After a three-season struggle, the Mary Washington College women's basketball program again showed flashes of the brilliance which made the Eagles one of the top Division III contingents in the state in the early 1980s. Mary Washington made a great stride to the future by winning 11 games - including two in-season tournaments - with a team that had just one senior, three-year starter Kim Hardy.
Emerging from that squad were more than just apair of freshmen who led the team in scoring. The Eagles - who finished among the nation's leaders in free-throw shooting at .690 - demonstrated exceptional character which should complement some promising talent to make Mary Washington College contenders again at the regional level.
MWC head coach Connie Gallahan welcomes back four starters, as well as her "super sophomore subs" Kim Nagy (Reston, VA) and Susan Myers (McGaheysville, VA). Nagy, a 5-10 forward who runs the floor extremely well, led Mary Washington College in scoring (12.6), rebounding (7.3) and steals (65), while Myers averaged 12.5 points per game and was the team's spark in the backcourt both offensively and defensively. Looking at last year's starting backcourt ...Robin Peck (Jr./Chester, VA) is a fine shooter at the off guard slot, while playmaker Staci Musselman (So./Shawsville, VA) should improve with a year of experience. Vikki Lenhart (Jr./Chase City,VA), a two-year stalwart, will also vie for significant playing time at the point.
Joining Nagy among the frontcourt leaders will be the team's lone senior, Jennifer Payne (Troy, VA), who averaged 9.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, and paced Mary Washington College in free throw shooting at .852. Patty Charron (Jr./Springfield, VA) started all 25 games in '88-89 at center and finished second in rebounding at 5.7/game, while Melody Brown Or.!Stafford, VA) scored 3.6 points and grabbed 2.7 rebounds per game off the bench. Jennifer Tompkins (Jr./Charlottesville, VA)and Kim Eckhart (So./Virginia Beach, VA) are experienced backups who improved greatly toward the end of last season.
These veterans will be challenged by a group of talented recruits, according to Gallahan. Last year, six freshmen earned significant roles on an improving team.