Sam Graber '16 leads a trio of seniors into their final season with the Hamilton College women's basketball program in 2015-16.
Graber, who needs just 10 points to become the 10th player in team history with 1,000 for her career, is joined in the Class of 2016 by Carly Gruenberg '16 and Corinne Hom '16. Graber, Gruenberg, Caroline Barrett '17 and Lauren Getman '18 are the team captains.
The Continentals finished last season with an overall record of 12-12 and tied for seventh place in the NESCAC. The women earned a spot in the NESCAC championship quarterfinals for the second year in a row under head coach Michelle Collins and made the postseason for the 14th time in program history.
Hamilton won five straight games spanning late November and early December, and the Continentals were 8-4 after a thrilling two-point victory against the University of Rochester on Jan. 6. Hamilton was ranked third in the NESCAC in conference games with 5.9 3-pointers made per game and was third overall in free throw percentage at 69.9 percent.
Graber enjoyed an outstanding junior year as she scored 20 or more points 11 times, including a 32-point outburst in a win at Utica College on Dec. 1. The 5-foot, 11-inch guard/forward was voted to the NESCAC all-conference first team and the D3hoops.com all-region third team for the Northeast Region. She was named to the all-tournament team at the season-opening Buffalo State College Invitational and was selected the NESCAC player of the week on Feb. 9 after she averaged 23.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists in two games.
Graber led the conference in scoring with 17.6 points per game and ranked third with 9.5 rebounds per game, fourth with 1.8 steals per game and 10th in field goal percentage. She is also the team's top returning 3-point shooter after she made 36 of 110 attempts from long range last season.
Getman -- a 6-0 guard/forward -- proved to be effective not only on the interior but away from the basket as well in her first season. Getman ranked 12th in the NESCAC with 6.2 rebounds per game and made 16 of 48 shots from beyond the arc. She started all 24 games and averaged 8.9 points per contest.
Samantha Srinivasan '18 also made an impact as a first-year player. The 5-10 guard averaged 6.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 23 minutes in 24 games. Barrett led the team with 72 assists and ranked ninth in the conference with 3.0 per game as the Continentals' starting point guard.
Kate Bushell '17 and 6-4 Rylie Mainville '18 will provide depth in the frontcourt while Gruenberg and Hom should do the same in the backcourt. Gruenberg was limited to seven games last season due to injury, and Hom may see some time at the point. A talented five-player Class of 2019 includes four student-athletes listed at 5-10 or taller.
The women open 2015-16 with a home game at Margaret Bundy Scott Field House against Rochester Institute of Technology on Nov. 20. Hamilton travels to Nashville, Tenn., during the holidays as the Continentals play in the Division III Music City Classic. Hamilton takes on Eureka on Dec. 29 and the University of Wisconsin-Stout the next day. The schedule includes a total of 10 NESCAC games played in January and February. Three conference foes are ranked in the Top 10 in the Division III preseason coaches poll.
