Though small in stature, the Mary Washington College women's basketball team didn't back down from challenges this past season. MWC lost its starting forwards (35 points and 19 rebounds per game) in the first semester, but still managed a 14-9 overall record. The Eagles' three-guard offense (47 points per game among them) - combined with an all-freshman frontcourt - provided a spark in January and February.
Head coach Connie Gallahan does lose a pair of standout guards in playmaker Stefanie Teter (Burke, VA) and offguard Robin Coates (Banco, VA). Teter, a First-Team All-Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) choice, became only the third player in NCAA Division III history to score 1,000 points and dish out 600 assists. Teter - MWC's career leader in assists, steals, and three-point goals and percentage - led the nation in assists (8.5/ game) as a senior, while averaging a team-high 16.1 points/game. Coates averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and finished among MWC's career top-five in assists (326) and blocked shots (62).
Gallahan does welcome back three standout sophomores, along with two talented forwards who missed the majority of the 1995-96 campaign. Sophomore guard Andrea Sellers (Burke, VA) set a freshman record by averaging 15.0 points/game, seventh in the CAC. She was also second in the CAC in free-throw percentage (.755), and added 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. Forward Missy Bames (So./E. Syracuse, NY) averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 boards per game, while classmate Erica Salmin (Northport, NY) added 5.0 points and 4.7 rebounds a contest. Senior Amanda O'Brien (Miller Place, NY) chipped in 4.8 points and 4.9 rebounds a game. Guard Julie Harrison (Jr./ Harrisonburg, VA) looks for substantial minutes in 1996-97; she scored 3.2 points/game, and was a sparkplug in several games off the bench. Summer Speidell (So./Portsmouth,VA) and Katie Russell (Jr./Manassas, VA) provided quality backcourt depth.
What makes prospects more exciting is the return of junior forwards Lindsay Stover (Springfield, VA) and Ashley Seekford (Portsmouth, VA). Stover, a double-figure scorer as a freshman, averaged 23 points and 11 boards in winning MVP honors at the 1995 Ferrum Tournament, won by MWC. However, she tore an ACL in the next game, and was lost for the season. Seekford, who was averaging 11.8points and a team-high 10.2 rebounds/game, came down with mononucleosis after five games and missed the remainder of the season. A third forward, Mina Karousos (So./Vienna, VA), played in just 11 games because of an injury. She is a promising six-footer with strong athletic ability.