For all the successes that head coach Connie Gallahan has enjoyed in nearly two decades at Mary Washington College - state and regional championships
to name a few - one major hurdle remained before the 1993-94 season. MWC had never received a bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament before '93-94, and a determined, veteran group which had achieved a 19-7 record in '92-93 was poised for the challenge. Then, buoyed by wins over eventual NCAA participant N.C. Wesleyan and South Region power Christopher Newport, the Eagles soared to national heights. MWC (20-6) joined Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) rival Marymount in the 40-team NCAA field, and tied a school record for victories in a season. The Eagles finished 10th nationally in field goal percentage with a school-record .462. They also set MWC records in scoring (80.0 points/game; 12th-best nationally), assists (534) and steals (397). Three players - all of whom earned All-CAC honors - cracked the career 1,000-point barrier.
Mary Washington will have to replace two standout performers. Graduated captain Chris Gleisner (Burke, VA) led the CAC in field-goal (.539) and free-throw (.833) percentage and in blocked shots (2.7/game) en route to First-Team All-CAC laurels for the second straight year. She finished a three-year MWC career with 1,018 points, after a '93-94 season in which she averaged 15.9 points and 9.1 rebounds/game. Classmate Chris Paige (Vienna, VA)was a Second-Team All-CAC choice after averaging 12.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Paige, the Eastern College Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year (from more than 100 nominees), scored 1,117 career points.
The third 1,ODO-pointscorer returns for another season. Corinne May (Nesconset, NY) averaged a CAC-best 21.3 points/game, including a school-record 38 against Christopher Newport. The First-Team All-CAC guard is already second in career scoring with 1,208 points, just 90 behind recordholder Trish Long. She'll team with point guard Stefanie Teter (Burke, VA) for an explosive backcourt. Teter ranked third in CAC assists with 5.9/ game, while averaging 7.5 points and recording a team-best 89 steals.
A third experienced backcourt peformer is Robin Coates (Jr./Madison, VA), who averaged 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. All three guards are extremely athletic and pose problems to opponents at both ends ofthe court. Point guard Anne Larson (So./Wytheville, VA) is a solid reserve with a strong court sense.
Senior forward Jeanette Alexander (Reva,VA) averaged double figures in rebounds for the second straight year (10.2), while shooting 54 percent from the field. She averaged a career-best 11.6 points/game, and also chipped in three assists per contest. Sophomores Candace Turley (Ballston Lake, NY) and Amanda O'Brien (Miller Place, NY) showed exceptional promise up front. Turley averaged 3.5 points/game, while O'Brien averaged 3.0 points/game and shot 50 percent; she scored 16 in a late-season game against Catholic. Jen Bushman (Sr./Salisbury, MD) is a reserve in the pivot and the team's lone returning six-footer.