End of Fall Semester

Well the fall semester is coming to an end. Exams are this week, and then students will be heading home for the holidays. We completed the first part of the season 4-1, with conference wins over Lynchburg (97-87) and Bridgewater (90-74). Once we get back from winter break, we will head down to St. Thomas to take on Mary Washington and Cabrini. Both teams were in the NCAA tournament last year and off to good starts this year; Mary Washington is 7-0 and Cabrini is 4-1. In the new year we will be in the thick of our conference schedule, with only one more non-conference game when we travel up to Carlisle, PA to take on Dickinson.

We have a lot to be looking forward to; until then, enjoy the holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a disappointing loss last night at Virginia Wesleyan; it was a tough way for us all to part and go our separate ways for Thanksgiving break. Today I was in the car for a good chunk of the day and I was replaying parts of the game over and over in my head. All that reflection got me more bummed, but as soon as I got home I had the chance to go to an elementary school for a third grade Thanksgiving party. I helped the kids put together turkey headbands. We had cupcakes and colored cornacopias. They were so happy and thankful for the cupcakes and to get some extra attention from the visitors in the classroom. Their school is in a very poor section of the city and these kids do not have very much. After they left for the day, I learned that two of the kids are homeless. Yet they were so thankful to be in school. A little perspective can go a long way. We are so fortunate to be able to represent R-MC and come together as a team each day working to achieve something special. So from all of us Yellow Jackets, Happy Thanksgiving!

Off to a Good Start

Our team got off to a good start this weekend. We beat Elizabethtown on Saturday 71-48 and Alvernia on Sunday 99-86. All of our players saw action in both games with all 12 making contributions. On Saturday, Molly Ariail led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Amanda Hiltunen also contributed 19 points. Lindsay Riesbeck and Molly Brown both had a nice impact with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 8 points, 3 rebounds respectively. Freshman Maggie Roy got her collegiate career started with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

On Sunday, Alvernia had a strong showing with 5 players in double figures. We spread out our scoring with Amanda Hiltunen leading the way. Amanda had 30 points on 7-11 shooting along with 14-14 from the free throw line. Molly Brown contributed 13 points and Renee Stein 12 points. Jennifer O'Briant did a great job directing our team contributing 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Our well rounded effort included Molly Ariail (9 pts, 5 rebs), Lindsay Riesbeck (8 pts, 5 rebs), Taylor Wieczorek (8 pts, 6 rebs), and Maggie Roy (7 pts, 4 Assists).

We capped off the night with our annual reception at President Lindgren's house. It was wonderful to spend some time with all of our players and their families and a great way to conclude our opening weekend of play.

We have 8 days to prepare for our first conference game. We head to Virginia Wesleyan College next Tuesday in what will be a challenging start to ODAC play.

Tip-Off Time

Tomorrow is the start of our season. Our team has been working very hard and is ready to go. We open up against Elizabethtown tomorrow and Alvernia on Sunday. Both are from Pennsylvania. We finished practice this afternoon and are going to have a team dinner this evening. The excitement and a little nervousness has been building throughout the week. We are ready to go!

PreSeason #1

The ODAC's preseason rankings were released this morning during the women's basketball media day and we are at the top of the poll. It is an honor that our coaching colleagues ranked us first in the preseason poll, but it's who is at the top at the end of the season that truly counts. The conference will be competitive as ever this year. Three teams are returning their starting lineups from last season and many of last year's conference standouts are returning with more experience this season.

We will continue to work hard to prepare ourselves for our tough ODAC schedule. Only 8 days until tip-off!

Pictures & Practice

Last night we had our '08-'09 team pictures taken. There is always a little more excitement in the air when our players are in uniform and ready to go! Practices have been going well and our tip-off tournament is rapidly approaching. We have two scrimmages between now and then. Both will be a good test to see where we are and a good indication of things that need fine tuning.

We will keep you posted!

Ashland's 150th Birthday

Yellow Jackets enjoying the celebration

On Saturday, the town of Ashland celebrated it's 150th birthday on R-MC's campus. It was a special event with a little something for everyone. There were 150 birthday cakes around the fountain, exhibits depicting Ashland's history, a grand opening ceremony and a kids zone. Our team enjoyed the afternoon supervising the basketball playground area. It was fun to see the next generation of basketball players!

Hanging out in the Kids Zone

And We're Off!

Yesterday marked the start of the 2008-2009 season and we got off to a great start. Everyone was well rested from fall break and excited to get going. There was a lot of positive energy, enthusiasm and excitement as practice began. Our newcomers are blending in well with our returning players and the potential for this team is limitless. We'll see where the season takes us.

Season Kickoff Event and Golf Open

Lindsay Riesbeck and Amanda Hiltunen speak at our Season Kickoff
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On Saturday, Yellow Jacket Women's Basketball family, friends, and supporters gathered together for our season kickoff and golf open. After a wonderful lunch and some social time, Coach LaHaye kicked off the event with some opening remarks and then introduced our 2008-2009 team. Seniors Amanda Hiltunen and Lindsay Riesbeck spoke about their excitement and high expectations for the upcoming season. Following our kickoff event, the golfers got their parting instructions and took to the course. It was a spectacular day with fun, friends, and some gorgeous weather!

Family Weekend

This past weekend we welcomed our extended women's basketball Yellow Jacket family to campus for Family Weekend. Our players, along with their parents and siblings got together for some fun and great food before the football game. It was fun to catch up with some parents we haven't seen since the end of last season. Our social also gave the new parents a chance to get to know our returners' families.

Seeing everyone just ratcheted up the excitement level for the upcoming season! Fifteen days to the start of practice!

Summer Internships

Last week seniors Amanda Hiltunen and Lindsay Riesbeck attended a dinner for all of R-MC's summer interns and their supervisors. It was a time to reflect on their summer work and recognize their efforts. Amanda Hiltunen, last season's ODAC Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year and ODAC Second Team All-Conference, worked for Goodwill Industries of Central VA this summer. Her focus was in Marketing and Development. Lindsay Riesbeck, '07-'08 ODAC First Team All-Conference, worked for the American Diabetes Association, Central VA office. Lindsay's focus was event planning. Much of her time was dedicated toward organizing the Step Out to Fight Diabetes walk this Saturday beginning in Richmond's Monroe Park. We'll be sure to update you on how the walk goes this weekend. Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

National Hazing Prevention Week

In conjunction with National Hazing Prevention Week, all 15 R-MC athletic teams got together last night along with coaches, administrators, and other students for a presentation from Dr. Joel Fish. Dr. Fish is a sports psychologist and the Director of The Center for Sport Psychology in Philadelphia. He has worked with many professional and elite athletes as well as countless collegiate athletes across the country.

Dr. Fish explained that while rituals and traditions are a big part of the sports world, we all must ensure that they are carried out in a positive manner and never cross the line. He pointed out that one team in the ODAC will come together more than any other team; that team will have a special chemistry carrying it through the ups and downs of a season. That team will make positive teambuilding a priority and provide constant support for one another. He challenged us to be that team.

We will do our best; only time will tell.

Busy Weekend

This past weekend, campus was bustling with all of our fall sports playing in home contests. Volleyball, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, and football were all in action on Saturday. Our women's basketball players were spotted all over campus supporting our teams. Many of our players chipped in to help with the volleyball tournament Friday and Saturday. When their shifts were over on Saturday, many went out to watch the football game. The football team went to triple overtime but fell to Johns Hopkins. I was in the gym for the volleyball tournament, and students were going back and forth between the volleyball game and football game. It was fun to get the score updates from the football game.

One more month until the start of basketball practice!

First Week of Class

We've made it through the first week of class. It's great to see everyone back on campus. Our players seem to be settling in and getting into their routine. Our upperclassmen have been doing a great job of looking out for our new players and showing them the ropes. Players have been stopping by to chat about their summer and how excited they are about the upcoming season. Our whole team was in Crenshaw this week to watch the first home volleyball match. Many other sports teams were there as well. It's always nice to see teams support each other.

We have a lot of exciting things going on this season . . . more to come soon!

'08-'09 Begins!

Campus is bustling today as the Class of 2012 arrives and gets settled. The rain didn't damper the enthusiam of the "Macon Movers" who were out in full force this morning lending a helping hand to the newcomers. I caught up with a couple of our freshman as they were getting their stuff unpacked. They really have a nice setup! Our upperclassmen stopped by as well to welcome the new additions to our Yellow Jacket family.

When I was walking on campus, you can just feel the energy as the new year gets underway. Our players are excited to get their pre-season going. Several returners were in the gym shooting this afternoon. Just 48 days until the first day of practice!