Kicking off their season next week on Nov. 11 and 12 in the Carol Eckman Memorial Tournament is the West Chester Golden Rams women’s basketball team.
This mini tournament pits West Chester against Elizabeth State City University and Livingstone College and ultimately will serve as a ramp up period before their regular season commences.
Expectations are sky-high going into this new campaign as they are fresh off a sterling 24-9 record from last year which culminated in their first NCAA Regional Championship game appearance in program history. They also appeared in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament semifinals.
Unfortunately, they came up just short in both instances, but they hope to avenge those losses and make it even further this time around. They’re already making a compelling case for another successful season as they are returning their entire starting five from last year’s team.
Three out of those five are transfer students — Emily McAteer transferred from Loyola University Maryland, Michelle Kozicki transferred from La Salle University and Anna McTamney transferred from the University of the Sciences. With another off season to improve, they are unanimously predicted to repeat as PSAC East Regular Season Champions.
Additionally, they were ranked 13th by the Division II Collegiate Sports Communicators and 13th by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. If anything, these rankings are selling this roster short as they have the potential to skyrocket the standings. There is firepower up and down this lineup.
Last year’s team averaged a robust 72.8 points per game while outscoring their opposition by about nine. With another year of development under their belt they are primed to increase both those numbers.
Their upper-class starting lineup is projected to be senior Leah Johnson and junior Anna McTamney in the backcourt spots, juniors Michelle Kozicki and Morgan Warley in the forward positions and senior Emily McAteer commanding the middle in the center position. This is as formidable a starting five as you are going to find in the PSAC and they have solid depth to complement them.
Leading the charge for the Golden Rams is Leah Johnson, coming off a season where she was named a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-American with averages of 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists. Even more astonishing than those box store numbers, she has etched her name in the West Chester record books as a member of the one-thousand-point club.
Johnson is far from the only member of the Golden Rams with accolades to their name as McAteer and McTamney were selected to the first and second All-PSAC teams respectively, and Kozicki was the Eastern Division Defensive Player of the Year.
In charge of putting these talented players in a position to succeed is Head Coach Kiera Wooden. She is entering her 10th season at the helm of the Golden Rams, and this may be her best roster to date, so there are exciting things in store this upcoming season.
Be sure to show your support this Saturday, Nov. 18, as they face off against Wilmington University for their home opener.
Colin Bradley is a fourth-year English major with a minor in Journalism. CB953277@wcupa.edu