevenson, now on the coaching staff in her first year as an assistant, was named All-Centennial Honorable Mention at the end of the 2005-06 season, a selection voted on by the conference's head coaches. Stevenson had the best three-point attempt average in the conference at 40.6% (26-of-64), and landed in the Swarthmore record books for success in her four-year career, achieving a fourth-place spot for 63 made three-pointers, and eighth for 189 career assists.
Returning to lead Swarthmore after an outstanding sophomore campaign is forward Karen Berk '08 (Havertown, PA). Berk finished second in the Centennial in scoring (17.8 ppg) and rebounding (10.2 rpg), third in field goal percentage (50.0%), sixth in blocks (1.16 bpg), and 12th in steals (1.80 spg). Her 10.2 rebounds per game ranked 41st in all of Division III. Berk made third team on the D3hoops.com All-Mid-Atlantic Region Team, and was a first-team selection for the All-Centennial Conference, the eighth woman in Swarthmore history to earn the distinction.
Berk was named Centennial Conference Player of the Week and E.C.A.C. Player of the Week after averaging 24.7 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game in three games during the week of February 18. In the final game of the season, Berk scored a career-high 33 points in a 68-58 season-finale victory over Haverford on Feb. 18. She shot 10-of-19 from the field and made a career-best 13-of-17 from the charity stripe, all while grabbing 10 boards for her 13th double-double of the season.
Joining Berk in the front court will be senior Jessica Fuhr (Simsbury, CT) and junior Kristen Traband (Swarthmore, PA). Fuhr has loads of playing experience, seeing action in 75 career games (including all 25 last season) and ranks in the top-ten all-time at Swarthmore with 37 career three-pointers. Traband will see an increase in playing time in 2006-07, bringing valuable leadership (she is a captain on the Garnet women's soccer team) and tenacious play on defense.
A pair of guards returns this year to lead the Garnet backcourt, consisting of junior Laura Popovics (Gorham, ME) and Melissa Grigsby (West Chester, PA). Popovics, who is spending the fall semester abroad in Prague, has seen action in 52 games in two seasons and lists in the top-ten in the Swarthmore annals with 54 three-pointers. The junior point guard made six starts last season and finished tied for second on the team with 26 triples. Grigsby agreed to do anything asked of her during 2005-06, appearing in all 25 games as a freshman while playing four different positions. Grigsby averaged 6.0 points per game, shot 75 % (36-48) at the charity stripe, and tied for second on the team with 27 steals.
The incoming freshman squad and newcomers hope to become fresh contributors to this year's team, following in the footsteps of a strong upper class. The first-years include forwards senior Sam Graffeo (Farmingdale, NJ) and freshman Pam Costello (Havertown, PA) as well as freshman guards Amber Wantman (Stoneham, MA) and Lisa Schumacher (Middlebury, CT).
Head coach Renee DeVarney, a University of Vermont graduate, comes back for a second season at the helm of the Garnet women. DeVarney's previous engagements in Iowa, Duquesne, West Virginia, and William and Mary provide her with the worlds of experience as she leads Swarthmore into the 2006-07 season.
Fans can look forward to another demanding schedule for the Garnet this year, starting on November 18-19 when the Garnet hosts the annual Swarthmore Tip Off Tournament, featuring Eastern (PA), Washington & Lee (VA), and CCNY. The first weekend of December, Swarthmore will head over to Haverford for the Seven Sisters Tournament, and later face off with Centennial Conference standouts Muhlenberg, Johns Hopkins, Dickinson, and McDaniel. The annual Swarthmore-Haverford rivalry resumes in Tarble Pavilion on January 17 at 6:00 p.m.