Top Ten Reasons to be a Yellow Jacket

Throughout the off season, I'm planning on including some thoughts from our players. Below are the top ten reasons to be a Yellow Jacket according to our Class of 2012.

10. We usually get to go on a trip to play in a tournament over Christmas break (i.e. St. Thomas was our trip this year.)

9. We are a close-knit team and you are guaranteed to have a ton of laughs!

8. The coaching staff is incomparable to other professionals.

7. ODAC Champs!!!

6. "Team before me" kind of play.

5. Coach does our laundry after practice and games! (how nice is that?!)

4. Students and teachers on campus respect you as a player, student, and individual.

3. You learn lessons on and off the court that you can use everyday.

2. Our coaches genuinely care about each person on the team! They love us!

1. The program is very successful and has an incredible track record.



Class of 2012 -- Molly Brown, Jillian Asay, Taylor Wieczorek, Maggie Roy
Photo by Beth Wieczorek

St. Louis and the Final Four

Coach LaHaye and I just returned from St. Louis where we attended the WBCA Convention and the Final Four. We had a great time! Bright and early Saturday morning, we participated in the 4Kay Run/Walk which raises money for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. It was a beautiful morning with the sun rising over the Mississippi River and the St. Louis Gateway Arch. We attended a number of sessions throughout the convention: on-court clinics, recruiting sessions, and awards presentations. It's always interesting to talk with other coaches and to learn from colleagues. I always enjoy watching the Final Four in person as well. There is a special energy during the games as so much is at stake. Enjoy the pictures below :)

The Gateway Arch early Saturday morning

The start of the 4Kay Race

Coach Richter & Coach LaHaye in St. Louis

UConn during a timeout

Louisville huddle during championship game

The ESPN booth

UConn celebrates on the sideline as the final seconds run off the clock

UConn players run on the floor as time expires

National Champions!

ODAC-USA South Senior All-Star Game

Last weekend the ODAC Senior All-Stars took on the USA South Senior All-Stars at Hampden-Sydney. The ODAC played a strong second half to come away with the win, 79-76. Lindsay Riesbeck represented R-MC in the game. Coach LaHaye and I were there to cheer on the ODAC team; it was a lot of fun watching Lindsay play with players who she battled throughout her four years as a Yellow Jacket. Here's the link to the game story: http://www.odaconline.com/03.24.09_bball_odacusasouthrecap.htm.

All-Americans!

Senior Amanda Hiltunen and Junior Molly Ariail were named WBCA All-America Honorable Mentions. Both had wonderful seasons capped off with the 2009 ODAC Championship. Amanda was the 2009 ODAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Molly was the 2009 ODAC Player of the Year. Both were repeat winners. Read more about their accomplishments on the R-MC website: http://www.rmc.edu/News/WBBALL09-HiltunenAriailAll-Americans-news.aspx.

Congratulations Amanda and Molly!

Amanda Hiltunen '09 during our Pink Zone Game

Molly Ariail '10 tips off our Pink Zone Game

NCAA Tournament

The NCAA DIII Final Four is this weekend. On the women's side, George Fox (30-0) plays TCNJ (27-4) and Wash U (25-4) play Amherst (29-2). Both should be great matchups. Two of our fellow ODAC teams played George Fox at a holiday tournament earlier this season. Virginia Wesleyan played them tight with George Fox coming away with their slimest margin of victory all season, 56-53. Bridgewater played them the following day to a 64-52 final score.

Brackets came out last night for the DI tournament. It will be interesting to see if anyone can take down UConn. The New York Times has an interesting article today comparing this year's team to previous UConn undefeated teams.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/sports/ncaabasketball/17uconn.html

Crazy Weather

When we returned from Salem on Sunday night after winning the ODAC Championship, campus looked like a winter wonderland. The snow was beautiful. Now as we prepare to head north for our first round NCAA game at Messiah College in Pennsylvania, the snow is starting to melt and by the time we return it will be 70 degrees. Some crazy weather, but the snow made for a very picturesque campus :)

ODAC Champions!

Over the weekend we captured the 2009 ODAC Championship with wins over Eastern Mennonite, Virginia Wesleyan, and Bridgewater. It was a great team effort for which Lindsay Riesbeck and Amanda Hiltunen were named to the All-Tournament team and Molly Ariail was named the Most Outstanding Player. Enjoy a few pictures from the weekend.

Coach LaHaye cutting down the net!

2009 ODAC Champions!

The Yellow Jackets at the ODAC Awards Banquet

More Pink Zone Pictures

We got some additional photos from our Pink Zone event. Take a look!

Photos by John Irby

Senior Day and Pink Zone

This past Saturday we had a good win over a tough Washington & Lee team 79-70. Prior to the game, we surprised our team with pink uniforms to wear for our WBCA Pink Zone event. It was fun to see and hear their reactions when they walked into the locker room and saw pink jerseys hanging on their lockers. Many of our fans wore pink as well; it was neat to look into the stands and see all the pink. We also raffled off a pink baskeetball autographed by our team to raise some money for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. Thanks to all our fans who participated, we raised nearly $400 for the fund. Saturday was also our Senior Day when we honored seniors Amanda Hiltunen, Lindsay Riesbeck, and Rachel Parker prior to the start of the game.

All in all, we had a wonderful Valentine's Day in Crenshaw :)

Our pink uniforms waiting to be discovered by our team

Seniors Lindsay Riesbeck, Amanda Hiltunen, and Rachel Parker

Wear Pink this Saturday

This Saturday, the 14th, we are participating in the WBCA's Pink Zone. It is an effort by teams nationwide to increase breast cancer awareness. Saturday is also senior day as it is the last home game of the regular season for our seniors, Amanda Hiltunen, Lindsay Riesbeck, and Rachel Parker. We will also recognize the parents of our players for all they do. We hope you can join us on Saturday, and remember to WEAR PINK!

More information about the WBCA's Pink Zone can be found on the WBCA site: http://www.wbca.org/pinkzone.asp.

Three 1000 Point Scorers

This season we have had the pleasure of honoring three 1000 point scorers. Amanda Hiltunen scored her 1000th career point on December 1 against Lynchburg. When we returned from winter break on January 4, Molly Ariail was next to score her 1000th career point in Lexington, VA against W&L. Lindsay Riesbeck scored her 1000th career point in the very next game on January 6, against Randolph College. Congratulations to the newest 1000 point scorers in the Randolph-Macon Women's Basketball program.

Amanda Hiltunen, Molly Ariail, and Lindsay Riesbeck

Buzz Clubbers!

Last weekend after our win against Emory & Henry we spent some time with the children in our Buzz Club, taking pictures with Buzz, eating pizza, and having a good time. It was a lot of fun having some of our youngest fans with us for the afternoon as we always appreciate their support.

President Lindgren's Column

Our leader at Randolph-Macon, President Lindgren, wrote a column for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, published Sunday, January 11. He comments on the affordability and the value of a private, liberal arts education. There are some interesting statistics included. A study by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) shows that nationally, 79 percent of all graduates from private institutions earn their bachelor's degrees in four years or fewer compared with 49 percent of those from similar public institutions. See what other interesting facts are included.

The column is currently on R-MC's website: http://www.rmc.edu/News/09-01-11%20-%20Private%20Colleges%20Affordable.aspx.

Check it out!

St. Thomas

We are back! The Yellow Jackets enjoyed some time at home for the holidays and returned to campus on December 26 for a couple practices before heading to a tournament in St. Thomas. While in St. Thomas, we were able to spend some time on the beach, check out the shopping downtown and take a ferry over to St. John's for a day. Enjoy some of the pictures from our trip!