Athletics

Varsity Sports

Women's Basketball

Overview

Three-year letter winners Eliza Howe '13, Madie Harlem '13 and Kim Goidell '13 lead Hamilton College women's basketball into 2012-13. Hamilton enters its second season in the NESCAC and head coach Michelle Collins makes her debut on The Hill after spending the last five seasons as an assistant at Division I Siena College. The last time Collins was a head coach, she guided SUNY Oswego to a pair of NCAA championship appearances and four 20-win seasons. She takes over one of the top defensive teams in Division III. The Continentals ranked third in the NESCAC with 52 points allowed per game in 2011-12, and led the Liberty League in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense two years ago in their final season in that conference.

The NESCAC is one of the top athletic conferences in NCAA Division III, and women's basketball is no exception. Three teams advanced to the 2012 NCAA Championship's round of 16 and one was a national semifinalist. NESCAC women's basketball teams own one NCAA title and one runner-up trophy. Two teams are ranked in the 2012-13 Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll. The conference tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA championship.

Harlem needs 213 points to become the ninth women's player in school history to reach 1,000 for her career. She was the 2009-10 Liberty League Rookie of the Year and a two-time all-league selection. The 5-foot, 7-inch guard averaged 15.4 points and 7.1 rebounds, and was credited with 41 steals in 14 games last season. Howe, who was on the 2010-11 all-league team, was the only other player that averaged in double figures last season with 12.4 points per game. Dani Feigin '14 ranked ninth in the NESCAC with 1.39 3-point field goals made per game and drained a team-best 25 last season. Goidell led the conference with 34.8 minutes played per game.

The 2012-13 schedule is highlighted by an early-season tournament at Skidmore College where the Continentals will play Ithaca College and Tufts University. The home opener is Nov. 20 against Oswego. NESCAC home games are as follows: Amherst College (Jan. 11), Trinity College (Jan. 13), Williams College (Jan. 20), Connecticut College (Feb. 1) and Wesleyan University (Feb. 3). Hamilton plays inside 2,000-seat Margaret Bundy Scott Field House.

From 1995 to 2011, Hamilton was a member of the Liberty League. The Continentals finished 2009-10 with a winning record for the seventh time in eight seasons, and played in the 2010 league championship semifinals. Hamilton won seven of its last 10 regular season games and ended up with an overall record of 15-10. The Continentals placed fourth in the league standings with an 8-6 record. Harlem was named the East Region's rookie of the year by D3hoops.com. She made the all-league second team, and ranked in the top 15 in the league in seven major categories. In an early-season win against Lehman College, she tied a team record with seven field goals from beyond the arc.

Hamilton won 20 games, captured its first league tournament title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA championship in 2006-07. That team owns program records for most three-point field goals made (157) and attempted (457). The Continentals posted an overall record of 15-10 in 2007-08, and set a program record with 10 league wins en route to third place in the league standings. Hamilton played a brutal schedule with 15 games away from home and 10 contests against seven teams that went on to play in the NCAA tournament. The Continentals' regular season strength of schedule was ranked 21st in all of Division III. Hamilton set a team record for highest free throw percentage at 71.7 percent.

Women's basketball became a varsity sport at the College in 1978. The win at Vassar College on Feb. 19, 2010, was the 400th in program history. Some talented players have been a part of some great teams during the past 30-plus seasons. Julie Diehl '93 and Melissa Hart '89 were All-America selections in 1993 and 1989, respectively. Diehl played on three teams that won 21 or more games from 1990 to 1993. The 22 victories the Continentals posted in 1990-91 are still a program record. Hamilton has made 12 postseason appearances. Don Crist's teams won almost 57 percent of their games from 1985 to 1998. Crist finished his head coaching career with 176 victories.

Feigin, Goidell, Ashley Perritt '14 and Olivia Pimm '14 made the 2011-12 NESCAC Winter All-Academic Team. Each honoree is a varsity letter winner with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.35. The student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing at her institution to be considered for honors.