Monday, March 3, 2003

MORAVIAN SELECTED TOP SEED & HOST OF 2003 ECAC SOUTHERN CHAMPIONSHIPS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s basketball team will make its first appearance in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern Basketball Championships since 1994 as the Greyhounds were selected as the top seed and the host for the semifinals and finals this weekend, March 8th and 9th at Johnston Hall.

The tournament begins on Wednesday, March 5th with fourth seeded Swarthmore College (19-7) hosting fifth seed Alvernia College (17-9) and third seeded McDaniel College (19-8) hosting sixth seed Penn State-Behrend (15-12). The winners will advance to the semifinals at Moravian on Saturday. The Greyhounds will play the winner of the Swarthmore-Alvernia game at 4:00 p.m. while second seeded Lebanon Valley College (19-6) will take on the winner of the McDaniel-Penn State-Behrend contest at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The championship game is slated for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

The Greyhounds are 20-7 overall this season and will be making their seventh appearance in the ECAC Tournament. Moravian won the ECAC Championship in 1987 and has a 4-5 all-time record in ECAC games. The Greyhounds dropped a 73-52 decision to Messiah College in the Commonwealth Conference championship game last Saturday.

Moravian head coach Mary Beth Spirk has the Greyhounds in the postseason for the 13th time in her 16 years as head coach. Spirk, who has an overall record of 289-142, has guided the Greyhounds to their first 20-win season since 1993-94.

Junior guard Kim Hughes (Manasquan, NJ/St. Rose HS) leads the Greyhounds in scoring this season with an average of 13.0 points per game. Hughes also leads the squad with 54 three-pointers, and she has added 67 rebounds, 49 assists and 49 steals. Senior forward Kelly McLean (Allentown, PA/Salisbury HS) leads the Greyhounds on the boards at 6.0 rebounds per contest, and she is netting 8.8 points per game. McLean, who leads the team with 20 blocked shots, is currently eighth all-time with 1,150 points. McLean, who has contributed 19 assists and 21 steals this winter, is currently fourth in school history in career rebounds with 710. Senior guard Tara Wozniak (Roseland, NJ/West Essex Regional HS) is scoring 9.6 points per game, and Wozniak also has 89 rebounds, 52 steals, 44 assists and 18 three-pointers. Wozniak currently stands in seventh place all-time with 1,253 career points and 13th all-time with 457 career rebounds.

Freshman guard Catherine Golden (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) is averaging 7.9 points per game and added 42 rebounds, 18 steals, 20 assists and 12 three-pointers. Senior forward Kristen Sarnocinski (Harleysville, PA/Germantown Academy HS) is contributing 7.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with 49 assists, 27 steals and 21 three-pointers. Sophomore guard Jen Behagg (Hamburg, NJ/Pope John XXIII HS) is averaging 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest, and she leads the squad with 77 assists and just 62 turnovers. Behagg has added a team high 54 steals while junior guard Sarah Onkotz (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua HS) has 53 steals to go along with 43 assists, 17 three-pointers and averages of 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Junior forward Tracie Shipman (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan HS) is adding 6.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game with 28 assists and 44 steals while freshman forward Stephanie Seaman (Bethlehem, PA/ Bethlehem Catholic HS) is contributing 5.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Greyhounds. Seaman also has 21 assists and 21 steals this season.

Freshman forward Heather MacDonald (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley HS) has netted 64 points and added 38 rebounds while freshman guard/forward Lindsay Brase (Bethlehem, PA/ Notre Dame HS) has 50 points, 33 boards and ten assists. Junior guard Jackie Buschta (Whitehall, PA/ Allentown Central Catholic HS) has contributed 48 rebounds, 39 assists, 40 steals and 28 points. Junior guard Jen Ellard (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills Regional HS) has added 12 points while freshman guard Nicole Savino (Macungie, PA/Brandywine Heights HS) has netted 11 points. Savino has added 11 rebounds while freshman Diana DeFiore (Hammonton, NJ/St. Joseph HS) has three points.

Lebanon Valley enters the tournament with an overall record of 19-6 but the Flying Dutchmen have lost their last three games, including a 53-51 loss to Moravian in the Commonwealth Conference Semifinals. Lebanon Valley also competed in the ECAC Southern Championships last year.

McDaniel has posted a 19-8 record this season and the Green Terror were knocked out of the Centennial Conference Tournament in the championship game by Johns Hopkins, 82-58.

Swarthmore has an overall mark of 19-7 and the Garnet Tide reached the semifinals of the 2003 Centennial Conference Tournament before falling to eventual champion Johns Hopkins University, 69-55. Swarthmore also competed in the ECAC Southern Championships a year ago.

Alvernia has an overall mark of 17-9 and College Misericordia, 66-55, in the semifinals, knocked the Crusaders out of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Tournament.

Penn State-Behrend enters the tournament with an overall record of 15-12 and the Lions lost the championship game of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament on Saturday.