Women’s Basketball Team Has Height and Power 11/15/05 The Lady Vikes are a young team, with only four returning players from last year’s Region 19 championship squad. But that doesn’t mean they’re short on talent. Actually, they’re tall, taller than they’ve been in years. According to Head Coach Mike Tenaglia, who begins his 16th season at Mercer, this was a particularly successful recruitment year. Several players were high school standouts. Nine players are 5’8 or taller and two are over six feet. The result is a team with skill, height and power. There will be plenty of competition for court time this season. The team’s two starting sophomores are 5’11 guard Kourtney Gibbs, who was named the Region 19 tournament MVP last season, and team captain and guard Leslie Maurer. Sophomore forward Kathy Prassas returns for the Vikings, along with guard Tochi Shilow, who started practicing with the team late due to her commitment to women’s soccer. The freshman class includes 5’9 forward Patti Foley, an NJ Stars student who played for Nottingham High School, where she was named the 2005 All-Colonial Valley Conference Player of the Year by the Trenton Times. “We’re expecting big things from her,” Tenaglia said. Other great additions are forward Jeanette Bell (6’1”) from Hamilton High School, and guards Ashley Diggs and Aisha Sampson from Trenton High School. Trenton forward Regina Sorber is 6’2, while guard Laura Boyce scored 1,000 points at Hightstown High School. Add guards Christina Calabrese and Katy Hubbard and the roster adds up to the Vikings’ deepest bench in years. Tenaglia notes, “Our strengths are our size and our ability to rebound. We should do a better job off the boards than last year. With the loss of co-captains Tashema Whittaker and Nicole Brown, we are lacking some of the speed we had, but we can still do the job. We will use a different type of attack.” Tenaglia is looking forward to an exciting year of basketball. While the Lady Vikes are a regional dynasty – they have won the Region 19 title seven times in the last eight years – they have stumbled once outside it, particularly against powerhouse Community College of Rhode Island, which beat the Vikings in the district tournament the last two seasons. “We will be working with the players to make sure they keep up their academics. We want them to become better students and better athletes,” Tenaglia said. "Our goal is to make it out of the districts and get to the nationals. It may be tough, but that’s what we’re shooting for.” Literally. Directions to MCCC Return to Sports News