The USM women’s basketball team finished last season with an impressive record of 29-2. The Huskies season ended with a disappointing loss to Bowdoin in the third round of the NCAA tournament. Bowdoin was the only team to beat the Huskies, defeating them once in the regular season as well.
With such a successful season last year and having lost only two players, Meg Cressler (Appleton, ME) and Jen Webster (Braintree, MA), the Huskies are starting what should be another standout season for the team. Coach Gary Fifield is very optimistic. The Huskies have been ranked nationally in two polls. The USA Today/ESPN/WBCA poll places USM third in the nation, while D3hoops.com places USM in second place.
Fifield, who is entering his 18th season at USM, acknowledges these polls as “showing respect for the program and its continued success through the years.”
The Huskies lost two major contributors last season, but will be returning ten players. Juniors Katie Frost (Calais, ME), Donna Cowing (Weeks Mills, ME), Meg Myles (Turner, ME), Tiffany Jones (Skowhegan, ME), Ashley Marble (Topfield, ME) and sophomore Katie Sibley (Boothbay, ME) all bring experience and leadership to the team. Jones and Myles were the team’s first and third top scorers respectively last season.
Also returning is junior Dianna Thibaudeau (Sanford, ME), sophomores Lindsey Welch (Newport, ME), Shannon Kynoch (South Burlington, VT) and Lauren Samuelson (Southbury, CT), who add depth to the Huskies bench.
Fifield feels the team’s composition will lend to an up-tempo style of play.
“We are fairly athletic, with good depth in several positions. We should be able to play pressure defense and take advantage of the fast break,” said Fifield.
The Huskies will also be adding transfer Lauren Krause (Floyds Knobs, TN) and four freshman: Amanda Bryant (Lewiston, ME), Dawn Ross (Gray, ME), Trish Sylvain (Weare, NH) and Lisa Welch (Newbury, VT). For Fifield these players all have the potential to be great players for the Huskies. Frost agrees, seeing the players as great additions to the team.
“The new players bring a lot of talent to the team,” he said. “Combined with the experience we already have it should be a great season.”
With the consistency of success that the Huskies have shown the team sets high goals. Winning the LEC season title is just the first step on the team’s path to achieving their ultimate goal of winning the National title.
“We all know what we want, what it takes and we’re willing to work for it,” said Myles.