Season Preview: 2022-23 Women's Basketball

WASHINGTON, Pa. – Despite the loss of five seniors (two starters), the Washington & Jefferson College women's basketball team will look to defend their conference title after winning the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament in 2021-22. 

2021-22 Season Review: W&J won its first conference championship since 2005-06 in the 2021-22 season after taking down second-seeded Westminster by a score of 58-42.

The Presidents finished the regular season as the top seed in the PAC and entered the conference tournament having just one conference loss. In the PAC Tournament Quarterfinals, they squared off with No. 8 seed Waynesburg. Sarah Berardelli (Ambridge, Pa./North Catholic) led the team with 12 points while Piper Morningstar (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny) finished with 11 points. W&J dominated in the paint as they coasted to a 77-45 victory to move on to the semifinal round.

W&J built a 20-point halftime lead before earning a 55-47 victory over fifth-seeded Bethany College in the semifinals at Salvitti Family Gymnasium. The win helped W&J avenge a regular season loss at Bethany, the only conference loss by the Red and Black last season. Morningstar paced the Presidents with a team-high 13 points while Berardelli added 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists. 

In the PAC Championship against Westminster, the Presidents got out to an early lead and never looked back as they beat the Titans by 16 points. Berardelli and Aleena McDaniel (Morgantown, W. Va./ Morgantown) led the team in points with 11 while McDaniel also led the team in rebounds, assists, and steals. 

Berardelli was named the PAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. 

Veteran head coach Jina DeRubbo and junior forward Victoria Koeck (Sidman, Pa./Forest Hills) took home major hardware for their roles in helping deliver W&J's first PAC title since 2005-06. DeRubbo earned Coach of the Year honors while Koeck took home the PAC Defensive Player of the Year award.

Despite its 17-1 regular season record, the Presidents did not have a single representative on the All-PAC First Team. W&J placed three players on the All-PAC Second Team: senior guard Piper Morningstar (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny), senior guard Kamryn Lach (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and freshman guard/forward Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin). In addition, Lach represented W&J on the PAC Sportsmanship Team.

"Last season was such a great experience for everyone! To see all of their hard work and trust in the process pay off was so rewarding.  We struggled a bit early to bring all of our new players up to speed but our upperclassmen did such an outstanding job of bringing the young players along," stated DeRubbo. "The joy on their faces running out on to the court after winning was something I will never forget.  We had so many years where we finished 2nd, to finally get the championship was almost a feeling of relief."
 

2022-23 PAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
School (first-place votes)	Points	2021-22 Record (conference)
1. Washington & Jefferson College (7)	107	23-5 (17-1 PAC)
2. Westminster College (4)	100	18-10 (13-5 PAC)
3. Grove City College	91	17-9 (13-5 PAC)
4. Bethany College	81	15-11 (9-8 PAC)
5. Chatham University	72	17-9 (11-7 PAC)
6. Saint Vincent College	70	8-14 (7-10 PAC)
7. Geneva College	57	10-15 (8-10 PAC)
8. Waynesburg University	46	6-20 (5-13 PAC)
9. Allegheny College	39	6-19 (2-14 NCAC)
10. Franciscan University	27	1-23 (1-16 PAC)
11. Thiel College	25	5-17 (3-12 PAC)

 
2022-23 PAC Women's Basketball Players to Watch: Sarah Berardelli, Victoria Koeck, and Meghan Dryburgh 

Key Returners: W&J will look to fill holes left by key starters from last teams unit with a new freshman class and upperclassmen stepping into new roles.

"Our leadership last season was exceptional. I know without a doubt our three captains last season set an example and taught the younger players what it takes to win. They were selfless, and always put the team above themselves" stated DeRubbo. "I expect our returning players to continue to play that way and hold themselves to that same standard and teach our newcomers what that actually looks like on a daily basis."

Koeck looks to lead the Presidents as one of their new captains in 2022. Koeck averaged 4.7 points per game last season and was third on the team with 102 total rebounds. She is also coming off of a season where she was the PAC's Defensive Player of the Year, as a valuable asset to the Presidents stout defense.

The Presidents only other senior on their squad, Maddi Gutierrez (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette), moves into a role as a student coach after suffering a season-ending injury. Juniors Alyssa Pollice (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Bishop Canevin) and Nautica Burwell (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Taylor Allderdice) also look for expanded roles for the Presidents. Both Pollice and Burwell played in 16 games apiece off the bench last season.

Berardelli will gain a new role as a team captain this season while she looks to continue her impressive collegiate career. She averaged 8.9 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game last season. She wrapped up her 2021-22 campaign with the Presidents as the PAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and earned a spot on the PAC All-Tournament Team.

"We talk a lot about how every team is different and they have to create their own identity. We set our standards and goals for each game and try to focus on accomplishing those daily goals and then the wins and losses tend to take care of themselves. It's hard not to look at the big picture this early in the season," said DeRubbo. "So, we try to focus on getting better every time we step on the floor."

Rounding out the captains for the Presidents trio in 2022-23, the team elected sophomore Adalynn Cherry (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona Area). The Altoona product made an early mark in her collegiate career quickly becoming a crucial part of this team's success in her freshman season. Cherry appeared in 21 games and averaged 14.5 minutes per game in her debut season with W&J. Cherry averaged 4.8 points per game and made 18 three-point field goals. Cherry scored a career-high 16 points in a win at Westminster on Dec. 1. 

Fellow sophomore Meghan Dryburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Baldwin) averaged 8.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest last season. Dryburgh filled the stat sheet on a nightly basis as she also led the team in assists (73), steals (52) and blocks (33). She earned a All-PAC Second Team selection, PAC All-Tournament Team honors, a PAC Sports Network Player of the Game award in the PAC Semifinals, and three PAC Rookie of the Week honors (1-17-22, 2-14-22 and 2-21-22).

Bryn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa. / Albert Gallatin) will look to round out the guards for the Presidents after a fascinating freshman season. Bezjak played in 27 games for the Presidents and found her role on the team quick as she accounted for 18 minutes of the team's rotation as she averaged 6.3 points per game, tallied 44 assists and 25 steals. She came out of this past season with some accolades as well, nabbing two PAC Rookie of the Week awards (12-20-21 and 1-10-22). Bezjak made 22 three-point field goals and converted 42.5 percent of her shot attempts. 

Looking at the rest of the Presidents depth this season, Kiyanna Dowling (York, Pa. / York Suburban), Samantha Maurer (Washington, Pa. / Washington), Sydney Snyder (Loudonville, Ohio / Loudonville), and Skylar Bibbee (Fairfax, Va. / Chantilly) all look to earn increased playing time in 2022-23. 

"This group wants to win and they expect to win. I think the thing that gives them that confidence is the amount of work they put in, they believe that no group outworks them. Our preseason was intense and all player driven, they did more on their own than our staff would have asked them to do. It did not matter what time of the day it was our gym had players (men and women) on the court from 7am until volleyball practice started," said DeRubbo. "I think they were thankful when the season started, they joked that it would be easier than what they were already doing."

Newcomers: The Presidents welcome four freshmen to the squad for the 2022-23 season.

"It is always very rewarding to see freshman come into the program and literally see them grow as players and also young women," stated DeRubbo. "Most importantly, we expect them to come in and match the intensity set by our older players in practice as well as games. Our freshman this year will add some needed depth to our guard play."

The Presidents welcome the following first-year players:

Stellanie Loutsion (Canonsburg, Pa. / Canon-McMillan)
Haven Briggs (McKeesport, Pa. / Elizabeth Forward)
Brianna Toal (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Moon Area)
Ally Fisher (New Kensington, Pa. / Burrell)

Team Captains: Adalynn Cherry, Victoria Koeck, and Sarah Berardelli

"Our team picks their own captains and these are kids they believe in. We spend a lot of time talking and teaching leadership in our program so they have the tools to know what good leadership looks like" said DeRubbo. "I feel these three are a good mix of personalities and they all lead in different ways. It is nice that we have kids from 3 different classes so everyone on the team should have someone they connect with."

Coaching Staff: Jina DeRubbo (Concord '94) enters her 19th season on the Washington & Jefferson College bench as head women's basketball coach in 2022-23.  DeRubbo also serves as the college's Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and the Title IX Coordinator. DeRubbo has been named PAC Coach of the Year eight times during her coaching career. 

DeRubbo led the Presidents to the 2021-22 PAC Tournament title, its first in 16 seasons. DeRubbo's squad posted another 20-win season and finished the regular season 17-1 in PAC play to capture the top seed. DeRubbo was named PAC Coach of the Year for an eighth time in her career. Junior forward Victoria Koeck was voted PAC Defensive Player of the Year.

"I think this group genuinely loves playing together and are constantly talking about how much fun it was winning the championship, the entire experience of it," stated DeRubbo. "I am not sure they feel pressure to repeat as much as they want to repeat the excitement and fun of it all.  This team has very high expectations of themselves and they expect to win when they step on the court."

The Presidents recorded an 8-1 overall record during an abbreviated 2020-21 season. W&J reached the PAC Tournament Championship game for a fourth consecutive season and the seventh time since 2013. W&J upended reigning PAC Tournament champion Grove City by a 62-40 score in the PAC Semifinals. Alie Seto was voted PAC Player of the Year and D3hoops.com All-Great Lakes Region First Team. Additionally, Seto and Maria Lawhorne were named First Team All-PAC while Lauren Gilbert was Second Team and Hannah Johnston was Honorable Mention. W&J has won 70 percent of its games (348-141) since DeRubbo took over as head coach. DeRubbo, who spent seven seasons leading fellow PAC member Bethany before coming to W&J, has compiled an overall record of 479-198. She currently ranks 24th among active head coaches in Division III in wins. DeRubbo has compiled winning seasons in 23 of her 25 seasons as a collegiate head coach.

Alexa Middleton joined the women's basketball program in August 2021 as its intern assistant coach.  Middleton helped W&J to PAC regular season and PAC Tournament titles in 2021-22. The Presidents finished with a 23-5 overall mark and a 17-1 record in PAC play. The PAC tournament title was the first for W&J since 2006. The Presidents qualified for the 2022 NCAA Tournament, which was their first NCAA appearance since 2010. Junior forward Victoria Koeck earned PAC Defensive Player of the Year award. 

She competed for four seasons for NCAA Division I member Monmouth University in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Middleton was a force on the low block for the Hawks. She appeared in 124 games with 59 career starts. Middleton finished her career with 896 points, 898 rebounds and 101 blocks. She led the team in rebounding her final three seasons. Middleton finished with 19 career double-doubles, including a team-high eight as a senior. Monmouth advanced to the MAAC Tournament Quarterfinals in each of Middleton's four seasons with the program. She was a member of the MAAC All-Tournament Team in 2019-20. She also served as a team captain as a senior. 

Jody Powell joined the W&J women's basketball coaching staff for the 2021-22 season. Powell served as Associate Head Coach at Chatham University during the 2020-21 academic year. Coach Powell has amassed experience at the collegiate and high school levels. Powell led Moon High School to the WPIAL Class 5A Playoffs in 2020. Prior to that, she spent four years at Seton Keough High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Powell inherited a Seton Keough team that lost the entire starting five of Division I recruits to graduation. She quickly built a competitive team that regularly finished in the top four of the highly competitive Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM). Coach Powell was also awarded the coveted IAAM Coach of the Year award. Seton Keough finished ranked #12 in the state of Maryland by the Baltimore Sun in 2015. 

Ashley Mikelonis '16 joined the women's basketball program as a volunteer assistant before the start of the 2019-20 season. Mikelonis, no stranger to W&J basketball, was a four-year member of the team and appeared in 29 games during the 2015-16 season. She totaled 110 points and shot 42.4 percent from the field for a W&J team that compiled a 24-6 record, which tied for the program's most wins in a single season. The Presidents advanced to both the PAC Championship game and the ECAC Division III South title games during the 2015-16 campaign. 

Looking at the Schedule: The Presidents are set to compete in a 25-game schedule. W&J's schedule features five non-PAC opponents. The Red and Black will take on Marietta (Nov. 8), Ohio Northern (Nov. 12), La Roche (Nov. 13), Carnegie Mellon (Dec. 19), and York (Dec. 30).

PAC play starts on Nov. 16 as W&J hosts Bethany College. W&J welcomes in the New Year on the road against Geneva on Jan. 5.

The PAC Tournament is scheduled to be played Monday, February 20 (quarterfinals), Wednesday, February 22 (semifinals), Saturday, February 25 (championship game).
 
Last Word: "I think the PAC will be an exciting season this year. The conference as a whole was relatively young last season and several teams return most of their rosters. We are working to stay in the moment of where we are right now and focus on getting better every day," Said DeRubbo. "Our goal over the course of the season is to put ourselves in the best possible position at the end of the year to compete for another PAC championship."