By Mike Buchanan

 

Mount Carmel ruled the IAAM C-Conference “Y” Divison last year, going 14-2 in the regular season before losing to Annapolis Area Christian from the “X” side in the finals.  The Cougars, however, graduated three key seniors who accounted for a bulk of the team’s scoring, so look for a wide-open race in the C this year.

 

Two new coaches in this half of the conference are Kirk Fairfield at Friends and Paul Ribb at Garrison Forest.

 

As for the race, most coaches polled gave the inside track in the “Y” to Park and Garrison Forest. Kevin Coll’s Park Bruins return a tough trio of Dawn Lee (9 ppg) in the paint, Claire Ellwanger (11 ppg) inside/outside and Leah Gold in the backcourt, along with defensive whiz Adrienne Tarver and some promising newcomers.

 

Garrison, despite losing a core of players, has the advantage of Ribb having coached the undefeated JV last year, as he and that experienced group move up to the Varsity level, far ahead of most other JV groups because of their off-season AAU experience. The lone returning starter is SO G Cassie Greenbaum, but look for the  speedy Grizzlies t o leave some paw prints.

 

Catholic will be in the hunt as the Cubs return four starters in  forwards Adrienne Williams and Kaitlyn Radych, and guards Kieona Wallace and Meg Skyrnecki, along with some promising young players. Friends has a trio of starters back, including leading scorer Catherine Rosenberg, along with Jasmine Powe and Jen Schmidt. 

Glenelg Country also returns a core of solid players, including the one-two punch of forward Kourtney Conyers and guard and Katie Broderick, both of whom averaged nine points per game.  Mount Carmel was, by far, hit the hardest by graduation, losing a trio that combined for nearly 42.5 points per game, or 87% of the team's overall scoring. Brianna Grap and Ernesta Gruinaite will be putting up points on the college level this year, while the Cougars adjust to a different style focusing on tough defense, keyed by the play of Meghan Hartnett, one of the league's top defenders.

 

Here is a quick run-down of the six teams:

 

CATHOLIC

Coach:  Sandy Rectenwald (2nd season)

Record 2006-07:  (5-11, 5-13)

Key Losses:  None

Key Returnees:  Four returning starters - SR F Adrienne Williams, SR G Kieona Wallace, JR F Kaitlyn Radych, SO G/F Meg Skyrnecki

Outlook:  "With four returning starters, Catholic will be more competitive in the 07-08 season. Williams, Skyrnecki, and Radych will crash the boards while Wallace and freshman Lindsay Torbeck will control the ball from the top.  JV standouts Taylor and Alex Opperhauser, and Christine Peck have moved up to Varsity and will contribute off the bench. Freshman Asha Hale will see significant time at both forward and guard,"  Rectenwald says of the Cubs.

 

FRIENDS

Coach:  Kirk Fairfield (1st season)

Record 2006-07:  (10-6, 10-9)

Key Losses:  Two - SR’s Taylor Hargrove and Sarah Watt

Key Returnees:  Three - SR F Jasmine Powe, SR G/F Jen Schmidt, JR G Catherine Rosenberg

Outlook:  Fairfield moves over from Park’s JV to take the Varsity reins at Friends. Despite losing 6-2 Watt in the middle, the Quakers return the speedy and reliable Rosenberg in the backcourt and Powe up front, as well as Schmidt, able to play both spots. Other returnees include JR G Katie Levy, JR G Emily Orrson, JR C Kylie Davis and SO F Erin Lochary.

 

GARRISON FOREST

Coach:  Paul Ribb (1st season)

Record 2006-07:  (6-10, 7-13)

Key Losses:  Four to graduation - SR’s Keegan Billick, Sophia Daly, Brittany Downs and Caroline Markowitz; Two injured players out for the season include JR F Julian Hammer (shoulder) and SO F Ana Heinrich (knee)

Key Returnees:  One returning starter, SO G Cassie Greenbaum … other Varsity returnees include SR G Blair Station, SR C Audrey Stephens, SR F Brianna Novak and SR F Alex Levine … JV players moved up include SO G Emily Bishop, SO G Liza Blue, SO G Natalie Brown, SO G/F Alexis Hariston, SO F Allison Simms and SO F Julian Stepney

Outlook:  Losing six players might mean re-building for many teams, but look for Ribb to re-load instead … he moves up from JV and brings a strong core of Grizzlies with him, to go with returning starter Greenbaum and a solid supporting cast … look for a fast-paced style of play. “Most of last year’s undefeated JV team has moved up and will play a significant role in the process of building our program,” says Ribb.

 

GLENELG COUNTRY

Coach:  Russell Erbe (2nd season)

Record 2006-07:  (4-12, 7-15)

Key Losses:  None

Key Returnees:  Three returning starters include SR G Katie Broderick, SR C Kourtney Conyers and JR F Molly Curtiss

Outlook: “With the loss of only one senior, we should be able to improve on last year’s record, with a .500 season not out of the question.  There will be a cast of several players trying to earn one of the remaining starting positions.  Among them are JR Mary Tucker, SR Katie Vaillancourt, SO Sonia Swaray, and JR Erika Olney.  In addition to this, there are several other players who have showed promise and will likely see a fair amount of playing time,” says Erbe on this year’s Dragons.

 

MOUNT CARMEL

Coach:  Mike Naunton (5th season)

Record 2006-07:  (14-2, 21-5)

Key Losses:  Three to graduation - Briana Grap (17.1 ppg, College of Notre Dame), school’s all-time leading scorer, and twin towers Ernesta Griunaite (14.8 ppg, State Fair CC) and Sandra Liegute (10.6 ppg)

Key Returnees:  Three - SR F Meghan Hartnett, JR F Stephanie Sokol, SO G Kelly Brown

Outlook:  Naunton says about the 2007-08 Cougars, "We will miss the three graduating seniors who led team to consecutive championship games, including the 2005-06 C championship.  The team will rely on the athleticism of the returning players to use a different style of play, based on speed and defense. Hartnett is considered one of the best defensive players in the league, while returnee’s Brown and Sokol bring ball-handling and inside play, respectively.”

 

PARK

Coach:  Kevin Coll (5th season)

Record 2006-07:  (8-8, 9-9)

Key Losses:  Two starters to graduation - C Ashley Robinson and G Maggie Sachs (Stanford, Lacrosse)

Key Returnees:  Three starters - SR F Claire Ellwanger, SR G Leah Gold, JR C  Dawn Lee

Outlook: Coll, on his team this year, says “The Bruins will be led by two-time IAAM All-Star Claire Ellwanger, a senior who averaged close to a double-double last year, despite being injured most of the season.  Junior Dawn Lee should again be a force in the paint, and senior Leah Gold will run the team from the point.  Returning varsity players who’ll compete for a starting job include SR Mica Fidler, JR Becka Althauser, and SO’s Kristen Smith and Adrienne Tarver.  The top three players from last year’s JV – JR Shé-Tiel Coley, JR Emily Monnett, and SO Lucie Weinberg – will see significant minutes, and FR C Rose Coll should make an immediate impact.”