Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from the Bridgewater College Women’s Basketball team!! I can’t believe that the first semester of the 2011-12 year is gone!!

I’d like to start off by congratulating head coach Jean Willi on her 300th career victory!! That is an average 19 wins per season over the last 16 years! Incredible!! I have been on Coach Willi’s staff since she became head coach and although we have had some bumps in the road, it has been a great ride!!

Also congratulations to junior Jessica Mullen. On Tuesday night against Southern Virginia, Jess scored a career high 34 points. For her efforts, she was named the O.D.A.C. Player of the Week!! The second time this season she has earned this honor!! Way to go Jess!

We enter the break with a 4-3 record and a two-game win streak! We open up the 2012 season with conference foe Roanoke on Jan. 3!! Whenever these two teams face each other it is always a “dog fight” – you can toss the records because it is going to go down to the wire!! After that the season really is in full swing …three games a week with the conference tournament at the end of February!!

Thanks to all our fans that helped support our toy drive on Tuesday, December 6! We were able to collect 215 toys for the Rockingham County United Way!! These toys will make some local children very happy on Christmas morning, so THANK YOU!!

Merry Christmas to all our loyal fans!! We look forward to seeing you in the stands in 2012!!

As always ...GO EAGLES!!

A New Year Begins

I’ll begin this blog with a huge “I’m sorry.” I know some of you have been waiting for me to post for about three weeks now. I really will make the effort to start posting every week …pinky promise. :)

Pre-season is about over …we have had our two scrimmages and Friday we will travel to Johns Hopkins University to tip-off the 2011-12 season. The nice thing about scrimmages is that they are scrimmages. I think everyone was feeling pretty good about themselves up until that point and afterwards, we realized we still have a lot of work to do. With seven new faces on this year’s team, we are still trying to find an identity. We may hit some bumps along the road but we WILL GET THERE!!

The players have really worked hard this year!! There is so much POSITIVE energy in practice and that kind of enthusiasm, support, and desire will carry us a long way. As coaches we are excited about the potential of this year’s team.

The pre-season O.D.A.C. coach’s poll came out a couple of weeks ago and we were picked tied for third with W & L. RMC was picked first and are the league favorites but I think everyone should watch out for Guilford. They were loaded last year with young players and those kids are now a year older and a year better.

Our first home opener is the Monday after Thanksgiving, November 28th against cross-town rival EMU. Come out and show us your support!! They were picked right behind us and in this league you have to win your home games and “steal” some on the road.

I also want to remind everyone about our toy drive. Bring a new, unwrapped toy to our game on December 6th and receive FREE admission. I know students; faculty, staff and Eagle Club members get in free but help us make a child’s Christmas special!! We have had great success with this the past couple of years and I hope this year will be even better. We will donate the toys to the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County United Way.

I will try to post another blog after our trip this weekend and let you know how things went for the Eagles in Baltimore.

Until then …GO EAGLES!!

It's Almost Here ...

One more month!! The official countdown is on …today is September 15th …the NCAA allows us to start practice on October 15th!! One month!! Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on who you are - a coach or a player) we will actually start on Oct. 16th because that is the weekend of Homecoming!! Too many activities going on around campus and Coach Willi and I each have our “other hats” to wear on game days so we are giving the players just one more day …

I think it’s going to be an exciting year for us and for you our fans. I hope you’ll be able to catch us in action at some point in the season. A reminder to all our alumni – we will have everyone back on campus for our January 24th game against Randolph Macon!! Make plans now to attend. Coach and I haven’t had time to discuss it but I would hope that we will be able to have an alumni game that morning …it’s a 2:00 p.m. game so it would have to be early. Thoughts? I’ll keep you guys posted!

I also want to make fans aware that they can follow the women’s team on facebook …just type in Bridgewater College Women’s Basketball and hit “like.” And follow Bridgewater College Sports in general by liking Bridgewater College Sports.

Our fall sports teams are off to great starts – football is 2-0, women’s soccer is 5-1 which is the best start in school history, men’s soccer is 3-2, and our cross country teams are each regionally ranked. Volleyball is under first-year coach Erin Albert and boasts a 6-2 mark, while field hockey is 1-3. Best of luck to all those teams as they get ready to start O.D.A.C. play!!

As always …GO EAGLES!!

A New Year

Greetings Eagle Fans,
I hope everyone has had a great summer and are ready to kick off another year with the Bridgewater College Eagles!! It’s hard to believe but the 2011-12 school year is HERE!! Classes started today and the campus is a hub-bub of activity.
Fall sports teams have been in for a few weeks now and are working hard each day towards their quest for an ODAC title. Good luck to each of those teams …women’s basketball will be there to support each group as often as we can!!
Coach Willi and I met this morning to get our heads together about the fast, approaching season. Looking at the calendar it is only SIX SHORT WEEKS AWAY!! We both are excited to tip it up and get the season started!! There are going to be a lot of new faces on the team and I hope each of you can catch us in action at some point.

Here are some dates to mark on your calendars:
• December 6th versus Southern Virginia at 7:00 p.m. will be our annual TOY DRIVE. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for free admission.
•Saturday, January 21st versus Randolph Macon at 2:00 p.m. We will have our alumni back in town!! Come out and join us and see some of your former Eagles.
•Friday, February 3rd versus Hollins at 7 p.m. will be our annual Play4Kay game (formerly known as the WBCA Pink Zone). All the gate proceeds will go to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

We are looking forward to an exciting season. Thanks for all your support! Best of luck to all our Fall sports teams and as always …GO EAGLES!!

Spring Has Sprung!!

Greetings Eagle Fans!
I am so sorry that I have not posted a blog since the season ended. Unfortunately I think I might have SPRING FEVER!!

It is so hard to believe that the school year is winding down …this has been a really fast spring! It’s been a cold, damp season thus far and I am so excited that we have had warm temperatures the past couple of days. It’s great for our spring sports teams as they are wrapping up their regular seasons and getting ready for the O.D.A.C. tournament!! Best of luck to all the teams in their quest for the coveted O.D.A.C. title!!

It seems strange not to see the players on a regular basis, although we do have some stop by from time to time. Of course, those that have class here in Nininger we see more often.

Tonight we are all going to the President’s house for dinner. It’ll be great to be together again, catch up on what everyone is doing, and enjoy each other’s company!! The meal should be fabulous too!!

Only a few more weeks and we will send the players off with their summer workouts. We are excited about our incoming freshman this season. Since these young ladies have paid their deposit I can mention their names: 5-5 Guard, Dorthy Cliatt from Hayfield H.S.; 5-9 Guard/Forward, Kelly Hughes from Annandale H.S.; 5-11 Forward, Kelsey Taylor from Brentsville; 6-2 Center, Katie Snead from Nottoway H.S.; 5-10 Forward, Emily Ashcraft from Caroline County; 5-9 Forward, Olivia Mason from Millbrook H.S.: 5-7 Guard, Lindsay Tourbeck from Catholic H.S. in MD. And we are still hoping to add one more post to this class. These young ladies are very talented and we are excited about their future. I think they will work hard (most of them have already asked for summer workout packets- they’re eager and that’s great) and I hope you we will be able to catch them in action next winter!

Good luck to the spring sports – bring home the O.D.A.C. title!

As always …GO EAGLES!!

We had a disappointing loss in the O.D.A.C. tournament last week. The Eagles just picked a bad day not to play well. I give Guilford credit …they executed and hit some 3’s. GC never got rattled when we were up 12, they ran their offense and hit some shots. We on the other hand did have plenty of chances to win that game. Missed box outs, missed shots, missed opportunities…they all hurt us and after reflecting on it over the weekend we can’t let that one game get us down. We won 22 games!! It has been a L-O-N-G time since we won 20+ games.

Congratulations to Jordan Burkholder for her Player of the Year award. BC has not had a POY since 1983 and Jordan makes only the second POY in our history with the O.D.A.C. She had a stellar career at BC and the honor was well-deserved. Also kudos to Coach Jean Willi on her Coach of the Year award. After being picked #4 in the pre-season coaches’ poll, Coach Willi led her team to a first place tie in the O.D.A.C. regular season.

Ending the season is tough but what makes it tougher, is having to say good-bye to your seniors. Young ladies that have given you four years and have matured into citizens our program can be proud of. Our five seniors this year are: Lacey Barnett, Emileigh Lambert, Brittani Criss, Bianca Booker, and Jordan Burkholder. We have nothing but best wishes to all of them in their future endeavors.

Good luck to all our spring sports on their quest for an O.D.A.C. title!! We’ll be there supporting each team!!

As always …GO EAGLES!!

End Nearing

Greetings Eagle Fans!
What a great week it was for the women’s basketball team!! One of our goals this year was not to be swept by any opponent and we were able to avenge two losses last week as we defeated Roanoke and Washington & Lee here on our home court. Sandwiched in there was a road win at Hollins.

The team is really playing well right now and it’s nice to have this last stretch of games at home. We will travel to Virginia Wesleyan next Tuesday and that is always a tough road contest.

We were able to defeat Randolph last night 71-30. Everyone got to contribute and it was just a great victory at home. Randolph is coached by former Eagle Allison Nichols. Allison is in her first year and I know that she will have that program turned around as she is able to get her style of players in. She has always had a tremendous work ethic and I’m sure it is not any different now that she is on the other side of the whistle.

Saturday is a HUGE game for us. W & L defeated RMC last night which gave the Yellow Jackets two conference losses. If we can defeat them we will be in a three-way tie for 1st (Roanoke is the other team). RC and RMC will play the last weekend of the season and of course, it won’t matter at all if we don’t take care of our business down the stretch.

Reminder that Saturday, February 19th is our senior day and our PINK ZONE game. Come out and cheer our five seniors on as they have had a huge part in our success this season. But remember to wear pink and make a donation. Last year we were able to raise $1700 and our goal this year is $2000. We have great door prizes to give away at time-outs and during half-time. Students and community fans will each receive one FREE raffle ticket as they enter the game. A student can purchase a 2nd ticket for $1 and community fans can purchase an extra one for $3. All the proceeds from the gate and raffle tickets will go to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. So come out and show your support for the seniors and the Eagles and help us raise breast cancer awareness on our campus, in our community, and beyond.

Wear GOLD, bleed Crimson, and GO EAGLES!!

Spring is Here!!

We officially started spring semester on Wednesday (Jan. 26th) although it didn’t look a lot like spring with the cold and snow that was predicted to fall. It’s just hard to believe that February is upon us and basketball season is winding down. Makes me sad to think about it … so I won’t. 

We had a great win over cross-town rival Eastern Mennonite on Tuesday night. It was a tremendous atmosphere as the Eagles defeated the Royals for the second time this season. Although it was a five point win at times we were ahead by as many as 14. EMU didn’t back down and hit some key shots down the stretch to make it close. We were able to convert at the free throw line and come away with the victory. Senior Jordan Burkholder had 30 points in the win, and sophomore Jessica Mullen had 20. The two of them scored over half our points!! Wow!! Jordan is closing in on the all-time BC scoring record …only 15 points away. What a great career she has had here at BC. I would love to see her break the record at home next Tuesday when we face Roanoke but if it means us winning tonight at LC and her scoring 17 then that’s what we will do.

It seems as though we have been on the road forever this season but we finally can get off the bus and play some home games during the month of February. Make plans now to attend our Saturday, February 19th game against E & H. We will honor our five seniors (Lacey Barnett, Brittani Criss, Bianca Booker, Emily Lambert, and Jordan Burkholder) before the game and we will also be participating in the WBCA Pink Zone. All our fans are being encouraged to make a $2 donation and wear pink for admission to the game. Last year we were able to raise $1,700 and our goal this year is $2,000. Help us raise breast cancer awareness because no one should fight alone.

Until next time …bleed gold, wear crimson, and GO EAGLES!!

Mid-Way Point

I find it hard to believe but we are now thru the mid-way point of the season. It seems like only yesterday we were brain storming ideas on raising money for our trip and now that has past and we are in the “heart” of the season.

This weekend we welcomed back the 2010 team that we had not seen in our two losses. Two big road wins!! Defensively we were just so impressive and that led to easy points in transition. We are always telling our players you have to win games at home and “steal” some on the road …this weekend was no exception. We now stand alone in 3rd place with two conference losses, with EMU & W & L right behind with three. This weekend we will travel to league leading RMC who is currently 8-1 in the O.D.A.C.

I recently checked out the NCAA rankings. Out of 441 teams BC is ranked 18th in scoring offense, 28th in steals per game, 46th in scoring margin and field goal percentage, and 47th in free throw percentage. Individually, out of 500 players, senior Jordan Burkholder leads the nation in steals at 5.2 spg. Sophomore Jessica Mullen is 7th in free throw percentage and junior Jenny Logan ranks 109th in assists. The Eagles are off to a good start both team and individually. There are still a lot of games to be played and room for improvement. Our goal is to “climb ladders, cut down nets.”

Our next home game is January 25th versus Eastern Mennonite. I hope you will be able to come out and cheer us on to a victory over our cross-town rivals.

Until next time …bleed gold, wear crimson, and go Eagles!!

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I am so sorry that I have not posted a blog since, hmmm …the season started. We are entering 2011 with an 8-0 record and hope to continue the momentum tomorrow night as we travel to Roanoke for a key-ODAC game.

After a couple of years of fundraising the Eagles played in the Cruzin’ Classic in Fort Lauderdale, FL before the Christmas break. It was a great opportunity to face some quality out of conference opponents. We left Bridgewater very early (2:30 a.m. is very early) on December 16th and arrived in Florida to some warm weather! We practiced on the 19th and played Ottawa University on the 20th. We won 85-67 and then on Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. we defeated Manchester College 73-56. It was great to have the break from conference games and to defeat two quality opponents. Then we set sail on the Carnival Sensation for a four day, three night cruise.

The players and coaches, as well as fans that joined us, really enjoyed the trip and the weather was fantastic. We had stops in Freeport and Nassau and one day at sea. I think one of the best things about our team is the camaraderie we have amongst teammates. So often on the ship we would see four or five of them together but then later you would see a some of the same ones with different teammates. Team chemistry is a MUST for teams to be successful and I am really happy with the way this group of young ladies has bonded. When you are willing to sacrifice your stats for the good of the team, it can carry you a long way.

Big week coming up for the Eagles as we head to Roanoke tomorrow, host Hollins on Friday, and then travel to Lexington to W & L on Saturday. This is what we call “the 2nd part” of the season, the “meat” of the schedule. You’ve played your non-conference games and now each opponent you face is a rung on the ladder to help you reach the championship. It’s going to be a fun climb!!

I hope to do a better job in the future with my posts. I hope you will be able to come out and catch us in action soon, although we only have a couple of home games until February. Until then, GO EAGLES!!