2008 Woodie Awards
Poised and ready for title
'Hawks return five starters, experienced veterans in quest for top spot in conference
Anthony Iozzo
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Sports
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The returning starters are Lindsey Buechner, Mary Donohoo, Tiffany Morton, Heidi Sonntag and Trisha Thill.
"Our goal is to win a conference championship and host a conference tournament game," Head Coach Keri Carollo said. "We also want to make it into the NCAA tournament."
Buechner, a forward, led the 'Hawks with 288 points and 153 total rebounds last season. With only 18 out of 26 games started, she is looking to make a bigger impact this season.
"Lindsey was an all-conference player," Carollo said. "She really stepped up for us last season."
The three guards, Donohoo, Thill and Sonntag, also did well last season. Donohoo scored 117 points and had 42 total rebounds. Thill, a captain along with Buechner, led the team in assists (90) and steals (67). Sonntag totaled 152 points, 56 rebounds and 43 assists.
Morton, a center, completes the starting five. She led the team last season with a .502 field goal percentage and had the team's highest point total with 262.
"It is extremely helpful to have everyone back, in the sense that they have played together a long time," Carollo said. "Hopefully throughout the season, we will continue to grow. It helps that leaders [and roles] have been established."
The 'Hawks also have sophomore Kelsey Hendrickson returning. She transferred from UW-Madison last year, and she looks to make an impact this season.
"I think my quickness is a good factor," Hendrickson said. "I tried to really work on leadership and communication on and off the court."
Carollo said Hendrickson would probably step into a starting role later in the season. She also said the incoming freshmen won't have a significant impact early, because of the team's depth.
"The nice thing about our program this year is we don't have to get a significant impact from freshmen early," Carollo said.
UW-Whitewater finished 19-7 overall and 12-4 in conference last season, and was ranked as high as 22nd in the polls. However, Carollo said the team still has a lot to prove after being upset by UW-Platteville in the first round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament.
"We had a lot of success last year, but we still need to get past the first round," Carollo said. "We have to get into the NCAA tournament."
Carollo said the upcoming season isn't going to be any easier than last year.
"We have an extremely tough conference," Carollo said. "It is not going to be a walk in the park by any means. A lot of things have to go right for us to reach our goals."
The Warhawks open up the season versus the Millikin Big Blue on Nov. 16 in the Millikin Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament.
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