Going Green: Dartmouth Women's Hoops Blog

SUPER FAN

2012-02-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

Our fans are the envy of the Ivy League!! They are loyal, positive and fun. We are beyond grateful for their support, but there is one fan has led the charge for us for years.

Jamie Lowery is our super fan and luck y charm. By day, Jamie works on the recruiting databases for the athletic department and by night he is at our games cheering us on. He has been there when we cut down the net and has stuck with us through this season of growth. This year his messages of encouragement to the coaches and players have been greatly appreciated.

Jamie is not only hard working employee and super fan, he also an athlete himself! Recently, Jamie won the silver medal in bowling at the Special Olympics!!! We are so proud of Jamie and his accomplishments. He is an inspiration to all of us and we are delighted that he is part of our Dartmouth family!!! We rely on his lucky charms but I know this weekend all his positive energy will be going toward getting the Patriots a Super Bowl Championship!! We just hope he is not too busy on Friday and Saturday night. We will need his good wishes as we travel to Columbia and Cornell for some important Ivy League games.

Until next time,

Chris

It Is What It Is…

2012-01-06T15:13:00.000-05:00

It is January. It is cold and dreary and we are 2-11. BLEAK would be an understatement. As you all know, I am fiercely competitive and there is discouragement in losing. Basically, I am very passionate and I passionately hate losing or I would not be me.

Yet I am still smiling, and can’t wait for today’s practice. No pity party exists for players and coaches. We are who we are…young and inexperienced. Over half of this team had never played in college before this November and their collegiate debut was at Kansas State. They skipped the proverbial frying pan and dove straight into the fire and the heat never let up.

The crazy thing about this year is how the youngsters are beginning to grab their role in the program. We have shooters and stoppers and rebounders. A month ago none of us knew who we were. They had NEVER played together. They are working harder than they thought possible and care more than is probably wise. They are coming together. It did not happen overnight and we still have a ways to go, but I am smiling because so many players are moving forward.

Our future is bright and our reality is that we will have to continue to work hard to get where we want to be, but we will get there, just watch!

Until next time,

Chris

Time For a Little Segway Tour

2011-12-20T19:24:00.000-05:00

Today is our last full day in California! We've got a big game against Cal-Berkeley tonight, but first I have to fill you in on yesterday's activities...

In my last post I hinted that many of us would be able to cross something off our bucket lists after this trip, which is why yesterday morning we were so excited to board the bus to San Francisco for a segway (!!) tour of the city.

We walked into City Segway Tours a little nervous, but after completing training we almost felt prepared to cruise the sidewalks on our new machines ...until we learned we'd be riding in the bike lane ...which turned into us segwaying right alongside drivers in the traffic lanes. But no worries! It was all completely safe (we had on helmets of course, and rode on calm streets) and pretty much no one got hurt (Morgynn suffered a minor injury but I'm pretty sure it was due to personal error).

We segwayed single-file behind our instructor, wearing our identical Dartmouth travel suits, and looking something like a group of baby ducks. More than a few strangers took our picture as we rode through the streets. What someone would do with such a photo, I don't know, but I believe Janelle posed every time a pedestrian took out his or her camera.

The tour took us through through Fisherman's Wharf, which is right on the water, and we got to see the famous cable cars, an In-n-Out Burger, and countless seafood restaurants. We eventually made it out to Municipal Pier, the oldest pier in San Francisco, which has a great view of Alcatraz in one direction and a stunning view of the city in the other. By the time we got to the pier, we had been segwaying for about 45 minutes and were feeling extremely confident. There was a big open space perfect for segway tag, segway dancing, and segway racing. It was all super fun, and at this point some of us (me) were completely set on dropping out of Dartmouth to lead our own tours. But the pier was our big destination for the afternoon, and before long it was time to take our segways back to home base, grab lunch, and get ready to practice at Cal.

I would love to share more, but it's time to get focused for shoot around and the big game tonight.

Thanks again for reading!

*Be sure to check out more pictures of the fun on the Dartmouth Women's Basketball facebook page*

Nicola

From LA to Berkeley ...

2011-12-19T01:47:00.000-05:00

I'm baaack!

We've traveled up the coast since my first post, and are staying at a hotel overlooking the water in the Berkeley Marina. It's a beautiful place, and as we judge hotels on the quality of their continental breakfasts, this one is certainly up there with the best (made-to-order omelets ensure a positive review).

Yesterday was mainly dedicated to travel, although we did fit in some time, and naps, by the water, and later indulged in a seafood dinner at Spenger's Restaurant. Sasha and Faziah went particularly hard and each ordered "The Big Pot," which is literally a big pot full of everything on the menu, one probably being enough to feed a family of five.

Today we made the trip to practice at Eve's high school in Palo Alto. The school and basketball court are beautiful, and we got to see Eve's 2007-2008 league MVP banner hanging up in the gym. After practice, we went to the nearby Stanford mall, where most of the shopping was done for our annual Secret Santa exchange...gag gifts (the more inappropriate, the better) are given anonymously throughout the week, and one night toward the end of the trip we trade the real gifts and reveal who has who. It's always a lot of fun and another excuse to get--and give--more presents.

The Zelingers hosted us for a huge barbecue dinner after shopping (we really do eat well on these trips). It's always wonderful to meet the families and get hilarious details on each other's lives before Dartmouth. After the meal, we all gathered in the living room to watch No. 1 Baylor take on No. 2 UConn (some inspiration for our game on Tuesday, perhaps) amid conversations about Eve's early years. Apparently she locked a babysitter out of the house once...classic. The night ended with homemade apple crisp and lots of hugs as we boarded the bus back to the hotel.

Tomorrow we'll take our first shots in the Cal-Berkeley gym, and many of us will also get to cross something big off our bucket lists...I'll update with a post soon.

*7 days til Christmas, and only 2 til the first night of Channuka! Happy holidays!*

Nicola

California Dreamin'

2011-12-16T10:42:00.000-05:00

The Dartmouth women’s basketball team is embarking on a West-coast swing right before the holidays. The Big Green will be playing Long Beach State (Dec. 16) and then traveling north to take on California on Dec. 20. The team has some fun activities planned during its California trip and sophomore Nicola Zimmer is going to give you all some “behind-the scenes” action!

Hello from CALI! It's awesome to escape the Hanover weather for a bit, and Janelle, Milica, and Eve are especially excited to be back in their home state. We're playing two great teams in the next week, and we've got a lot of cool things planned for our down time. While Jessica keeps tabs on the games, I'll be updating you all on some of our off-the-court activities.

Our flight landed at LAX last night and we drove straight to the hotel from the airport, so for some of us today was our first real taste of Southern California. Because practice didn't start until 5pm, Koren kindly hooked us up with a trip to the Long Beach Aquarium.

Hundreds of little kids, probably on some school-wide field trip, welcomed us in the modest lobby of the aquarium. Their presence, and frankly, their screaming, was less than thrilling, and the aquarium suddenly became overcrowded and juvenile (personally, I was just worried the little ones would take the prime viewing spots in front of the shark tank). However, it only took one or two sea-life exhibits before we turned into our ten-year-old selves...baby-talking to the sea otters (Faziah is guilty here), ooing and ahhing at the jelly fish, and enthusiastically calling each other over to look at the one really unfortunate, ugly fish. Ari even met a good friend in one of the tanks. At the end of the day, our constant camera flashes and non-stop commentary undoubtedly caused more disruption than the kids.

The afternoon was capped off by a big lunch across the street at Bubba Gump's Shrimp, where we showed off our Forrest Gump impersonations (I'd have to say Morgynn, our manager, had it down best) and repeated "life is like a box of chocolates..." way too many times.

The aquarium trip was certainly a success, and practice at Long Beach State later in the day went well. We are really excited for our game tomorrow night, and now have to rest up so we're ready to go. Thanks for reading; I'll check back in soon!

Nicola

We’re Off!

2011-12-09T12:08:00.000-05:00

First things first, let me apologize for our lack of blogging so far this season. We have been so busy since the start of the season that we’ve not blogged in awhile but don’t fear we promise to be better heading into 2012!

It always seems like it takes SOOOO long for the season to actually arrive and then when it does BOOM it comes quick. I’m sure the players feel this but it also extends to coaches, athletic trainers and even athletic communications folks. I tell ya, it seems like just yesterday I was counting down the days to our first game and here we are in the fourth week of the season with seven games under our belt already!

I’m sure you all have been following the team this season and I liken a basketball season to a roller coaster with numerous peaks and a few valleys and we’ve certainly had our share of peaks and valleys so far this season. Most of you all know that we’re YOUNG. We have two upperclassmen in Sasha Dosenko and Faziah Steen and the rest of our squad is sophomores and freshmen. The grind of a college basketball season is tough for even the most veteran of teams so I’d like to commend our team and coaching staff for taking the season by the horns, young or not.

So far, we’ve had some valleys with tough losses to Kansas State, St. Joseph’s (Pa.), Providence, New Hampshire and Bryant but there have also been some awesome peaks this season. Namely seeing Faziah Steen go bananas against Vermont with a career-high 32 points and 11 rebounds against the then-undefeated Catamounts but for me the biggest and best peak has been the progress of the team as a whole.

Our 2-5 record might not accurately reflect it but this team has made some big strides this season. The rookies are beginning to gel with the upperclassmen and the group as a whole is learning how to play better together and within coach Wielgus’ system. It’s always a learning process when you have so many youngsters but for me its been neat seeing them grow together and also individually. We still have a long way to go but I have no doubt that this group will make some noise especially when we get into Ivy League action.

I’d also like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday season from the Dartmouth women’s basketball program. We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday season and we hope to see you at Leede Arena really soon!

Make sure to stick with our blog this season (we promise to be more regular with it and I promise we’ll get some of the Big Green players to guest blog here soon).

Also stay updated on all things Dartmouth women’s basketball related by following us on Twitter (@Dartmouth_WBB) and “liking” us on Facebook (Dartmouth Women’s Basketball). As always leave us any questions or comments and we’ll do our best to get them answered.

Happy Holidays,

Jess Poole

It’s Beginning to look a lot Like … Basketball Season!

2011-11-03T12:55:00.000-04:00

Well folks, we are officially just NINE days away from the start of the 2011-12 Big Green women’s basketball season. I can’t believe that in just nine short days we’ll FINALLY get on the court against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., aka “The Little Apple” Let’s just say I am one happy SID!

It seems like I just met this group of players and coaches yesterday (well it was, just only about two months ago) but they have grown on me. From the coaches to the players this group gets after it and its great to be around them. We haven’t really spent too much time together but the first road trip is always the best road trip in my experience.

One can learn quite a bite about a team from that initial roadtrip. For instance, movie selections, choice of card games and seat preference are all good indicators of the group you’re working with. I’ve heard from an inside source (Nicola Zimmer) that road trips with the Big Green are lots of fun and I’m very excited to experience my first one.

Now when it comes to team travel, I’m a BIG fan of games on the bus. A few of my favorites are Catchphrase and Euchre (I’m very NOT good at this one, but I do enjoy trying to play) but one thing that I LOVE about road trips are the spontaneous dance offs and karaoke. So I’m just warning you all out there, I do a mean rendition of “I Will Survive” and I learned how to “Dougie” last year, so watch out!

I have to say that there are quite a few things that I love about my job but team travel is right up at the top of the list and I feel like I can count on this group to make each and every road trip pretty exciting.

Getting back to the business of basketball, playing Kansas State has a bit of special significance for me. I spent my college days at the University of Missouri (M-I-Z-Z-O-U) also of the Big 12 and I distinctly remember Kansas State having awesome women’s basketball teams, so it should be a fun game. Plus, it gets me back to my Big 12 roots!

As we embark on the 2011-12 season, I invite you all to follow the blog and stay updated on all things Dartmouth women’s basketball related by following us on Twitter (@Dartmouth_WBB) and “liking” us on Facebook (Dartmouth Women’s Basketball). As always leave us any questions or comments and we’ll do our best to get them answered.

Until next time,

Jess Poole

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

2011-10-06T11:37:00.000-04:00

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hello Dartmouth women’s basketball fans! First things first, let me introduce myself. My name is Jessica Poole and I’m the new women’s basketball SID here at Dartmouth. I have the pleasure of working with the AWESOME Dartmouth women’s basketball team and staff and let me say, so far, it has been a BLAST.

Let me share a little background about myself, I’m about 713.68 miles away from my hometown of Ann Arbor, Mich., and the Dartmouth women’s basketball team is the fourth women’s basketball team that I’ve had the pleasure of working with in my career. I’ve also worked with the University of Denver, UNC Greensboro and most recently the University of Michigan women’s team.

Needless to say, I am somewhat of a basketball junkie so I think that this group and I are going to get along just fine. Speaking of being a basketball junkie, I have had my eyes glued to the WNBA playoff this season (and not just because coach Griffith presented the trophy at the Western Conference Finals, but that was pretty sweet!) The level of talent in this year’s Finals is just crazy and makes me very excited about the upcoming college season. (36 days until the season-opener at Kansas State:)

I haven’t been at Dartmouth or in Hanover very long, 39 days to be exact, but I do know that the folks at Dartmouth and in Hanover take their women’s basketball very seriously; and honestly who could blame them, 17 Ivy League Championships is quite impressive! I’m very excited to get the season underway and I’m very grateful to Dartmouth and the women’s basketball team for welcoming me with open arms.

I’ll be checking in with you all from time-to-time with the SID’s point of view and we’ll even have some of the Big Green players make guest appearances on the blog this season!

Make sure to keep up with the women’s basketball team by “Liking” our Facebook Page (Dartmouth Women’s Basketball) and following us on Twitter (@Dartmouth_WBB).

Until next time,

Jess Poole

Dreams Can Come True

2011-09-28T10:02:00.001-04:00

Dreams Can Come True

Dreams come true at Dartmouth when the vision of the administration and the passion of the alumni join forces. What was once wishful thinking about enhancing the future of the basketball program has been transformed into REALITY.

The locker room has been expanded and (thank goodness) ventilated!! The walls of the team room, reception area and offices are up and painted and the arena itself got a facelift this summer with new lighting, new paint and a new sound system. Leede Arena looks and sounds great and the players and staff will be moving into our new digs in a matter of weeks.

The renovations are awesome and exciting enough, but the icing on my cake is the people that surround me each and everyday. They are a blessing. I have a great staff!!! Director of Basketball Operations Koren Schram ’09, Assistant Coach Erin Rewalt ’99 TU’04 and basketball legend Yolanda Griffith (WNBA All-Star and Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist) bring passion, enthusiasm, knowledge and energy to work everyday.

Then there are the players. There are a lot of new faces and it will take time to get to know them, but I can’t wait to get into the gym with them. They love the game and it shows! So we have a lot in common :)

Finally, there are the alums. Their passion for Dartmouth is legendary. They have always been there for me, for the program and for Dartmouth. They paved the way as undergrads and sustain the program from their perches in the “real world”

I think its safe to say, I am perhaps the luckiest person in the world because I live my dream each and every day!

Until next time,

Chris

Derby

2011-07-12T11:32:00.000-04:00

The Derby

And we are off. It’s July and basketball’s annual summer recruiting derby has begun. Out of the gates I am in the southeast (Atlanta and Orlando) and my staff is on the west coast. We are neck in neck with other division I schools as scour the country for that very special student athlete.

The track conditions have changed over the years. Cell phones, computers, iPods, iPads, GPS and small Star Track type of devices stuck in your ear are now standard derby equipment. Coaches madly tap messages into their electronically enhanced hand about the latest happening on the “stud du jour.”

Yesterday, I was sitting next to one of division I’s more famous (and needy) coaches. She could not figure out who was on what court and there was no assistant in sight, so she kept asking me. I had a small hand made game chart (on paper) that I had done the night before. Since I was trying to watch 3 games at once, I had each playing team marked in my book with a colored paper clip. That way I can just flip to the proper roster via the proper colored paper clip thus avoiding the hassle of going page by page through the enormous and alphabetically challenged roster book.

After a few game had passed and many questions answered, the famous coach asked me what I was using to keep track of all the games. I told her I used a pencil and some paperclips. She thought I was clever and I laughed and said not clever…just not electronically savvy. She did not know that I had been running in this derby for over 25 years and knew many different track conditions. Despite all the changes on the track the new ways are not always the better ways. I gave her some colored paper clips and a pencil. Then asked her to not tell any other Ivy about my cleverness.

Chris

Greener Pastures

2011-07-01T11:12:00.002-04:00

Dartmouth assistant Leah Foster has been named an Assistant Coach at University of Houston. U of H is a top 25 program in TEXAS, a state she loves. This is a good professional move for Leah and one that puts her closer to her family.

Leah's departure marks the fifth assistant in 6 years to leave the Big Green for even greener pastures. I am proud that my assistants are able to further their careers. I will miss Leah, but I am grateful for all she did for us.

A Blogger's Farewell

2011-06-14T11:20:00.000-04:00

All,

It is a bittersweet moment as I type up this post, my final entry into the Going Green Dartmouth Women's Hoops Blog. After five years as the assistant sports information director and women's basketball contact at Dartmouth, I will be leaving the Big Green to pursue other professional options.

For the past two years I have been the behind the scenes eyes and ears, often updating you on the intricacies, ups and downs of the team and its seasons. Overall I've spent five years as the SID, reporter, blogger, and number one fan of Dartmouth women's basketball. Though this past season, my last, was the toughest one we've endured together on the court, I think everyone involved learned a lot about loyalty and finishing what we started together, despite the great adversity. And of course in my five years there have been many, many more great moments - winning two Ivy Championships, two WNIT's and of course the NCAA Tournament in 2009. And so many more moments when it has been just the team, on the road, laughing and enjoying the shared experience together. Those are some of the best memories for me.

First I will thank you readers and fans for engaging us in this blog but also for your unyielding support of the program. Knowing you are reading and watching here and on DartmouthSports.com has given my job an extra purpose and meaning. And your support means the world to the program.

I am incredibly grateful to Coach Wielgus and her assistants throughout the years for giving me the opportunity to be an integral part of their staff. They always made me feel like I had a job and insight that truly mattered to the team's success and that was very special to me. Chris has a way of making people feel welcome and once she knows she can trust you and that you are in it to see the team succeed, you become part of her family. I was fortunate to build that relationship quickly and have enjoyed experiencing it flourish and evolve.

Lastly, and perhaps most of all, I am grateful to the student-athletes — 26 women — that I have worked with at Dartmouth, who have allowed me to be a part of their college basketball experience. You are an incredibly diverse group and I learned more from each of you than you could ever imagine. Again, thank you for sharing the better part of your college years with me. Be it one, two, three or four years together at Dartmouth, I have enjoyed maintaining friendships with you beyond Hanover and for those who are still wearing the Green and White, I look forward to cheering you on from afar. And actually being able to cheer without being unprofessional! :)

So again, thank you to everyone who makes Dartmouth women's basketball so special and Go Big Green. I will miss you all!

- Dara

Dara Ely
Assistant SID, 2006-2011

Professional Development

2011-06-05T16:13:00.000-04:00

A bright light shone through my office window. Upon further investigation I saw blue sky and yes the sun was shining!! GONE were the clouds and the downpours. Mother Nature was cutting us a break. It was going to be a nice day.

I immediately convened a staff meeting and told everyone to quickly prepare for a professional develop seminar at the Ledges. The Ledges is simply a beautiful natural wonder formed by True Brook cutting into the rocks. This favorite swimming hole is about 10 minutes from campus.

The seminar was an interactive event involving an investigative study on the art of skipping rocks into rapids, the challenge of balancing and wading through the stream to get to a sunny rock and the drama that ensued when my sandal raced toward the waterfall by itself.

It was an informative seminar with all participants understanding how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place!

- Coach Wielgus

A Hoosier of Our Own

2011-05-18T10:01:00.000-04:00

Hoosiers are passionate about their basketball. They know it; they play it; they love it. High school basketball dominates the sports scene in towns throughout Indiana. So it is with great pride that we congratulate Ute Bowman Otley’90 on her induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team. The Silver Anniversary team honors the top players in the high school class of 1986.

Ute’s basketball prowess carried over to her Dartmouth career where she was named Ivy Rookie of the Year; earned all Ivy honors twice and played on four Ivy League championship teams. It comes as no surprise that Ute found a home in the Dartmouth Women’s Basketball program. After all… Hoosiers are not the only ones passionate about basketball.

Check out the full release about Ute's award here.

Looking Ahead to 2011-12

2011-05-03T10:09:00.000-04:00

There always seems to be a bit of a let down at the end of the season — players, coaches and staff going from spending every minute together and working toward winning games and improving — to suddenly being on your own and left to reflect.

This past year is one we certainly would like to put behind us. I don't think it's one to forget though, because there were many valuable lessons to be learned about perseverance when things don't go your way (ahem, down to nine healthy players) and also the importance of team. There are 13 women on the team and every single one of them learned that she had to be ready at a moment's notice, whenever called upon by her coach.

A big part of that preparation starts just a few weeks after the season ends. The team is already well into its spring workouts, getting faster, stronger and more skilled for the 2011-12 season. Here's an update from Coach Wielgus:

Our season was over, but you would not know it from Mother Nature. Clearly, she has favored winter by nudging spring into summer. Despite the outward appearances of campus our basketball spring has begun. Our strength coach, Bob Miller, athletic trainer, Mike Derosier, and the basketball staff have tweaked the program to include a variety of new training regimens.

What is most remarkable about this spring is the enthusiasm of the six players on campus. They are relentless in their effort to improve their game. I am so excited and invigorated by their love of the game and their commitment to becoming better basketball players. They are working on their game and it is beginning to show. I can’t wait until next year. The best is yet to come…

So Much to Say - And Worth the Read

2011-02-09T23:02:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

So much has gone on with the Big Green in the last few weeks - we've been really busy with our Ivy weekends. This has been a tough winter for us injury-wise, we were actually down to just nine players in uniform last weekend, including missing starters Brittney Smith and Nicola Zimmer. It's been frustrating for everyone, knowing the potential for greatness we had at full strength but also knowing that we should not be 1-4 in the Ivy League even without those players.

However, I have so much respect for our players because they have not backed down and have continued to work so hard even without reward. That made our 68-65 win over Penn last Friday night at Leede Arena so special. First of all, Penn is MUCH improved from last season. They have played really tough competition including Temple and Virginia to 10-point games and the night after losing to us, took first-place Harvard to double-overtime before falling. Secondly, it was a great team effort for us to get that win. Sophomore Faziah Steen is playing out of her mind - she scored 28 points in that game after also scoring 28 the previous game at Columbia! She also had a pile of assists and steals and hit seven three pointers, one shy of the school record. Our seniors really led us down the stretch too. Cassie Cooper (15 points, nine rebounds) scored six straight points, including the go-ahead three-point play to lead 64-63 late. Classmate Meg McFee then went 4-of-4 at the line to seal it, finishing with 17 points and five assists, including the ling pass to Cooper before the go-ahead play. Poor Coop seems to always get stuck on nine rebounds, missing out on the glory of the double-double! But as long as the team wins, she truly doesn't care.

We are back on the IVY ROAD this weekend, heading to Brown for Friday night and Yale for Saturday. I love a good road trip with this crew, it's a fun group! Also, check out a feature on senior Louise Vanden Bosch here.
_______________________________________________________

Off the court, our program lost a dear friend this week, as former associate head coach Sharon Dawley's father, David, passed away on Monday. After 10 years with us in Hanover, Sharon became the head coach at Vermont and after a successful tenure moved on to be the head coach at UMass this past summer. That move put her back in her home state of Massachusetts and closer to her family.

Coach Wielgus wrote the following reflection on a loss that reminded all of us that there's so much more to our lives than basketball, something we often lose sight of.

It’s been a long week. Former assistant coach Sharon Dawley’s father, David passed away on Monday. He and his wife Ginger were super fans. They attended most of our home weekend games and were front row at our NCAA games regardless of whether or not Sharon was coaching with us still. They were great supporters of Dartmouth, Sharon and Lou’s restaurant. Whenever they passed through town, I would meet them at Lou’ s for a good meal followed by a wrestling match with Dave for the check.

When Dave arrived at Mass General Hospital last Wednesday, the nurses had to remove his rings. He wore two — his wedding and one Dartmouth Ivy championship ring, which Sharon gave him years ago. His cardiologist noticed his championship ring. He told the family he was a Dartmouth grad and fraternity brother to Bob Ceplikas, Deputy Athletic Director. The Dartmouth connection is never ending. He was a remarkably good doctor and very kind to the family.

Please keep Sharon and her family in your thoughts and prayers. They make a difference.

Wish us luck this weekend and we'll have some more updates next week.

- Dara

Ivy Play is Finally Here!!

2011-01-24T09:23:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Well our Ivy League season didn't get off to the start we wanted, taking a lopsided loss at Harvard. We'd won the first meeting in each of the last three seasons and the Crimson definitely remembered that and took it to us. The first 15 minutes of the game were a classic Ivy battle, but we got into running and gunning at Harvard's pace and could not sustain that when they went to their deep bench. To contrast, they had 15 players dressed and we had 10.

So following the Harvard game we've had a long 13-day break to regroup and work on Dartmouth basketball. While we never like to go that long without playing — something we can't help bc Ivy play can't start in earnest until Princeton finishes exams — I think this stretch has still been good for our team. Perhaps the biggest change has been the arrival of an awesome and complete new scrimmage squad! We were struggling without the guys during break and now we have one of the best groups ever. Since we have been depleted by injury, it is imperative that we have these extra numbers to go against in practice. There are actually seven men on the squad which is the most we've had and they do a great job. They are selfless, take the job seriously, and I think enjoy helping us get better. It's a great thing.

Anyhow, this week it's finally down to the true business and pace of an Ivy League week. We get the worst, longest road trip over first when we head to Cornell and Columbia this weekend. Since we have back-to-back games, we'll settle into the rhythm of the Ivy season, planning for each opponent throughout the week and then hitting the road for a Friday-Saturday marathon.

I'll link to an official preview when it's up.

Go Big Green!!

- Dara

Whirlwind Weeks

2011-01-06T10:26:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Whew ... we're all finally getting a chance to take a deep breath after a whirlwind couple of weeks. Following the trip to Michigan, we all went our separate ways, taking us home to places from California to Montana to Washington, D.C. to New Jersey and more! It was a much-needed break for all of us, players and staff alike.

Turned out, some of us got to extend that break a little when a massive snowstorm hit the Northeast. All three of the New York City area airports were closed for multiple days and Philadelphia, Boston and Manchester also had cancellations and serious delays. Almost half of the players and one of our assistant coaches, Leah Foster, all got back to Dartmouth later than the scheduled date of Dec. 26, but everyone made it in time for the tournament.

Once we all arrived back, we hosted the 34th annual Blue Sky Classic on Dec. 29-30 - the longest running uninterrupted tournament in Division I women's basketball! We're really, really proud of that feat and I believe we consistently put on one of the best and classiest events in the nation. As for the team, we played a solid game against Kansas State out of the Big 12. We trailed by just five at halftime and though we let the Wildcats pull away in the second half, the team made some strides. Unfortunately, we ran out of gas the next day against Wagner in what was a real disappointment for us. This time, we led by five at halftime but let Wagner, who is much improved since the last time we met, go on a 14-0 run in the second and had no answer. After the tournament, freshman point guard Nicola Zimmer, who made a big impression on fans and the other coaches, was named to the Blue Sky Classic All-Tournament team.

There wasn't much time for anyone to dwell on the losses in the tournament as we were hosting Holy Cross on Jan. 2 for our third game in five days! This one was much more like what we want to see from the team. It was a true team effort with four players in double figures as we won 66-57 after being tied, 26-26, at halftime. Cassie Cooper had an awesome second half, really willing us to the win - she had just two points and one rebound and halftime and finished with 11 points, 12 boards. Faziah Steen scored all 15 of her points in the second half.

Our schedule continued to be brutal as we closed out the week with our fourth game in seven days at Rhode Island on Jan. 4. This was a tough, 69-66, double-overtime loss. We did overcome a lot of adversity in the game, however, as we trailed 16-5 early and had both Cassie and Nicola on the bench with two fouls after six minutes! But we persevered and trailed by just four, 25-21, at halftime. The second half was back and forth and ultimately, Cassie sent the game to overtime after a perfectly executed drive, scoring at the buzzer to tie it. She also sent the game to double-overtime with an offensive rebound and putback to tie it with about 12 seconds to go and then we got a stop on the other end. We took an early lead in double-OT and held URI defensively, but couldn't get any buckets ourselves, allowing them to keep the door open and they ultimately hit free throws to seal the win.

Freshman Janelle Ross cracked the starting lineup against Holy Cross and Rhode Island and did really well, scoring 12 points in each game. Since we were trying that bigger lineup, Louise Vanden Bosch came off the bench and really responded with seven points and seven boards against HC and eight points against URI.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, for a few explanations ....

We had to cram all those games in because Princeton's final exam schedule, taken in January, doesn't allow the Ivy League to start conference play in earnest until Jan. 29-30. It's a real problem for the rest of the teams because the other leagues in the nation all start conference games this week and most will not play non-league games. So we're left with a long break before our game at Harvard on Jan. 15 and then another long break before the Columbia-Cornell trip on Jan. 29-30.

Also, a reader commented on a previous post asking why we don't talk in depth about injuries on here. This person also asked if there was an "unwritten code" against it. To be honest, there are actually written rules that prohibit us from revealing details about a student-athlete's injury without her permission. So that's one reason why we don't go into detail on here. The other is honestly that this is a public forum and while we don't expect to keep everything about our team a secret, there are some things that we like to keep to ourselves. We enjoy giving our fans, friends and family insight into the program on here but that also means we're giving insight to our opponents.

Thank you all again, as always, for reading and supporting us! We're going through some adjustments and growing pains right now, but we've finished up non-conference play and have our sights firmly set on the long Ivy League road ahead! It's a whole new season come Jan. 15!

Scenes from Michigan

2010-12-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

We had a tough road trip to Michigan, losing both of our games (at Oakland and at #14 Michigan State) with a shorthanded lineup. But some people turned in some really tough performances, in particular senior Cassie Cooper and sophomore Kelsey Byrd. Cassie battled as our primary scorer and defender in the post both games and Kelsey was awesome off the bench. She had a career high nine points at Oakland and then topped it with 11 at Michigan State! I'm really proud of her as she's come back from surgery late in the summer to make a quick recovery and contribute. She's put in countless extra hours in the gym and with pool workouts.

Other than the losses, we did have some good times together on this trip and spent some quality time as a team. Our Michigan native, Faziah Steen's family hosted us for dinner at a local golf club on our first night. Below is a picture of the team along with Faziah's mom, younger brothers and uncles. We had a great time with her family and appreciated the event so much!

And thought I'd share some pics from the game at Michigan State. The Breslin Center is an impressive building.

Before the pictures, on behalf of the entire Dartmouth women's basketball family, I'd like to thank you all for your support so far this season. We've had some tough breaks and bumps in the road but I know we're getting stronger for it! As a wise follower commented on our blog last year: "When the Japanese mend broken objects, they fix the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful."

We will all go our separate ways tomorrow, as everyone flies home for the holidays. The players and coaches get a six-day break this year as they don't have to be back to campus until Dec. 26! I think everyone will benefit from the rest and some family time.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your families and are looking forward to getting back on the court to continue getting stronger and better and showing you how great we can be!

- Dara

We're Still Here ... I Promise

2010-12-14T12:14:00.000-05:00

Hi Loyal Fans,

Apologies for going WAY too long without a post on here. I hope we were doing a great job keeping up content as the games came fast and furious in the opening weeks and alas with the final exam break, so came a nap for the blog. Sorry we've been a little out of touch, but I hope you're still reading and we'll have some good updates this week.

We played our first game back from exams at Hartford last Sunday and as is typical of that first game back, it didn't go very well! Hartford is always one of the best teams in New England, often winning the America East and they have struggled a little early this season but we knew they were better than their record and very much hungry for a win. Unfortunately we were their prey! You can read about it here.

So we turn the page.

I'm actually writing to you from Newark Airport waiting for a flight to Detroit to meet the team. The rest of the group flew out from Manchester this morning and we'll all arrive in Detroit early this afternoon to start a nice 5-day trip in Faziah Steen's home state. We will be in Rochester, Mich. for the first half of the trip, taking on a solid Oakland University team on Dec. 16 at 6:30. Then its over to East Lansing to play Michigan State, who ranks 14th in the AP poll and 20th in the Coaches Poll, for a 1 p.m. tip on Dec. 18. We took the Spartans to overtime two years ago at Vermont's tournament.

As our regular readers know, this pre-holiday trip is my favorite part of the season! The main reason being that we're almost always bringing someone home and I love getting to see the great crowds that show up to support our players from their hometowns be it family, friends, former coaches or teams. It's so special. And it's great for all of us to get some better insight into where our Dartmouth basketball family members come from and learn to know them better. The other reason it's great fun is that without school in session, the players can and do focus completely on basketball and each other. It's a great time for team bonding.

I'll keep you updated throughout the trip to Michigan.

Thanks for reading, for your support and for bearing with us through this long break.

- Dara

Just a Quick Check In

2010-12-04T13:48:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Sorry I'm just getting to a quick Northeastern wrap up! The players started reading period and exams so that means catching up on some real life errands and a bunch of other stuff at work for the staff!

Anyhow, my game recap is here. We played a really solid game to beat Northeastern, 60-54. We were up 18-3 at one point in the first half! The Huskies used full court pressure and we really weren't fazed by it and were able to get a lot of layups off of it. Credit to Sasha Dosenko in particular for her work in the first half scoring as we broke the press.

It was a real team effort to win this one, which is always great to see. Brittney Smith had her third straight double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Other starters Nicola Zimmer and Louise Vanden Bosch scored nine points each. Nic had a HUGE three late in the game just as Northeastern was trying to make a run and Louise had a great second-half sequence scoring five straight points.

The biggest thing for us in this game was probably the play of our bench though. Sasha shot 6-of-7 from the floor en route to 13 points and four rebounds. Meghan McFee was huge for us too, scoring 10 points including hitting two three-pointers. Meg also got a big defensive rebound and was fouled with nine seconds left and coolly hit both at the line to help us ice the win.

It was really great to go into the exam break with three straight wins! Now the players just need to focus on their studies while getting into the gym to shoot when they can for the next couple of days. They're in the home stretch though!

Go Big Green

- Dara

To the Victor Go the Spoils

2010-12-01T16:18:00.000-05:00

It's game day!! Just got back from pre-game meal at Molly's with the team. We tip against Northeastern in less than three hours - that's 7 p.m. at Leede tonight! Preview is here.

Congratulations to Brittney Smith who was named both the Ivy League Player of the Week and the Dartmouth Female Athlete of the Week for her efforts in wins over Vermont and Bryant. Those clickable links take you to the respective stories for each.

Make sure to check out the video interview that accompanies the Athlete of the Week story - just click on the picture at the top.

Hope to see you tonight or if you are a fan from afar, as I know many of you are, hope you'll be listening or watching.

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to sophomore guard Kylie Kufeld!! Of the players with in-season birthdays, she's the only one whose big day also falls on a game day!

Go Big Green

- Dara

Monday Check-In

2010-11-29T11:04:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Just a quick Monday morning update before I carry on with what is always the busiest day of the week!

We won a marathon game in overtime yesterday at Bryant, 75-72. Click here for the game story. The game tipped at 1 p.m. and didn't end until 3:15!! It was long even before we got to overtime. The teams combined for 51 fouls (29 for Bryant, 22 for us) and 65 free throws were taken (27 for Bryant, 28 for us). Unfortunately we only shot 65.8 percent from the line - ouch - which had we improved a bit might have ended the game in regulation. However, the team really locked down in OT and hit nearly 80 percent from the line, going 11-14, including the game-sealing free throws by rookie Nicola Zimmer.

Zimmer scored a career high 18 points, Brittney Smith continued a dominant week with a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double and Cassie Cooper set a bunch of new career highs including points (15), rebounds (18), steals (3), blocks (2) and minutes (38). It was one of those games with too many whistles on the easy stuff and not enough on the hard fouls! But sometimes you just have to scrap and pull out a W, which we did.

The team has the day off today and will be back to work tomorrow to prep for Northeastern at HOME on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Hope to see you there!

- Dara

What I'm Thankful For ...

2010-11-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family, friends, fans and followers out there. As we go through the ups and downs of the season your support means so much to us and we are thankful for you. We hope that you all have a wonderful day today!

If you saw the story on last night’s game, I think you’ll see that Dartmouth women’s basketball is thankful for it’s 66-51 win over Vermont! We really needed that win and the best part about it was getting there with a combination of tough, stifling defense and balanced offense. We had four players scored in double figures and four players had at least three assists. We shot 43 percent and had assists on 15 of our 25 field goals. The players really shared the ball well and showed just how much they want to see their teammates succeed. This is a particularly unselfish group.

Obviously the team is in Hanover this Thanksgiving but we will enjoy the day together. After a midday practice, we will have dinner at a local inn at 3 and will head back to Coach Wielgus’ house for dessert and some downtime, playing games and watching football!

So in the Thanksgiving tradition, I posed a question to our team, asking them to answer “What are you thankful for this year?” Here are their responses:

Cassie Cooper ’11: I'm thankful for all the loving and supportive people I have in my life. I feel so blessed every day.

Meghan McFee ’11: I am thankful for my friends and family, especially my parents, as well as for the incredible opportunities I've had throughout my life to become the person I am today.

Brittney Smith ’11: I'm thankful that I have great teammates and coaches that I don't mind spending Thanksgiving with. I'm also thankful that we got our first win of the season!

Louise Vanden Bosch ’11: I am truly thankful for my amazing family and friends — I could not have been more blessed. I am also thankful for the opportunity to play for a team with incredible people as well as so much tradition at such a prestigious institution.

Sasha Dosenko ’12: I am thankful for being done with classes until Monday!

Kelsey Byrd ’13: I am thankful for the family and friends who have supported me through good times and bad.

Kylie Kufeld ’13: I'm thankful for my family and friends, not only at home, but also here at Dartmouth, and the experiences I've had so far.

Faziah Steen ’13: I’m thankful for my caring teammates and supportive basketball staff.

Zakia Lghzaoui ’13: I am thankful to be able to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my Dartmouth women's basketball family. Since we can't be with our families, we always make Thanksgiving Day fun and eventful.

Arianne Hunter ’14: I'm thankful for the progress I’m making on my knee recovery and those who are helping me and for my family back home.

Eve Zelinger ’14: I am thankful for my supportive family, my crazy fun teammates and friends, and Oreo mint ice cream.

Nicola Zimmer ’14: I'm thankful for my teammates!

Head Coach Chris Wielgus: I am most grateful for my family and my family of friends who have sustained me through all the twists and turns of my life. I am also thankful for my family of friends who have spent their college Thanksgivings with me. I am so fortunate to have all these special and fun people come in and out of my life.

Asst. Coach Leah Foster: I'm very thankful for my family. They are an amazing support system and I have no idea where I would be without them.

Asst. Coach Erin Rewalt: It's hard to limit my thankfulness to a sentence or two, because I feel immensely fortunate for everything. I'm most thankful for the people in my life, including my supportive and loving family and friends. I'm also thankful to be back at Dartmouth, living in Hanover, and working with these incredible and dynamic people on the team and in the program.

Koren Schram, Dir. of Ops: After spending last year in Iceland, I’m thankful for being in America where we have Thanksgiving!

Personally, I always get a little homesick as the holidays approach, but I am thankful that my family understands the time constraints of my job. I am thankful for their love and support. I’m also so thankful for these great players and coaches who have allowed me to be part of the Dartmouth women’s basketball family for the last five years.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

- Dara

Finally Home!

2010-11-24T11:32:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends,

Well we are finally getting to host our first game at Leede Arena this season. While we certainly hoped to come home with a better record than 0-4 after the first two weeks, we know that this team has already been battle tested against some of the top athletes out there. That's especially true for our post players who have already been banging around with two of the top centers in the Big 10, Northwestern's Amy Jaeschke, and ACC, BC's Carolyn Swords. I think they have the bruises to prove it but they've stayed strong and tough.

Tonight we host Vermont at 7 p.m. in a little Thanksgiving Eve showdown. Dartmouth and Vermont were forced to renew their rivalry by the WNIT selection committee in 2008 and have since kept it up, playing each season since. This year each team is participating in the other's tournament, but won't meet again since they have been set up with predetermined opponents. It's become a good regional rivalry for both teams - in the fall of 2008, at Vermont's tournament, the game went to triple overtime before Vermont won.

My game notes/preview are available here.

The team will spend Thanksgiving together tomorrow with a morning practice and afternoon dinner out and back to Coach Wielgus' house for some relaxation, games and football on TV. We all miss our families at this time of year, but we've got something special here too and it makes up for it.

Check back tomorrow morning before your turkey for a little Thanksgiving edition of the blog!

-Dara

Previewing the TD Bank Classic

2010-11-19T14:18:00.000-05:00

Hi All!

Checking in from the lobby at the Sheraton in Burlington where we are stationed for the next couple of days before the TD Bank Classic tournament at Vermont. Fortunately we find ourselves just down the street from Vermont's gym, making for some quick and easy trips back and forth for shootarounds and games.

The first two games were tough for us, and I think in a lot of ways we looked our age. As I've said in my game notes already, even though we have four seniors on this team, we have a lot of players that really haven't played much together. The first person you'd notice in that would of course be our freshman point guard Nicola Zimmer. She's adjusted very quickly but it certainly takes time to get to know your teammates and their tendencies. Even for returning starters, Brittney Smith (senior) and Faziah Steen (sophomore) there are adjustments as Cassie Cooper (senior) has returned to the lineup after missing all but two games last season and Meghan McFee (senior) is back in the starting five after coming off the bench for us this year.

So what I'm saying is, give us some time, we'll get there. As we watched film at pregame today, Coach Wielgus talked a lot about the maturation process and composure. We play two excellent teams this weekend - Boston College out of the ACC tonight and Marist, who has won its conference five straight times, tomorrow. We will be playing to win. But we are also playing to get better at basketball, learn more about ourselves as a team and to mature.

My notes and preview are available here. There are links to livestats and video and our radio broadcast.

Go Big Green!

- Dara

Good Read about a Good Kid

2010-11-14T10:19:00.002-05:00

Good Morning!

It's Sunday here in Hanover but that's usually not a day of rest for most of us! The team will have practice and a film session to prep for UNH. I'll be working on game notes, game programs and all that good behind the scenes stuff! :)

Thought I'd share a link to a nice story about senior Cassie Cooper in her hometown paper.

A snippet on her role:
Cooper said her role on the team is based on doing all the little things. "It's all heart and desire," she said. "I'm not the go-to scorer or ballhandler."

And her thoughts on her Coach Wielgus:
"I love her," Cooper said of her coach. "She's made the Dartmouth experience amazing. She is a master at her craft."

Sometimes people laugh when I refer to the players as kids — since I've only got about 6-7 years on the seniors! Thinking about the seniors, I met them when they were just freshmen and they were so young to me. With the amount of growth they go through by the time they are seniors, they really aren't kids anymore — especially this group, but sometimes all I can think of is that group of four youngsters that arrived my second year at Dartmouth.

Cassie Cooper has always been someone I described as a "good kid." She works hard, she's unselfish, has a good sense of humor and she relates well to and cares about others. And she isn't a kid anymore, In four years she's matured, found herself and become a great leader.

Obviously you never want to see anyone get hurt, but last season, watching "Coop" cut down after two games was really heartbreaking. She had come back in great shape and determined after being our "sixth man" on the Ivy Championship team in 2008-09. There's no doubt her play would have dramatically changed our season on the court last year, but she still made sure her presence impacted the team. Whether it was crutching around Los Angeles when we played at USC just weeks after her surgery, helping the coaches see things from her perspective on the bench or just being a supportive teammate, Cassie was absolutely involved. So it was no surprise this weekend to watch her help a freshman teammate on crutches navigate Midway Airport and the Northwestern campus. She'd been there.

Knowing how tough it was for her to watch her team struggle while unable to play last season, it was really special to see her back on the court on Friday at Northwestern. I know she is fiercely determined and I'm looking forward to seeing what Coop will do the rest of this season.

Hope everyone has a great, restful Sunday!

- Dara

Opening Day

2010-11-13T20:08:00.000-05:00

There is nothing like opening day. Everything is new, and crisp. The excitement is palpable as our journey together begins. But there is a reality to our journey. We do not test the waters or ease our way into season — no we dive head first into the fray.

This year it was off to the Windy City and the Big Ten’s Northwestern University. The challenge of playing in the Big Ten did not disappoint. They were big, physical and skilled. I was surprised at the quality shots we got in the early going. But many of those quality shots clanked off the rim and a deep hole formed before halftime.

We regrouped at halftime and fought our way back. Then things fell apart again. So the game was rough and score hard to swallow. But this team never gave up, forced 17 turnovers and were diving on the floor with under a minute to go.

I wanted and believed we could win that game. It did not happen. But right out of the gate, we experienced what it is like to play D1 basketball. Losing leaves a bad taste in your mouth that can only be removed by hard work, determination and a little bit of faith. We begin building those skill sets today.

P.S. Despite the outcome of the game, we did have fun. There were lots of alums and friends at the game supporting us. Wherever Dartmouth folk gather there is fun to be had.

- Coach Wielgus

Note: Read the full game recap here. We're off to New Hampshire for a game on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. - Dara

Season Opener

2010-11-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

FINALLY! The long wait is almost over ... we open the 2010-11 season on Friday night at Northwestern. Game time is 7 p.m. here in Chicago but that's 8 p.m. in Hanover.

We flew out this morning and got to Chicago at about 12 and headed over to Northwestern's gym for a practice from 1-3. After some downtime we enjoyed a delicious family-style Italian dinner at Maggiano's!

Tomorrow will be a standard game day with shoot around and pregame, and nap time. :)

A lot of our long-distance flights involve bringing a player back to her home state. That's not the case this time but it does happen that assistant coach Leah Foster is from this area and spent a lot of her youth around Northwestern.

My game preview and notes are up online here. There are also links to livestats, radio and a pay-per-view live video stream.

Hope to have an update tomorrow!

-Dara

A Great Honor for a Great Player

2010-11-06T16:31:00.000-04:00

Congratulations are in order for senior Brittney Smith, who has been named one of 30 national candidates for the Lowe's Senior Class Award, which celebrates excellence across the "Four C's" of Competition, Classroom, Community and Character.

The award gets a lot of submissions from across the 300+ schools that play Division I basketball and Brittney was chosen as one of 30 candidates. The list will be pared to 10 finalists in January.

Read the full release here and check out Brittney's profile here and the rest of the candidates here.

We're really proud of Brittney because she truly has been excellent in all four of these areas. We're also even more proud of the fact that she is our third candidate for this award in the last four seasons. Sydney Scott ’08 was a candidate in 2008 and Koren Schram ’09 was one of the 10 national finalists in 2009.

In my memory there have been maybe 1 or 2 other Ivy players in that timespan and I really can't imagine another mid-major (non-BCS) school that has produced the same amount as Dartmouth has. To me, it's a real testament to this program that not only are we winning on the court, but our players are excelling in the classroom, are involved and upstanding members of their community and are high-character young women.

This award is really one of the best in sports. I enjoy reading the other profiles as well because there are a lot of impressive men and women on those top-30 candidate lists.

Just six days til the season opener at Northwestern!

-Dara

Website Goodies

2010-11-04T14:21:00.001-04:00

Hi All,

Hope you're enjoying the increased content on here as the season is fast approaching!

Check out DartmouthSports.com - click this link here - for a video interview with head coach Chris Wielgus. She talks about practice so far, players making moves and the non-conference schedule. And yes it's a photo of Meg McFee but click the play button and it's an interview with coach!

Also visit our 2010-11 Information Center which is full of info on this year's team and program history. Since the NCAA outlawed distribution of traditional, book-form media guides to recruits, the Ivy League decided that no Ivy school could produce any print guide, even just for the media. This Information Center is meant to help bridge the gap. While making the media guide used to take much of my time in the fall, I've still found myself quite busy as we do more and more video work. I enjoy design so in a way I missed doing the guide, but it was also quite a time-consuming task!

Hope you like the video! We plan to do a bunch more throughout the season with Coach and players!

- Dara

A Special Election

2010-11-03T10:26:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was a long day with practice in the morning and an unusual amount of work and traffic coming my way. I went to work in the dark and came home in the dark. I somehow missed the sun. But I was not going to miss a chance to vote - it was election day!

So I rushed over to Hanover High School to get in line to vote. Fortunately, I cut it so close to the polls closing that there were no lines. But there was a surprise. Eve Zelinger ’14 and Nicola Zimmer ’14 were there as well. Eve from California and Nicola from Maryland had somehow found their way to Dartmouth College, to our team, and to a voting booth in New Hampshire. They were determined to cast their first ever ballot even if it was in NH!

So at the end of my long day I had to smile at how excited two rookie b-ball players from different sides of the continent were to cast their first votes. I have a great job!

- Coach Wielgus

Team Set to Host Annual Skills Clinic

2010-11-02T10:32:00.000-04:00

The team is going to host its annual skills clinic this Sunday, Nov. 7 from 1:30-2:30 pm at Leede Arena.

The event is FREE for all local youth, eighth grade and under - just bring some sneakers/athletic shoes and we hope to see you there!

Read the full release here.

Preseason Picks

2010-10-27T11:52:00.000-04:00

The Ivy League preseason prognostications are out and a panel of Ivy League media and women's basketball SID's think that Dartmouth will finish third in the Ancient Eight this season. Princeton was picked to finish first and Harvard second.

Given last season's finish I believe those three placings are fair but I also know that the preseason polls are rarely correct (cliche - but true!) and expect the League to be as competitive as ever this year!

Below is part of my release written for the website - click here to read the entire thing.

Season starts in 16 days at Northwestern - can't wait!

- Dara

The 17-time Ivy League Champion Dartmouth women's basketball team has been picked to finish third in the Ancient Eight this season by a panel of league media and sports information directors.

Dartmouth, which has won four of the last six Ivy Championships, landed third in this year's preseason poll with 96 points. Defending champ Princeton was picked to repeat with 135 points and 16 first-place votes and Harvard landed in second with 115 points and one first-place vote.

Yale was predicted to finish fourth, followed by Columbia, Brown, Cornell and Penn. The poll featured 17 voters including a media member and sports information representative from each Ivy school and one national representative.

2010-11 Ivy League Women's Basketball Preseason Media Poll
Predicted Order of Finish
(First-Place Votes in Parentheses)
1. Princeton (16)   135
2. Harvard (1)       115
3. Dartmouth         96
4. Yale                   84
5. Columbia            73
6. Brown                50
7. Cornell               39
8. Penn                  19

Harder-Hiking: F57

2010-10-26T11:17:00.000-04:00

Better late than never but here's an entry from freshman Eve Zelinger (Palo Alto, Calif.) about her Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) trip early this September. We'll have to ask Eve which is harder - a morning workout with strength Coach Miller or "harder hiking" :)

Here it is:

I sat on my chair in my room on a hot summer night reading the Hiking 3 packing list. I glanced at the bold and read, “The rivers and lakes of New Hampshire get quite chilly by September, and temperatures can reach close to freezing at night.” For the chance of a small gust of wind or any possible circulating air, I opened my room’s window an inch higher. I folded my raincoat and long sleeved shirt and stuffed it in my pack. I could only dream of the cold air of New Hampshire nights hitting my face and cooling my overheating body.

A week later, I found myself no longer in my bedroom, but at Franconia Falls. The freezing cold water rushed down the natural rock water slide. As the water moved quickly, I stood frozen. With my legs on either side of the cold moving water, I had to make a decision. Was I going to sit down and let myself go? Despite hiking a somewhat strenuous nine miles, with a heavy pack on my back, I found myself understanding the weather description on the packing list. It was raining, I had one pair of dry clothes, and I couldn’t imagine myself submerging in the literally, breath-taking water. I sat down. I guess it was physics that sent me down the rock. With my mouth and eyes opened wide, I fell through the air and hit the water. Seconds later, I witnessed myself swimming faster than I had ever seen myself swim before to reach the rocky “sidelines” and get out. Though as I stood there, teeth chattering and goose bumps arising, I couldn’t be happier that I had experienced those three seconds of adrenaline rushing fun.

After leaving Franconia Falls, we continued to hike flat trails and climb large rocks. I would like to say we conquered Mt. Guyot, though my sore legs were no indication of an effortless defeat. We consumed Cabot cheese and Peanut butter spoonfuls. And one memorable night we had to “take one for the team,” in order to leave “no trace,” and “yum-yummed” the remains of our delectable wilderness dinner. Yum- yum is a term; a quite deceiving one I might add, which entails combining leftovers and passing the pot of food in circles amongst the group members, who then proceed to consume spoonfuls of deliciousness, until the pot reaches its bottom. I must confess I picked a convenient time to take an evening bathroom break ;)

The next day I woke up knowing I would be returning to civilization. After being on my D.O.C trip in the wilderness, I found myself appreciating the most trivial things. I recognized the beauty of a sink, and the wonders of dry socks and drinkable, non-iodinated water. And it was as I sipped hot chocolate (one without floating particles of last night’s couscous) and once again sat in a chair, that I realized the extraordinariness of such ordinary things.

-Eve

Picture Day!

2010-10-08T11:16:00.000-04:00

Hi All,

Hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather these days - it's actually been quite mild here and we've had a good number of sunny days including today and the weekend forecast.

Like I'm sure many of you are, I am anxiously awaiting the start of basketball season! Note that's anxiously and not patiently. I think the same goes for our players and coaches. Though they can do some skill instruction and have a few practices, things won't officially kick-off for us until mid-October. Then just a month later we open at Big 10 foe Northwestern on November 12.

One exciting preseason activity has already passed, as we got the team pictures and headshots taken in record time - at least since I've been here. Getting those done in September was nothing short of a miracle between new class schedules, lifts and workouts and three teams sharing Leede Arena!

You may notice the white background behind the players - Leede got a bit of an interior facelift this summer. Mostly painting including one big change that you won't see in these pictures and that you'll just have to check out yourself this winter! (Perhaps on Nov. 24 for our home opener against Vermont).

Anyhow I thought I'd share some of the fun pictures with you. I really like picture day because it's a good chance to see the whole team together and take some great shots and let the players' personality shine. Our photographer Mark Washburn did a great job with these.

This is my favorite, a casual group picture of all the players!

If These Walls Could Talk

2010-09-23T12:59:00.000-04:00

Hi all! It's been an exciting week for us with our athletes back on campus and officially starting fall preseason workouts! Classes also started yesterday so the players are keeping busy with that. We'll have more on the start of preseason soon, but first a little glimpse into my world off the court ...

If houses could talk, what a tale my small, 2-bedroom cape would tell!

After weathering the storm created by two rambunctious sons, two dogs and one saintly grandmother my old house deserved to be pampered. It should have been stuffed with flowers, Martha Stewart seasonal crafts and fragrant candles. The smell of baked goods should greet every visitor.

But alas such an existence was not in the plans. The departure of the boys opened up a new, unexpected chapter for me and the house. There were coaches, administrators and friends whose lives landed them in Hanover with a job and no place to live. I had room and they were in need. Thus a Dartmouth Athletic commune was established.

Instead of baked goods we have big pots of stew. Flowers would obstruct the view when we all squish together at the table. The smell that greets one when the door is open is a combination of gas fumes from the cars in the driveway and fabric softener from the perpetual use of the dryer. Watching the cars maneuver in and out of the driveway is a spectator sport of which I am an all star. I can get any car out of my driveway at anytime.

No complaints from me though, I know I am lucky. I have had an amazing assortment of people stay with me — coaches, trainers, sports information and administrators have all spent short periods of time at my house en route to college housing. Our prestigious alumnae have gone onto to wonderful careers as doctors, lawyers, educators and titans of industry, yet oddly enough, these remarkable women prefer air mattresses on my floor to hotel rooms. Every time they visit is a wonderful trip down memory lane.

Today, the commune bid farewell to Erin Rewalt. She has waited patiently to get into her college-owned house. I know she is thrilled to have a place of her own, but she will be missed. After all a house is at its best when it is full.

-Coach Wielgus

More to Come This Season

2010-09-10T15:11:00.000-04:00

Hi All,

Thanks to our loyal readers for sticking with us through a rather slow summer of blogging! For not having games or athletes on campus, it's amazing how busy the summer can be after all.

I'm really looking forward to this season and to blogging for all of you to read during it! The players are just getting back to campus this week and already working hard on their own. I think and hope they are ready to prove that last season was an anomaly and that Dartmouth will be back atop the Ivy League - where we belong - in no time. No one in the League can match our tradition and our players, veterans and rookies, are preparing to back that up!

Anyhow, just wanted to check in and let you know that the blog will be back in full swing soon. Pass the word along to anyone who might have thought we were through! :)

Hope everyone had a great summer.

Go Big Green!

- Dara

Welcoming the Freshmen

2010-08-24T22:56:00.000-04:00

In a few short weeks the "pea Green" first-year students arrive on campus (that's an affectionate term coined by our upperclassmen). Dartmouth women's basketball will welcome four new players to our family. They are a diverse, talented group from all over the country. Point guard Nicola Zimmer is from Maryland, Arianne Hunter is a forward from Oklahoma, swing guard Eve Zelinger is from northern California and forward Janelle Ross is from southern California. These women are excited for the upcoming season and ready for their great Dartmouth adventure to begin and the coaches and veteran players can't wait for their arrival.

There is one more very special first year student joining the class of 2014 (2014 - that is scary sounding!). You cannot call her a rookie, as she knows more about Hanover and Leede Arena then I do. Former Big Green ball girl extraordinaire Kelly Wood is coming all the way from Etna, NH to attend Dartmouth College! Kelly is one of my all-time favorite youngsters and Dartmouth is lucky to have her as part of the family officially. I have a feeling 2014 is going to be a great class.

In a few short weeks I get to welcome them to Dartmouth. A new season will be upon us in no time! I can’t wait!

- Coach Wielgus

The Derby

2010-08-09T12:58:00.000-04:00

“AND THEY ARE OFF!!” College coaches from every school in the nation have garnered their school colors and plastered their school names across their chests as they jockey for position in the front row of AAU Tournament games this July. The annual summer basketball derby — or rather the NCAA evaluation period has begun!

I LOVE THIS GAME. And I love watching high school players develop.

However, truth be told, racing from court to court and watching basketball for 12 or more hours a day can wear you out. But the entire process is beyond amusing. As a matter of fact, sometimes it is flat out silly.

All gyms are segregated so the fans and coaches don’t mix. Thank goodness for that. College coaches sit together and this is where the fun begins. It is a virtual who's who in the basketball world. Everyone but Geno and Pat have their school names boldly plastered across their chests. So when walking into the gym no one looks you in the eye — no, it is straight to your chest to see where you coach. The smaller the school is the bigger the lettering. Thus Geno and Pat require no letters at all.

There are 2 types of coaches: the old proverbial show horse coach and the work horse coach. The show horse coach arrives and positions his/herself very strategically. This is not as easy at it may seem. You see these coaches not only have to be seen by AAU players and coaches, but they need to sit next to a “big time” coach who can further their careers. Then they chat. As far as I can tell they never open their tournament books or write anything down - I'm not sure how they pull it off!

Then there are the workhorse coaches with tons of papers, game grids, organizational items from Staples and a backpack full of snacks, as they don’t have time to leave the gym. These coaches open the high-priced books of rosters and actually write in them. That is what I do and most of the coaches in the Ivy League do as well. Sometimes I venture into the gym in my civilian attire. It throws everyone off, as they are not sure if I am a big timer or not. Truth be told it means I have not found a laundromat in that city!

Every day on the road brings many funny stories and as you can tell this Irish lass loves a good story. But enough for now, just arrived in LA and have to catch some night games.

Until next time!

- Coach Wielgus

Double Dip

2010-07-16T10:40:00.000-04:00

For the second time this month a Dartmouth women’s basketball alumna has answered the call to return home to Hanover. Koren Schram ’09, Big Green basketball player extraordinaire, has left her professional European playing career to become our Director of Basketball Operations.

Koren is a competitor and a winner (won three Ivy titles and was first team All-Ivy twice!). She knows Dartmouth and what it takes to win. She is enthusiastic, hardworking and quite the character. It is no surprise to anyone who knows Koren that a volcano erupted while she was in Iceland. So watch out Hanover ... she's baaaack.

I am so excited to have two of our basketball family, Erin Rewalt and Koren Schram return to Dartmouth. I can’t wait for the season

Until next time,

Coach Wielgus

Offically a ’79er

2010-07-05T19:36:00.000-04:00

Hi all! Hope everyone is having a great summer. My assistant coaches and I have officially hit the recruiting trail and will be spending the month of July searching for the next generation of Dartmouth women's basketball players. Hope to see you along the way.

A wonderful and unexpected thing happened to me the other day. I received a phone call from Jim Wasz President of the Dartmouth Class of 1979. I was sure that Jim was going to give me a heads up on a talented student-athlete from his neighborhood. Instead Jim told me his class would like to adopt me!!! It is a Dartmouth tradition that any class can "adopt" a member of the College community (professor, coach, staff, administration, etc.) that has served the College faithfully but is not an alum his/herself. For a moment, albeit brief moment, I was speechless. Then I enthusiastically accepted my adoption.

I was beyond surprised and humbled by the generosity of this great class. I am now an adopted member of the Class of 1979 ... a ’79er. Thank you, thank you, thank you to my new classmates for this distinct honor.

Coach Wielgus ’79a

P.S. I just got my first Alumni newsletter!

SHE’S BACK!

2010-07-01T11:22:00.000-04:00

After a harrowing round of hard fought negotiations between my agent and Erin Rewalt's agent an agreement was finally reach. Erin is BACK!!!

That 6’1 defensive-minded, All-Ivy forward has traveled the halls of Tuck, the corporate labyrinth of GE, and the sidelines of William and Mary on a journey that has landed her back home at Dartmouth.

Erin Rewalt ’99 Tuck’04 has returned to Dartmouth as an Assistant Coach. She is a whirlwind of work and fun. She is competent, quick-witted and grounded with a positive ”can do” attitude. Above all she loves the game and this very special program.

Personally, I am delighted to welcome her home. But I know Erin well and I am fastening my seat belt this adventure just picked up speed.

- Coach Wielgus

Dreams Can Come True

2010-06-21T20:44:00.000-04:00

Assistant Coach Mary Gleason has been named the Head Coach of Houston Baptist University! She will have her work cut out for her, as HBU has recently entered the ranks Division I athletics.

If there is anyone ready for a challenge it is Mary. Mary is a basketball journeyman. She has played at the highest level in college and in Europe. She has worked tirelessly without fanfare for three great teams: NYU, Princeton and Dartmouth. She knows this business because she has walked the walk. No short cuts for this one. She got this opportunity the old fashion way ... she earned it.

Mary is smart, hardworking and a “pro.” Mary is breath of fresh air in this silly world of college athletics because her concern is the team and not self promotion. She will have to push the HBU program uphill for a while, but she has all the skill and strength she will need. HBU is lucky to have her.

I am so grateful that Mary’s her long journey to her own program came through Hanover and landed her back home in Houston. Clearly, dreams can come true ... if you come to Hanover.

-Coach Wielgus

A Bit of Culture for the Coaches

2010-06-04T09:21:00.000-04:00

This last week of spring term has seen the coaching staff getting “cultured.”

Yes, we ventured out the gym and trekked all the way to the Hopkins Center! And we went to more than one venue — that could qualify us as groupies.

First, it was to the Bentley Theater to see Betsy William’10 in a supporting role in "The Marriage of Bette and Boo." It was a clever, bittersweet play that was well performed by all involved. Our girl Betsy was excellent as the obnoxious and less than kind sister of Bette. She was actually so effective in her role, she scared me!! I didn’t know she had it in her.

Then it was onto the Moore Theater to watch Jalea Moses ’12 impersonate Michael Jackson. She was unbelievably good. I was impressed when I saw Michael dance ... but to see Jalea do the exact same dance blew my mind! Her dance was the last performance of the night and she brought down the house.

Finally, Sasha Dosenko ’12 wrote about her adventure in France where she has been studying for a term. She arrives back in the States shortly and I can’t wait to hear more about her trip.

I am so proud of our players and the rich life they are able to create for themselves. How lucky am I that they bring me along for the ride.

Until next time,
Coach Wielgus

Springtime in Hanover

2010-05-28T09:44:00.000-04:00

Spring sprang early in NH! It has been beautiful in the Upper Valley. There is nothing like Hanover during a bout of perfect weather and this spring has been the best.

My staff, Coach Bob Miller (Strength and Conditioning) and our trainer Mike Derosier all put our heads together and came up with a new approach to our off season basketball work outs. It was so much fun to listen to all the new ideas and then to incorporate them into a coherent program. As a matter of fact, it was as refreshing as the spring weather. The “plan” revolved around one word — RELEVANCE. Everything had to be relevant to the game.

But you know what happens to the best laid plans ... they can end up on a cluttered desk or in an overstuffed file folder. We knew we had to take our new “relevance“ to the players. But that never happened.

Before we could even mention the word “relevance,” the players came to us. They were looking for help and for direction! Spring term had not even started when my shopping spree at JC Penney was interrupted by the juniors calling to tell me they were ready to start conditioning. It was awesome. They were not looking back. They were not talking about “what if?” They were going to get after it.

Well they did. They never looked back, never hesitated and dug down deep to become better players and a better team. This is the greatest gift a coach can receive. I know it. In return for my gift, they have earned my respect.

I can’t wait for the season to begin ... and it is only spring.

*** This blog is dedicated to John Engelman’68, a good friend to Dartmouth who makes this place so special. Thanks, John

The Final Four

2010-04-28T10:45:00.000-04:00

My staff and I attended the Final Four and the WBCA convention in San Antonio, Texas. What a beautiful spot! The weather was wonderful and everything was within walking distance including the Alamo, which, if you walked too fast you might miss. It is a remarkably tiny building for such a big history.

I had a blast working a youth clinic at a local high school. We had over 300 participants! I was assigned to the passing station with the Manhattan, Quinnipiac and BU coaches. The kids were fun and very engaged, it was like the “good old days” of teaching physical education. I do miss teaching youngsters.

Then it was off to attend the chalk talks, lectures and business meetings. Our Ivy League meetings were remarkable — for the first time in all my years in the League, we finished in less than 2 hours! I was so proud of my colleagues.

The games are the main event and not to be missed. There is nothing like attending the Final Four games and TV cannot do them justice. The fans, the student bands and the frenzy bring the arena to life. Yours truly walked over early to watch the teams warm up. I didn’t want to miss a thing and I am in the habit of arriving early for games.

All four teams put on a great show and congratulations to the UConn Huskies for taking it all!

- Coach Wielgus

March Madness from the Sidelines

2010-03-24T09:37:00.001-04:00

March Madness has begun and I have been sidelined. My dancing shoes are in the closet, my derriere is on the couch and my eyes are bloodshot from watching a lighted box … the television. March Madness has begun and I am in Hanover and Hanover is deserted. The students are on spring break. The gym is empty. The March madness flu has struck and basketball aficionados are at home nursing various illnesses. I expect tumbleweed to roll down the corridors of Alumni Gym. The madness of March is far removed from this ghost town.

Then POOF ... in a matter of 2 hours everything changed. On Saturday afternoon Vermont beat Wisconsin and March Madness was alive and well in Hanover. One of our own had made it! Former assistant coach Sharon Dawley, took a dormant basketball program from the cellar of the America East to her second consecutive championship and a first round upset in the NCAA tournament. She was the first in our Dartmouth Women’s Basketball family to get a win in the NCAA tournament game!!!

Her accomplishments are formidable. But most significantly, she did this the “right” way. So chalk up a “W” for the good guys. In the midst of all the hoopla surrounding her victory, she called to tell me how many Dartmouth players, staff and fans had e-mailed her good wishes. he was very touched. And as for Dartmouth, we are dancing in March ... albeit from Hanover

- Coach Wielgus

Few Pieces of Great News

2010-03-15T20:44:00.000-04:00

Hi All,

Some good news to report. First off, congratulations to our two All-Ivy selections: junior forward Brittney Smith is a repeat selection for the All-Ivy First Team and freshman guard Faziah Steen, a unanimous choice to the Ivy All-Rookie team. We're proud of both of them!

Britt led us in every statistical category this season: 12.1 points, 10.2 rebounds per game, 61 assists, 53, steals, 51 blocks. She really made her move into the record books in areas of scoring, rebounding, blocks, free throws and scored her 1,000th career point and grabbed her 750th career rebound. She'll be tearing up those record lists next season and could very well become just our third-ever 1,000-rebounder.

Faziah did a great job for us this season, selflessly playing point guard despite that not being her natural position, and made her mark in the league. She scored 9.4 points per game and upped that to 10.9 ppg in Ivy play. She also grabbed 48 steals and closed her freshman campaign with 23 points at Harvard. The future is very bright for this young player.

Full All-Ivy story is here.

ALSO, as a team we have been named the Ivy winners for the NCAA "Pack the House" Challenge! In its third year, "Pack the House" is a national effort in which conferences and institutions compete to build attendance. Each participating institution designated one date as a "Pack the House" game with the goal of setting an attendance record. The NCAA named 33 winners, one from each conference, based on marketing plan creativity and attendance criteria. The University of Virginia was the NCAA's national challenge winner.

We are really proud to win this because we have always led the league in attendance and it is a great initiative to help grow our game.

Dartmouth hosted 1,619 fans for its victory over Ivy rival Harvard on January 16 and broke our student-attendance record from last season with more than 250 students cheering the Big Green to victory. That game was great and the environment at Leede was electric. You can read more about that here and here.

Perhaps my favorite thing is that the NCAA will donate $500 to the nonprofit organization of each winning school's choice. Dartmouth has asked that the NCAA make its donation to the Upper Valley Haven, which is a local shelter for homeless families, also providing food, clothing and other services to our neighbors in need.
As you may know, our team has worked closely with The Haven, including tutoring children and hosting a food drive earlier this season. Read a blog post about The Haven here.

BIG thanks to Josh Hartman from our marketing department for all the work he did for this. All the details on the Pack the House win are here.

Just watched the women's selection show and am trying to get geared up for the tournament! I am obviously still interested, but it takes a little more time when you're not in it.

Happy bracketing!

- Dara

Battling to the Final Minute

2010-03-11T10:41:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Well, after a very tough weekend against Princeton and Penn, I must admit I was unsure what would happen during our Tuesday night game at Harvard. It's rare that the final game of the entire Ivy League season between the two rivals does not have Ivy title or at least postseason implications. The Crimson had already clinched its bid to the Women's NIT as the League's second-best team.

It was really a unique game of runs! Mostly, Harvard going on a run and us answering back. A first-half run gave the Crimson a 13-point lead and we battled back, but Harvard still led by 10 at halftime. But our team never caved. In the second half, it continued to be runs - but six seemed to be the magic number, on two different occasions we cut the lead down to six after Harvard had extended the lead to more than 10 points.

After two huge threes gave Harvard a 62-51 lead with three minutes to play, I must admit, even I was not optimistic. But I should have been, given the way Faziah Steen and Betsy Williams were shooting the ball! The two of them went on an 8-0 run to pull us within just three points with 1:12 to play. Harvard hit two at the line on its next possession to go up five, and we could not score on our next. The Crimson actually missed the front end of a one-and-one on two occasions, but we again struggled to get a good look at the basket and never made up the 64-59 difference.

It was tough to swallow that loss after we battled back all game. We played a great second half, but again, the story of trailing at halftime came to bite us again. Betsy was really tremendous in her final game in a Dartmouth uniform and as I told her, other than winning, there is no better way to go out. She scored 16 points and was 4-of-4 from three-point range. She ranks 14th all-time with 60 career threes. And Faziah had the best game of her freshman year, scoring 23 points, grabbing seven boards (on a court with a lot of big players), and dishing out four assists. She hit threes, jumpers, layups and free throws and shot 64 percent from the field. It was a great way to end her first season.

We'll have All-Ivy news up later today and some more thoughts in the next few days.

Also want to give a shout out and thank you to our amazing alumnae, who supported this team all over the country this season. There's been a great resurgence and it's impacting the program tremendously. A few were on hand after the Penn game to congratulate Coach Wielgus on her 25th season at Dartmouth, they gave her an amazing picture/memory book and helped welcome our seniors to their alumnae family at our postgame senior night reception.

Thanks again for everyone's support this year!

- Dara

Spring Is In the Air?

2010-03-04T18:47:00.002-05:00

Faithful Fans,

I write to you, once again, as a bad blogger. Believe it or not, "spring" is in the air in the form of Dartmouth spring sports starting up, which has had this women's basketball SID stretched a bit thin!

Anyhow, there hasn't been too much to report this week. Coaches tell me it has been a good week in practice though, and I believe the team is ready to send the seniors out in style. Yes, we have a lot going on this week in addition to our games against Princeton (Friday) and Penn (Saturday). On Friday, Brittney Smith will be honored for scoring her 1,000th career point earlier this month and on Saturday, we will of course honor our three seniors.

As promised, here is the LINK to my preview, stat/video links and pdf notes which will be on there in the morning.

I'll also have some thoughts of my own about the seniors, as soon as I can collect them. It's honestly surreal for me to see them finish their careers, as we kinda grew up together at Dartmouth. I arrived here in 2006 for my first full time sports info job (tho I'd been a full time intern for 2 previous years), having just turned 24 and met the three of them as freshmen. We've had a lot of great experiences together and it's amazing how quickly the time goes. Senior night is always bittersweet, you see, they all come and go, but we remain the same. It's almost like being frozen in time in a transient place, the four-year world that college is. This is my egocentric version of my thoughts on the seniors! :) Like I said, I'll have some more of my feelings about each of them in a day or two.

In the meantime, Coach Wielgus has some thoughts on senior night, and the emotions that surround it each year:

This is going to be a tough weekend. This season has been long and our path bumpy. I should be rejoicing at the idea of next weekend when I actual have a weekend — you know the kind of weekend where you can spend 2 days in a row doing things other than work.

A weekend without a game is fine with me, but a big part of me is sad. And I want to go on the record as dreading Saturday night. This internal upset has nothing to do with our formidable opponents or the game itself, rather, Saturday night is the last home game for the seniors. Saturday is our official farewell to Betsy, Margaret and Michelle. They have run the basketball gauntlet for 4 years and leave here with 2 Ivy Championships, 2 postseason WNIT's and 1 NCAA Tournament appearance. So, their run has been good.

Experience has taught me that Dartmouth basketball will survive their graduation. But I also know that I have grown accustomed to seeing them everyday. I will miss them greatly and I can’t wait to see again as alums. -Coach Wielgus

Thanks again for Going Green with us and look for more soon.

- Dara

Last Road Weekend of the Season

2010-02-26T12:53:00.001-05:00

Hi All,

Sitting here for shootaround in the "historic" Payne Whitney Gym at the John J. Lee Amphitheater at Yale. Mouthful, yes.

We're on our last Ivy road weekend of the season at Yale and Brown, once again hoping for a sweep. Overtime losses have cost us a sweep in the last two weekends.

My preview, notes and links for the weekend are here.

We've had a real unfortunate theme so far this season - going on road trips without our whole team. It's such a bummer when anyone has to miss a trip. In the past few weeks we've had several players with illnesses, including Brittney Smith who battled last weekend after being very ill all week. These last two weekends we just haven't been ourselves without our whole crew. Last weekend, Cassie Cooper, who is injured, skipped our trip to Columbia/Cornell because she was sick. This weekend, senior co-captain Michelle Meyer has had to stay home because she was too sick to make the trip. I know that's been agonizing for her ... we all miss you and hope you feel better FAST!

It just doesn't feel quite right when someone is missing. We're really a family and we miss each other when we're not together.

But it's a big weekend for us - GO BIG GREEN!

- Dara

Gail Boudreaux's Got Game

2010-02-24T10:59:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

As many of you may know, Gail Koziara Boudreaux ’82 is not only one of the most decorated women's basketball players in our program's history, but is also one of the most powerful women in the business world. Seriously - Forbes Magazine ranked her the 54th most powerful woman in the world this fall and last year was Fortune Magazine's 45th most powerful woman in business! She has also been a tremendous friend to our program throughout the years.

As President of UnitedHealthCare and Executive Vice President for UnitedHealth Group, Koziara Boudreaux now oversees 42,000 employees worldwide. After joining UnitedHealth—the No. 1 health insurer in the U.S.— in 2008 as head of its most profitable division ($40+billion), she hit the ground running. Koziara Boudreaux immediately consolidated six national regions into four and plans to grow profits by focusing more intently on local markets.

Koziara Boudreaux still holds Dartmouth's career scoring (1,933 points) and rebounding (1,635 rebounds) records from her playing days in 1978-82, during which time she helped the Big Green to three Ivy Championships and was a three-time Ivy League Player of the Year.

Click here for a great interview from ForbesWoman Magazine, in which Koziara Boudreaux draws the connection from basketball to business.

A few of my favorite excerpts:

"At Dartmouth I was on the team that established women's basketball at that college. At the time, there were four boys to every girl at Dartmouth, so I learned to adapt to a male world, but I also bonded with the women on my team. We all learned that it's good to win. In sports, as in business, you never play to lose. You learn that there will always be someone looking to beat you, no matter how good you are, so you continually have to raise the bar and improve what you're doing. And when you have a defeat, it's not the end of the world. Instead of giving up, you look at what you could have done better and how not to repeat the same mistakes."

"I feel that whether or not you're a great athlete, playing sports is a great thing to do, and especially fabulous for girls because it builds self-esteem. When you play sports you have to ask yourself: Do I want to be the person who takes the shot at the end of the game or be the one who just stands still?"

- Dara

Good News

2010-02-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

I'm hoping to get some thoughts on the weekend up soon, but am a bit swamped tonight. Last weekend we beat Cornell on Saturday after losing in overtime, again, at Columbia. It was an absolute heartbreaker and we certainly had chances to win in overtime, and had the lead in the last minute.

In the meantime, wanted to report some good news.

First of all, our win over Cornell marked the 300th Ivy League win in program history! And yes, we are the FIRST Ivy school to get to that mark, seven games ahead of Harvard. It's amazing just how close our rivalry with the Crimson has been. I really am happy for this group of players to be the ones to get us to that milestone. They have taken some tough, tough losses in the past few weeks but they keep fighting and deserve to have something special to their credit.

Another piece of good news, Sasha Dosenko was named the Ivy League Player of the Week. Sasha has been playing at a torrid pace, averaging 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in our tough split. In the last four games, she is averaging a double-double (13.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg) and has come into her own this winter after averaging just 4.7 minutes in 20 games as a rookie.She has put work into developing her game and we are all very proud of her effort. The full story is here.

Like I said, hope to have more scoop up soon and a report from Coach Wielgus. Thanks to all for your continued support.

- Dara

Going for a Sweep ... On the Court

2010-02-19T12:46:00.001-05:00

Hi All,

Just a quick update from the road. We're at shootaround and our trainer Michael and I are sitting on the floor of Columbia's Levien Gym, polishing off a crossword puzzle while the team goes over the game plan one last time,

We had an uneventful trip down, though I must point out that I had a sweep, 2-0, of good movies for the bus ride down! We watched Couples Retreat - not an Oscar-contender or anything but it was funny and everyone liked it and we watched Up, which is another amazing animated Disney Pixar film

Now we're looking for a sweep on the court this weekend! I'm off to help pass during shooting drills.

All the important weekend links/notes are here.

Go Big Green!

- Dara

Like A Band of Gypsies We Go Down the Highway

2010-02-16T23:20:00.000-05:00

"On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends.
Insisting that the world keep turning our way
And I can't wait to get on the road again."

Something tells me that this weekend, Willie Nelson might lose us on the last line. We're getting set to embark on the most grueling road trip of the year and arguably one of the toughest in college athletics. For our Columbia-Cornell weekend swing, we'll log just about 800 miles from Thursday evening to early Sunday morning! It's a five hour trek to Columbia on Thursday night, taking on the Lions on Friday night, then just under 5 hours up to Ithaca, take on the Big Red on Saturday night and six-plus hours home after that

Getting into your second destination well after midnight and having to play at 7 p.m. is really grueling. I continue to contend that it is both unfair and unhealthy and that it is the one Ivy weekend that should be played Friday night, Sunday early afternoon. But that's for a whole other other story.

Anyhow, as our followers know, we are very much used to life on the road and our players like the structure those days bring. Even though the rides can get LONG, I like it too as it's a break from the office and it's when I best get to know the players and coaches, which is what helps me do my job well.

But I'll turn it over to Coach Wielgus, who has come a long way from the days of driving the team in vans, eating homemade sandwiches.

- Dara

******

"Bus Life"

Like rock stars on tour, we travel the main corridors of this country going from one gig to the next. Our home is the bus. Each of us has our own space and our own routine. There are the readers, the texters, the movie buffs and the sleepers. To be a sleeper is to be truly blessed. There are two players I have never seen awake on the bus.

For most of us however, we are awake or dozing, but rarely sleeping. We go from idle conversation to a movie and back again to idle conversation. Movies are tough ... to pick out. The criteria is mind boggling: content, movie stars, relevance across generational lines and now loudness must be taken into account. Whoever picks out a movie is subject to much scrutiny and ultimately ridicule. I should know. I picked them out for the last trip - it has been strongly suggested that I NOT venture into Video Stop for the duration of the season.

But the bus is where it happens. During the endless hours of banter we learn about one another and our families. We also learn to entertain ourselves. Of course there is always students studying and staff disrupting them, but every once in a while there will be an open mike, player entertainment and iPod karoke. Every once in a while, we start laughing and can’t stop.

The bus is our clubhouse that forces us to just hang out together. Hanging out - face to face interaction is a treasured experience in this high speed internet, text or e-mail me world in which we live. Hanging out with our staff and players is a blast!

- Coach Wielgus

Onward and Upward

2010-02-14T22:15:00.000-05:00

As I’m sure you all know, we took a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Yale last night. We unfortunately got behind which really hurt us, again, having to come all the way back from 10 points down just to force overtime.

I won’t say much other than I know that the effort our players put in was tremendous. They came all the way back and left it all on the court, all of them exhausted and two pushing through injuries sustained midway through the second

We have three losses in Ivy play, but still a full seven games left to play — we get another shot at everyone. How exciting is that?! I know our players are not giving up. Just two years ago we were in the exact same boat and wound up tied for the Ivy Championship. This league is crazy and, as we’ve seen, anything can happen and any team can beat any other.

Times like this I am drawn to a quote that I imagine many of you have read before. It is from the great Teddy Roosevelt’s speech, “Citizenship in a Republic” delivered at the Sorbonne in Paris on April 23, 1910:
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

I’d like to say is thank you to all of you out there who support us so faithfully. Our players and coaches and staff would not make it through without the unyielding care we get from parents, friends and fans. I know many of you, especially parents, wish you could be with us more often, but there is a lot of love here.

The players were pretty beat up last night after a long, physical game, but after a day off today, I think everyone is ready to get after it this week. We are driven to go 7-0 during the next three weeks.

Couple of notes. First, check out a feature on one of the more inspiring stories to come out of the program, senior captain Michelle Meyer ’10.

Also, serious congratulations are in order for junior Brittney Smith ’11 who is already charging up the record books. She scored her 1,000^th career point and grabbed her 700^th career rebound against Yale last night. She is just the sixth player in program history to reach both those career marks. She became the 15^th 1,000^th point scorer for Dartmouth and did so seventh fastest, in just 81 games. Remarkable work, Britt.

- Dara

Looking for a Sweep

2010-02-13T11:10:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Last night we pulled out YET ANOTHER close Ivy win over Brown, 67-63. But we were all proud of the way our players gutted it out against Brown, who has definitely improved this year. We had a seven point lead with about six minutes to play and were on a real run - it felt like we'd pull away. Brown had other ideas, and scored eight points in one minute to take a lead!

We kept pace but didn't get the lead back until Betsy Williams drove, scored and converted a three-point play with 17 seconds to go for a 64-62 lead. She ended up also hitting two free throws in the last two seconds to help us hold on for a 67-63 win. She finished the game with 17 points - the fourth time in her career she has tied that career high! Sasha Dosenko was awesome with 17 points and nine rebounds and Brittney Smith reached double-digit rebounds for the seventh straight game with 14 and had 11 points for her fifth double-double of the last six games.

***

Tonight we host Yale, which is usually one of the most physical match-ups of the season. It will certainly be tough for us after playing a close game last night, but we need to get a sweep this weekend. Right now, Princeton is still alone in first but we are tied with Harvard in second at 4-2. Everyone else has dropped to at least three losses.

Anyhow, I'll be heading to Leede soon to get things set up for the game and pop into shootaround. We're hosting our Pink Zone game tonight which, as I've said before, is always awesome. Hopefully we get a good crowd. It's Winter Carnival this weekend - "I Came, I Saw, I Carnivaled" but it's a little strange to see the Coliseum snow sculpture in the middle of a snowless Green!

Speaking of snow (or lack thereof), is anyone else pumped for the Olympics? I can't get enough of it!

- Dara

Back to Work

2010-02-10T10:57:00.000-05:00

Hey Big Green Fans,

Hope everyone is having a great week so far. I can't believe it is already Wednesday! Lots to do before a big weekend here in Hanover.

We were really disappointed to lose to Princeton on Saturday because we felt we had a solid game plan. Sometimes things don't go your way, but the game was certainly closer than the final score. Our team played really hard from wire to wire, so although disappointed, we couldn't be overly upset about the loss - or at least it makes it easier to swallow. Plus we know we have another shot at them at home!

Couple of important notes this week:

• First, congratulations to Betsy Williams ’10 for being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 2nd Team. This is voted on by people like me, college sports information directors, and recognizes excellence in the classroom and the court. Our district is easily the most competitive in the nation and there were about 40 women on the ballot for 10 spots. Click here for more details on the award and for a recent feature on Betsy, click here.

• Also this weekend, on Friday during our game against Brown, we'll be celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day. It's a nationwide event meant to encourage and inspire participation in athletics by women and girls.

• Biggest of all, is one of my favorite events of the season, this Saturday night during the Yale game, we're hosting our Pink Zone Breast Cancer Awareness game! This is an initiative by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association that has been going on for the last three seasons, raising unbelievable amounts of money. Last year the WBCA formally partnered with the Jimmy V Foundation to create the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, honoring the late great NC State women's coach Kay Yow who lost a 20 year battle with breast cancer last January. Check out some truly impressive stats on the WBCA's Pink Zone Website.

We're really excited to participate in both events. Also exciting is a special $1 admission deal for ANYONE who WEARS PINK to Saturday night's game and raffles including a pink basketball signed by the team.

It's always great when our team - and teams all around the country - can use their public image and status to help good causes.

Weekend previews will be up soon.

-Dara

Big Saturday Night

2010-02-06T11:46:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Just a quick update from Princeton's Jadwin Gym. The Penn-Princeton trip puts us in two of the Ivy League's more unique arenas, with the Palestra's historic feel and Jadwin's unique setup. It has the high arch ceiling of a field house and behind the benches is a bit of an abyss with an indoor track and field set-up.

We had a good victory last night over Penn, 51-37. Again our offense wasn't the most high-octane, but our defense was just stifling to the Quakers. Rookie guard Faziah Steen did a great job with 14 points, six rebounds and five steals! The Smith sisters continued to come up big as well. Brittney had her fourth straight double-double with 13 points, 14 rebounds AND five assists while Margaret scored a season-high 11 points and eight rebounds for us.

The snow is falling outside and tip-off at Princeton is at 6 p.m. tonight. The Tigers are much improved and sitting at 4-0 so we've got a great chance to force a log-jam at the top of the league standings.

Go Big Green!

- Dara

Better Late Than Never?

2010-02-05T18:34:00.002-05:00

I’ve been a pretty neglectful Big Green blogger this week. Apologies to you our loyal followers — it’s easy to lose track of time during our Ivy travel weeks, when I’m out of the office by 2 on Thursday.

I’m sitting courtside in the historic Palestra with about 50 minutes to go before our tip against Penn. If by some chance you are reading this before the game, all the important links for tonight and tomorrow’s game are here.

Anyhow, some events transpired since I last wrote after the Cornell win. On Saturday we played poorly and took a disappointing loss to Columbia. There were some strong individual efforts, but too many defensive lapses cost us the opportunity to stay undefeated in Ivy play.

Taking an early Ivy loss is never ideal, but our team responded well in practice this week. There was a lot of individual film study — the coaches worked hard to break down game so the players could watch themselves and truly analyze what they need to improve upon. I think this is one of the most valuable tools.

We had a great shootaround today and are looking forward to the game. LOTS of snow is headed this way, so we’ll be feeling right at home when we look out the window at Princeton!
- Dara

Getting Their Money's Worth

2010-01-30T11:37:00.000-05:00

Well, no one can say we aren't making the ticket price worth it these days.

We had our third straight close game - though this one was by 2 points, so that's big by our standards. :) We beat Cornell, 55-53 last night at Leede Arena on the strength of a tremendous defensive effort led by Betsy Williams coupled with a 22-point, 12-rebound effort from Brittney Smith.

But it was Margaret Smith who got it done for us AGAIN. She went three-of-four at the free throw line in the last 45 seconds to bring us back from a 1-point deficit and put us up by 2 with 0.9 seconds to play. In between those trips to the line, we got another big defensive stop to keep Cornell from scoring a game-winning basket. She's come up big at the line in both of our Ivy wins.

We had been down by 8 at halftime after a less than stellar defensive performance. Our players came out blazing, opening on an 11-0 run to erase the deficit and go up three, and ultimately went on an 18-3 run to start the half. Our defense paced our offense during that stretch and it really showed how good we can be. It was exciting!

We play Columbia tonight in a game that is really hard to predict. Columbia had defeated Cornell by 20+ points in both of their meetings this year, while Harvard defeated Columbia by 18 last night - of course we beat Harvard by one earlier this month. So, as usual, the Ivy League remains unpredictable and unique every single night.

Looking forward to tipoff tonight at 7! Hope to see you there or hope you'll watch the video stream or listen on the radio at DartmouthSports.com

- Dara

Let the Games Begin

2010-01-28T14:19:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

It's been a busy week here with our coaches, athletes and staff getting ready for our first back-to-back Ivy weekend of the season. The players have had a good week in practice and after 10 days without a game, are definitely itching to get on the court. We're hosting Cornell and Columbia this weekend, definitely opening the Ivy slate with a bang - Cornell shared the title with us in 2008 and was the only Ivy team to beat us last year, while Columbia is really surging of late. My game notes, preview and all the live stat, video and radio links can be found here.

It's amazing that we've already played 15 games and that it's all going to come down to the next 13, played over the course of six grueling weeks. As most of you know, the Ivy League has a unique Friday-Saturday schedule, which is really trying for our athletes both physically and mentally - and for coaches too! A minimum of 80 minutes played in 48 hours is unbelievably taxing. The games, especially by the second half on Saturday, aren't always pretty but every single one is a battle and it always comes down to leadership, toughness and an absolute determination to win.

Our team has certainly displayed those three qualities in our last two games, both one-point victories! More impressively, those wins both came by earning improbable defensive stops - steals - when the other team had a very real chance to hold or take a lead. Its amazing when it happens once, let alone twice in three days. The players are showing a real commitment this week in practice and I believe are ready to defend their Ivy title. We are certainly a different team from last year and we obviously miss our two All-Ivy graduated seniors, but the Dartmouth Basketball qualities of rebounding, defense and mental toughness are just as strong.

We are really developing our identity as a defensive team and, more importantly, the players are taking ownership of that. The thing that's great about a good defensive team is that every single player contributes. While everyone might not play on Friday or Saturday night, each has played a critical role through game preparation and scouting all week. Some might think that's cliche, but I believe it's one of the truest things in sport. If your teammates don't push you - be it while pretending to be the opposition's all-conference guard or by playing their hardest every drill - you will never get better. All 13 players on our roster are contributing, particularly to our defensive strength.

We'll put it on the line this weekend, looking to improve on our 1-0 start in Ivy play. Hope to see you at the games, Cornell on Friday and Columbia on Saturday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. both days!

- Dara

A Saturday Blessing

2010-01-26T11:45:00.000-05:00

This weekend we decided to branch out from what we would normally do as a team on a Saturday: sleep in as late as we can, grab breakfast at the Hop, hit the training room for ice and stim, and then head to a two-hour practice in Leede. This past Saturday we decided, as a team, to volunteer at the Special Olympics Winter Games at the Dartmouth Skiway. What a great decision it was.

We all piled in our cars and left campus at 8:30 in the morning. We made it to the Skiway, checked in, grabbed donuts and hot chocolate, took some toe and hand warmers and got on with our day by heading to the opening ceremonies. After the opening ceremonies, we were assigned to be cheerleaders at the snow shoeing games. Alright ... cheerleading ... was pumped.

After the gun went off and the first heat started and my entire team began to cheer like we do against Harvard, reality hit me in the face — we were making a difference in the lives of all of the Special Olympic athletes because of our enthusiasm and simple desire to fuel excitement into the snowshoe competitors. We as a basketball team were completely engaged in the competition for three hours by making tunnels for the athletes to run through, escorting athletes to the starting line, running papers with times back and forth between the competition and the winners podium. I was awe-struck by the Special Olympics athletes.

All of the athletes in the snow-shoeing race showed what a team should exemplify. They encouraged one another if they happened to fall down in the snow, they were excited for each others' 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place finishes, they high-fived each other, gave each other meaningful pats on the back and most importantly, they appeared to be happy not for themselves, but for everyone performing around them. The smiles plastered across their faces and the glimmer in their eyes made my week.

Volunteering at The Special Olympics acted as a battery re-charger, a soul rejuvenator and wake-up call that life isn’t all about us as Dartmouth athletes. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the hype that surrounds the women’s basketball team and the bubble that we are in at Dartmouth College. This experience was truly a blessing for our team and we definitely squeezed out as much time as we could with the athletes at the Special Olympics until it was time to travel back to campus and take part in Saturday’s practice.

- Michelle Meyer ’10

Photos courtesy of Kylie Kufeld ’13. Click to enlarge.

A New Edition to the Family

2010-01-24T11:17:00.000-05:00

Last week the New York Times came to town. A reporter was sent to spend a day with me, doing research for an article on the women’s basketball rivalry between Harvard and Dartmouth ... more specifically between Kathy Delaney Smith and yours truly. After all it was Harvard week and clearly the world revolves around that rivalry.

The game did not disappoint. Leede Arena was packed; the band played and the big “D" flag circled he court. Dartmouth and the Upper Valley had come to watch great basketball. There were lead changes, scoring droughts and sudden bursts of offense and neither team would back down. It took Margaret Smith sinking two free throws with 5 seconds left for us to clinch a victory. It doesn’t get much better than that.

But I was wrong. Life got a lot better, quickly. My daughter-in-law went into labor Sunday morning. I raced down to Philadelphia in plenty of time to be at the blessed event. Suddenly, there was a new life in my world and a new title next to my name ... grandmother. This title will bring balance into my life. Balance keeps a coach from falling into egocentric silliness of Division 1 athletics. You need perspective in coaching or you can mistake the ups and downs of a season for the pulse of life itself. I have been blessed now with the perspective of a grandmother.

I am delighted to have been able to compete for so many years against such a formidable opponent as Kathy Delaney – Smith.

But I am now “Grand!” There is new precious life in my world. I am the proud grandmother of Wesley Charles Wielgus ... better known as Wes. You don’t think that his name sounds ... well “Harvard-y “ do you??

- Coach Wielgus

The Pressure’s On – An Insider’s Viewpoint

2010-01-22T09:31:00.000-05:00

As I think back on the last few seconds of our game against Harvard on Saturday, I remember everything in slow motion … 9 seconds remain in the game. Harvard takes the ball out of bounds. I hustle to the sideline to guard the ball as I anxiously wait for my player to throw the ball in. Time ticks, she fakes the ball one way and I see her throw the ball over my head. I jump in the air with my hands up and I feel the ball hit the top of my fingers. As I turn around, I see that I have tipped the ball, which then bounces off of my teammate’s back. The ball is on the ground now and I don’t see anything else on the court but the ball. I dive to grab the ball and I feel someone land on my back. I hear a whistle and am relieved to hear that I was fouled.

I get up and hear the crowd yelling and screaming with excitement. There’s a time-out on the floor, so my teammates and I huddle and listen to coach, who gives us the game plan, “We have to foul right away if she misses this, but she’s not going to miss it.” We break out of the huddle as I walk up to the foul line to shoot a one-and-one, my sister, Brittney, says, “You got it, we only need one to tie it.” The referee throws me the ball.>Surprisingly, my heart is not racing and if it is, I ignore it. I don’t hear or see anything, but the rim in front of me. I think to myself, “I have to make the first one.” I do my usual free throw routine and as I release the ball, I know it’s going in. Whew! Now the game is tied. I have to make the second one to possibly win the game. I do my usual free throw routine once again. I release the ball for the second time and it goes in. With 5 seconds left in the game, Harvard quickly brings up the ball and shoots a long-range shot that is off the mark. As the buzzer sounds, I am filled with excitement! My teammates run up to me and we all hug each other. Everyone in the crowd is yelling and standing on their feet cheering for us because we never gave up.

I will always remember those last 9 seconds.

- Margaret Smith ’10

Starting on the Right Note

2010-01-17T17:14:00.000-05:00

Dartmouth 45 - Harvard 44.

One down, 13 to go.

Last night's win over Harvard was just tremendous. It was a classic Ivy League battle for 40 minutes - every pass and shot contested, every rebound a knock-down fight. There was so much energy in Leede Arena! We had 1,500+ fans who really made a difference for our team, getting loud and creating a really fun environment for college basketball. Our players rose to the challenge yet again, and I saw a grit and determination in them that I know had just been waiting to rise to the surface. They are finding their identity as a strong defensive and rebounding team with a real toughness to them.

My recap from the game can be found here. Basically, Margaret Smith was CLUTCH, hitting two free throws with five seconds to play to seal a one-point win. Those two free throws were Margaret's only two points of the night, but she had put forth a sound effort all game and ended up the hero for her team. Faziah Steen scored 11 points in her Ivy League debut and Sasha Dosenko had 10 points and seven boards. We controlled the rebounding game, 42-33 and held Harvard 30 points below their season average!

After last night's game ended, someone asked me if I was ready to do this 13 more times. Since that game felt like an Ivy Championship game - that was a tough question! But the answer is that of course I'm ready and I know now that our players are ready. There is something undeniably special about Ivy League contests, particularly basketball. The passion, brought on by the do-or-die situation in every game, is simply unparalleled.

Having a postseason tournament would completely change the nature of our league and I like it the way it is. There is drama in every game, every possession, as each game truly matters towards determining our champion - and it sets us apart. It makes winning the league and earning the NCAA Tournament bid so much more special as opposed to a rushed conference tournament that all too often results in a league not sending its best team to the national championship tournament.

Some will say that of course a person from Dartmouth wouldn't want a tournament because we're so often near or at the top of the league. That's a fair thing to say. But I believe our success comes from having players that go above and beyond their talent level on the court to execute gameplans that are expertly prepared by a genius head coach and her amazing staff. Our success begets success because of how hard the people in the program work to sustain it. Nothing has been handed to our players and their passion is what drives them to become better both individually and as a team.

We host UNH this Tuesday night for what is always a great instate rivalry game. Tipoff is 7 PM at Leede.

- Dara

Looking to Harvard, Looking at Leadership

2010-01-15T13:53:00.001-05:00

Hi All,

Well, I must admit, we are 29 hours from tip-off against Harvard and I'm pumped! As coach said, there is truly nothing like the Ivy League and I'm excited for my fourth Ivy season with this team to start. Game preview, notes and all the important links are here.

There's a buzz around campus about the game — after all it's Pack the House night! We gave a big crowd a great show in last year's season finale against the Crimson and I think our fans are ready to come back for more.

I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of turnout we get and how our players rise to the challenge. We've certainly had some tough games in the non-conference, but I believe the experiences were slowly building to make our 13 players into stronger individuals and a stronger team. Facing such talented opponents forces you to dig deep and build an inner-fortitude that has definitely served many of our teams well in the past.

One of my graduate classes this term is about leadership in sport, and we were recently given a quote that said: "The most successful leaders will be the ones who assume the mindset that everything is temporary." I think this is an interesting concept that applies to us in that the success Dartmouth has had in recent years (and our long history) is something to be proud of and build from, but it's not a guarantee. Each group has to build its own story of success. And, conversely, the setbacks we've been through are fleeting as well, but they will have a lasting impact if you grow from them.

People often refer to us as a young team, and I agree with that to the point that we have several players stepping up for the first time and a lot of combinations on the court that have not played too much together. But we also have three seniors who have been through this Ivy gauntlet three times and each has a lot of inner strength that will lead us. They are ready to fight for this. Our four juniors who have won two titles in their first two years have a determination that is showing through more and more each game and practice.

This is a really exciting time to be a part of our Dartmouth women's basketball program. I have a lot of belief in our players and coaches and know that they have something to prove and will dig deep to do so.

Can't wait for Saturday and the next two crazy months! Go Big Green!

- Dara

The Ivy Race Begins

2010-01-14T16:09:00.000-05:00

It’s Harvard week ... FINALLY! Our Ivy season begins on Saturday. This Ivy League of ours is truly a unique animal. There is nothing else like it in the zoo of college athletics. Our players are amateurs, they attend classes they choose and many of them work each term.

Our league’s playing fields and courts are very level. We play back to back Friday and Saturday nights. Before any game begins we must travel ... in the winter ... in the Northeast. There are no second chances in the Ivy League, no postseason tournament. Every weekend is a championship weekend.

Throw all these factors onto one court each weekend and you have yourself great competition; and great competition that is great fun.

It all starts this Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Leede Arena against Harvard.

- Coach Wielgus

PACK THE HOUSE!

2010-01-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

Okay Dartmouth fans, we need your support for the rest of the year as our Ivy League season begins with a bang against archrival Harvard on Saturday! We're hosting the Crimson at Leede at 7 p.m. for the first game in a four-game homestand. We host UNH on Jan. 19 and our first back-to-back Ivy weekend versus Cornell and Columbia on Jan. 29-30.

Our fans are always the best in the Ivy League and we want to make sure we lead the league in attendance once again this year! We went 7-0 in Ivy play at home last year and 6-1 the year before and our fans are a huge part of that effort.

On Saturday we're hosting our annual Pack the House game against Harvard. Pack the House is an NCAA league and nationwide challenge for the teams that can draw the best single-game attendance. We'll be trying to better our single-game attendance record from last season - 1700 fans at our Ivy Title-clinching win over, of course, Harvard! We want to FILL Leede Arena this time.

There will be lots of fun promotions and giveaways including a drawing for a basketball autographed by the entire team. Also, educators at all levels (teachers, administrators, support, etc) as well as all Town of Hanover employees will receive free admission. Those tickets need to be pre-reserved by calling Josh Hartman in the marketing office at 603-646-1486. For more info on Pack the House at Dartmouth click here.

- Dara

BC Preview is Up

2010-01-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note that the preview for the Boston College game has been posted on DartmouthSports.com. As always, you can find my game notes, livestats, live video and radio links here.

Go Big Green!

- Dara

Catching Up With a Familiar Face

2010-01-06T10:44:00.001-05:00

Hi All,

As Coach Wielgus mentioned in her blog, we recently had a visit from Koren Schram ’09 while she was in the US for her holiday break. Personally, it was great to see Koren as we became close friends during the three years that we were in Hanover together. Koren is currently playing professional basketball for a team called Hamar just outside of Reykjavik, Iceland. Her team is doing well, second in the league, and Koren is a big reason why! Her quickness, fearlessness and deadly three-point shot have translated well into the professional, international game. Koren won three Ivy Championships in Hanover and was a first team All-Ivy selection as both a junior and senior. We're really proud of what she and Sydney Scott ’08, in her second season playing professionally in Denmark, have been able to accomplish on the court after Dartmouth.

Before last season, ESPN.com's Graham Hays wrote a great article about Koren and her plans to pursue a career in medicine after playing college basketball. He also wrote a nice piece on her after our NCAA Tournament game at Maryland last spring. He mentioned at the time that it would be interesting to someday follow-up and see where she ended up with med school, basketball, etc. Well that opportunity came sooner than he thought when Graham was at our Blue Sky Classic to write a feature on Dayton and saw Koren making her rounds at Leede. He double-checked with me to make sure it was really her and the two sat down for a chat that he turned into yet another great article.

Check out the story here.

It's been a busy week for the players as winter term classes started on Monday along with preparations for ACC foe Boston College on Thursday. BC will be our second-to-last non-conference game and final tune-up before Ivy play. The Eagles will obviously present a formidable challenge but we believe they are a great precursor to preparations for Harvard on Jan. 16. We take on the BC down in Chestnut Hill this Thursday night at 7 p.m. and don't play again until the 16th, when we host the Crimson.

- Dara

Quick Turnaround and Back on the Road

2010-01-01T18:35:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Sitting in a hotel room in Worcester, Mass. with some time to kill before dinner and thought I'd give a quick update on things. We're at my old stomping grounds to take on Holy Cross tomorrow (Saturday Jan. 2) at 1 p.m. I graduated from Holy Cross in 2004, where I was an athlete and worked for the athletic department. I'm glad we've kept up our series with HC because it's a good measuring stick for us and is a great battle between two traditional New England powers. And people always ask me if I am torn - the answer is of course not! Dartmouth is who I am now and it's Go Big Green all the way! All the usual preview and multimedia info can be found here.

We're looking to turn things around tomorrow as we were unable to get a W at our own Blue Sky Classic, but there were some positives to come out of the tournament. We took a really tough 58-57 loss to Rhode Island in the opener. URI came out on fire and led us, 21-5, in the first seven minutes! We battled back, but they still held a 12-point lead at the half, that they quickly built back to 16 early in the second. Then we finally got our rhythm going, got the ball inside to Brittney and got some big threes to fall. Betsy Williams hit a particularly huge shot to pull us within two points late in the game. We were down 58-57 with a chance to win on the last possession, but things didn't go our way and we couldn't complete the comeback.

That loss seemed to really stir something in the players, however, and they came out with a rejuvenated determination the next day! The team had a great shootaround and just the players stayed longer to work on some more stuff. That competitiveness showed when we took on Dayton, who was just outside the top-25 in both polls this week (essentially #27 nationally). Dayton has ranked as high as 20th this year. The game opened as a real defensive struggle, knotted at 0-0 until Dayton scored at 16:21. It was just 7-5 eight minutes into the game. We trailed by eight at halftime and Dayton managed to pull away in the second and added to the total with a late press. We lost, 57-36, but it was a closer game than that and our defense battled against a much taller and deeper team. There were a lot of positives to take out of it.

Hope everyone has a healthy and happy new year and we are excited to share the Ivy season with all of you!

- Dara

Coach’s Favorite Christmas Presents

2009-12-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas was wonderful! Family time, good meals and lots of laughter all come together at this joyous time of the year.

But my favorite Christmas presents came late and never made it under the tree. They arrived on Dec 29 during our Blue Sky Basketball Classic. I was minding my own business at the press table watching Vermont beat Dayton, when I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned around and there was a tanned, fit, smiling Koren Schram’09! What a treat! Koren was home for the holidays from Iceland, where she is having a blast playing on a professional basketball team. It was so much fun to spend time with her, but I had to cut the conversation short ... we had a game to be played.

So I assumed my pre-game position on the bench waiting for the URI game to begin. Much to my surprise out of the stands comes Derrick Harrison ’07! Derrick was our team manager and my good friend. Derrick is teaching math in a middle school in the Bronx and he just completed his masters program. He had his delightful girlfriend Amber with him.

I can’t tell you what a joy it was to see Koren and Derrick. I think Christmas came twice to me this year!!

- Coach Wielgus

Back for the Blue Sky

2009-12-28T15:57:00.000-05:00

In my world, the holidays arrive and leave faster than Santa’s sled. One minute we are in sunny southern California playing in the Galen Center. Next minute, we are diving for presents under a Christmas tree and eating the best food ever. Within a blink of the eye, we are back in Leede Arena practicing on the newly varnished floor. The holidays and travel a blur.

It is always hard to leave your family and friends, but I have to confess I was excited see the kids back in Hanover. Post Christmas at Dartmouth means ... tournament time!!!

The Blue Sky Basketball Classic Tournament is a wonderful event made possible by the generosity of Blue Sky owner Marc Milowsky and the professionalism of our staff here at Dartmouth. Dartmouth and Marc know how to run an event. The Tournament was started back in 1978 by me and Sally Estes our administrative assistant at the time. It has been going on ever since. So many great teams have played here: Rutgers, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Marquette, Arkansas and Duke to name a few.

This year is not different. We welcome back an old friend and former assistant Coach Sharon Dawley now at Vermont, Cathy Inglese brings her Rhode Island Rams and Jim Jabor’s top-25 Dayton Flyers round out the field.

This tournament is a treat to us and our gift to the Upper Valley community — good basketball over the holidays played in front of our friends and family. It doesn’t get much better than that.

We tip-off against Rhode Island on Tuesday (12/29) at 7 PM but be sure to check out an exciting match-up between Dayton and Vermont at 5 PM. It's a classic format this year so we'll take on Dayton at 7 PM on Wednesday with Vermont-URI playing at 5 PM.

- Coach Wielgus

Happy Holidays

2009-12-25T14:32:00.000-05:00

All of us from Dartmouth Women's Hoops are scattered around the country this week, spending this holiday with our families and friends!

It's a brief break before reporting back on the 26th but I think everyone is used to taking full advantage of the time off. We're back at it soon after the holiday and looking forward to hosting the Blue Sky Classic - our 33rd annual tournament.

This holiday season we are so grateful to all of our loyal readers and fans. You make this program so special and we appreciate your support through all the ups and downs of the season. Hopefully you're enjoying this extra look into all that goes on behind the scenes and we look forward to defending our Ivy League title in 2010.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year to All!

- Dartmouth Women's Hoops

California Dreamin

2009-12-21T01:29:00.000-05:00

... Something we may all be doing by tomorrow night! Except for Kelsey Byrd, since she's our resident California girl!

The weather here continued to be beautiful, though we weren't basking in the sunshine quite as much the past two days, since we had games and tried to stick to our routine.

We lost to an impressive USC team on Saturday. They got some hot hands after the first 10 minutes and nailed some real back-breaking threes to pull ahead before halftime. Betsy Williams had another good game off the bench, leading us with 12 points while Sasha Dosenko hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds. Brittney Smith had nine points and eight boards.

Today (Sunday) we beat Delaware State in the consolation game, 49-38. While we are certainly working on more consistent offense, we were definitely pleased with the defensive effort to hold DSU to 27 percent shooting. Brittney had a big night on both ends of the court with 10 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots. Sasha added 13 points and eight boards while Faziah Steen scored 12 points. We took the lead early in this one and never really looked back.

It's 10 p.m. in California and everyone is winding down for a long day of travel in the morning. We will all be going our separate ways for the holidays and the first flights are at about 7 am so the first airport shuttle leaves at 4:30 am. Players report back to campus in Dec. 26, which makes for a short break, but is actually more time than a lot of teams get. We are also always excited to get back to host our own Blue Sky Classic Tournament on Dec. 29-30.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support and to all those who came out to watch us on the west coast! There were several families and friends in attendance and it was great to see familiar faces in the stands.

- Dara

Greetings from the Golden State

2009-12-18T21:30:00.000-05:00

Hi All!

As you probably know, we've been in SUNNY California since Wednesday evening. We flew in a day early for our tournament at the University of Southern California this Saturday and Sunday. The weather has been amazing here in Los Angeles - low to mid 70's and plenty of sunshine.

While we're here to do a job on the court - beating USC on Saturday and facing Delaware State or Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday - we want to have some fun while we're out here too. After long travel day on Wednesday we had a quiet dinner and retired early to catch up on sleep, since it felt like midnight to us at 9 p.m.

Thursday we traveled about 30 minutes to Santa Monica, which is right on the Pacific Ocean and features a huge outdoor mall and a traditional boardwalk complete with rollercoaster, ferris wheel, carousel and more. Coach Wielgus, Coach Gleason and our trainer Mike Derosier even had a battle on the bumper cars. The outdoor shopping area was great and had any store you could want - the players enjoyed the chance to do some shopping for their "Secret Santa" gift exchange. We practiced Thursday night and had dinner joined by a special guest, Angie Soriaga ’06. As loyal fans know, Angie is one of the finest ever to wear the Green and White - she holds the all-time assists (462) record, scored 1,100+ points and had 200+ steals. She's in graduate school at UCLA and it was great to see a familiar face out here.

Friday we stayed in the neighborhood by our hotel, which is in a great downtown area. The highlight was a trip to the ESPN Zone, where we played all kinds of arcade games. There were some spirited racecar, air hockey and pop-a-shot competitions.

I'm courtside at practice right now but we're wrapping things up and will have dinner and a quiet night tonight. We take on USC tomorrow at 4:30 PST/7:30 EST. Game notes, preview and all the multimedia links are here.

- Dara

Team on the beach in Santa Monica

A Special Guest at Practice

2009-12-17T11:02:00.000-05:00

Word came down from above. Newly appointed Dartmouth President Jim Yong Kim would like to attend practice. YIKES!!

I scurried to retype and actually proof my practice plan. I broke out my new Nike sneakers, the ones I had been saving for summer recruiting, grabbed a whistle without bite marks and lamented that I had not chosen a more stylish sweat suit to wear that day!

I headed down to the gym early to make sure everything was in order. After all, company was coming.

Not only was President Kim already in the gym, but I had been misinformed. He did not want to watch practice. He wanted to PRACTICE! No fancy Brooks Brothers suit with trademark green tie for the 17th president in the Wheelock succession. No … he was in his work out clothes, his sneakers were laced, a ball in his hands. He was ready to practice.

I decided shooting drills in close to the basket would be a good group activity. It would reduce the risk of injury to the President and allow him to return unscathed to Parkhurst. I learned quickly that President Kim needed no protection from the rigors of practice. He could shoot! He was nailing his shots, high five-ing the players and full of energy ready for a workout.

At the first break in the action, the President came over to me and asked, “When do we scrimmage?” Quick thinker that I am, I said, “Now.“ We went 5-on-5 in the half court and he picked Brittney Smith to be on his team — he knows the game. He guarded rookie Kylie Kufeld, who hit a quick three. He commented, “Okay, you get respect.” She did not make another shot. He rifled no-look passes to Brittney, helped out on the drive, rebounded and of course he shot. After all he is from Iowa and they learn to shoot at a young age in Iowa. What wonderful fun we had that day!

The players are still talking about is his visit. The buzz on the team — PRESIDENT KIM HAS GAME!

- Coach Wielgus

Monday Morning Update

2009-12-14T11:09:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Just a quick update on things here in Hanover. We had a good game yesterday at #25 Syracuse. You can find the full recap and boxscore here. We really hung tough against the Orange, who are still undefeated at 9-0, losing 56-42. They average 79 points per game so we were very proud to hold them 23 points below that and to force them into a season-high 26 turnovers. While we would have liked to score some more, it was definitely a defensive struggle on both sides and our players continue to take a lot of pride in their defense.

Betsy Williams deserves a ton of credit for her effort off the bench, scoring 13 points in 22 minutes. Brittney Smith went the distance, playing a full 40 minutes and posting 13 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Overall it was a team defensive effort and we gave Syracuse its second-closest game of the season (they beat Binghamton by 13, 87-74).

It's awesome to see how everyone has been coming along both individually and as a team. These trips that we take during the school break are such good times for team bonding.

That's it for now. Team will do some light work today to keep their legs. Then we're off to California for the Univ. of Southern California's tourney on Wednesday (12/16). First game in Cali is on Saturday at 4:30 PST against the Trojans. We'll be in touch before then!

- Dara

On The Road Again

2009-12-13T12:38:00.000-05:00

Hey loyal Big Green fans!

Sorry it's been a full week since our last post, I actually didn't realize it! We've been traveling through New York this week and sometimes we don't have the most reliable internet access.

Anyhow, we picked up a big win at Stony Brook on Friday night! We came out strong, moving the ball really well and forcing the Seawolves into turnovers left and right. We went up 18-3 and eventually led by 19 in the first half. Our halftime lead was 12, 39-27, which was our high for first-half points this season.

Stony Brook came out on fire in the second half. Give them credit for responding to the deficit - they also had two starters out with foul trouble in the first - so with those players back they made a big run. We had a nine point edge midway through the second half but the Seawolves wouldn't back down. Thankfully we hit some big shots when we needed to never let them tie or take a lead. Brittney Smith took the team on her back late, scoring eight points in a four minute stretch before fouling out with 2:24 left to play. The rest of the team stepped up and made some key defensive stands for us to take the 77-72 win, iced by a pair of Meghan McFee free throws.

Brittney finished with a full statline - 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and two blocks. We got awesome performances from sophomore forward Sasha Dosenko, with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and freshman guard Faziah Steen, who scored 18 points and grabbed six rebounds in just 24 minutes.

We spent the night on Long Island on Friday before driving over to Syracuse on Saturday morning. Team had a good practice at the Carrier Dome - see pictures below - and a good dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse. This morning we had shootaround, but not at the Carrier Dome, since the Syracuse men play at 1 p.m. today. Syracuse was nice enough to let us use their brand new practice facility, made possible and named after NBA star Carmelo Anthony, who led the Cuse men to the 2003 national title.

We tip-off against #25 Syracuse at 5 p.m. tonight - yup, the Orange, who are 8-0, cracked the top-25 this week. Game notes and livestat/video links are here.

We'll have some thoughts on the weekend from Coach Wielgus up tomorrow and some details on our upcoming trip to Californ-i-a this week!

-Dara

A Quiet Week in Leede Arena

2009-12-06T15:46:00.002-05:00

Hi All

Just a quick update on the goings on, or lack thereof, for the team this week! Actually, the players have been plenty busy, but basketball has taken a bit of a backseat to academics this week. It's finals week for the fall term at Dartmouth - not fun for the students but a little break for the staff.

The team had both Monday and Tuesday off to rest their bodies after a grueling start to the season and a long trip home from Cincinnati. I think some folks hit the gym to get some shots up on Tuesday, but overall, a good chance to rest. Classes ended on Wednesday afternoon with a two-day reading period to follow. The coaches held practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but the team was off on Saturday and Sunday to take their finals and finish up papers. I'm always impressed by how the players work ahead and take care of their academic business in a timely manner.

Things will be back to normal for the on-court schedule soon and we hit the road on Friday for a long trip to Stony Brook (play on Dec. 11) then upstate to Syracuse for a game on Sunday (Dec. 13) evening. Then it's off to California on Dec. 16!

The coming weeks are my favorite time of the season and I know the players enjoy it too. The break between games allows the coaching staff to focus on our offense in practice and the ensuing break from school lets the players focus only on basketball and each other. We also always take some good road trips at this time of year and everyone is so much more relaxed and able to have fun.

- Dara

Some Perspective on the Schedule

2009-12-02T10:35:00.000-05:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again: To be the best, you have to play the best.

In order to truly develop as a basketball team, players need to be tested against teams that are at a high level - be it physically, skill-wise or experience. Dartmouth has always held itself to the highest possible standard in its scheduling and this year is no exception.

If you follow college basketball, you have probably heard of the letter's RPI - Ratings Percentage Index. It's a mathematical formula, utilized heavily around NCAA Tournament time, that ranks teams based on their own record and the record of their opponents, home vs. away, etc. Another key set of letters is SOS. And not the one you might be thinking of! That stands for Strength of Schedule, which is also critical come tournament time. As of today, our Strength of Schedule ranks 11th in the nation - we have the 11th most difficult schedule out of 345 NCAA Division I teams!

While our recent losses have not been fun to endure, I think we'll take them knowing that they are making us better. The Ivy League is full of great teams and very talented basketball players. When we play teams like Temple, Hartford, Vermont and Syracuse, USC and Dayton (coming up this month), we face programs that are strong from top to bottom. Those experiences make our athletes better basketball players, test them physically, build teamwork and instill a mental toughness that will be needed down the stretch.

Three of our last four opponents have been receiving votes in the national top-25 polls and the combined record of teams that have beaten us is 18-4. Syracuse, who we play on Dec. 13, is undefeated and Dayton, who we host in the Blue Sky Classic is ranked #24th this week.

It is no secret that we have struggled early in the last several years, when we have consistently played the most challenging non-league schedule we could. Last year our SOS topped out at 4th in the nation. Since 2006, we're just 2-18 in the month of November, when we often face our strongest opponents who have often been playing together since the summer. In the last three seasons, we have then gone 47-27 after November, 33-9 in Ivy play including a combined 24-4 in the last two seasons.

Our schedule has prepared us well in the past to win four of the last five Ivy Championships including the last two. The year we did not win, 2006-07, we finished second.

While there is still no substitute for winning — those W's feel a lot better than L's — we have confidence that this is just part of the road to success for us.

- Dara

Fun Times in O-HI-O

2009-11-28T13:23:00.001-05:00

We have had a great trip to Cincinnati so far. We arrived at about 4 p.m. on Friday and had practice at Cincinnati’s arena that evening. The team enjoyed a huge family style Italian dinner at Maggiano’s restaurant before heading back to the hotel for the night.
Today, Saturday, we got to have an exciting NFL experience thanks to some Dartmouth connections here in Cincinnati – Dartmouth alumni really are a family, no matter how many years or miles removed from Hanover.

Mike Brown ’57 is the owner and president of the Bengals and his daughter, Katie Brown Blackburn ’86, is the executive vice president of the team. Thanks to their Dartmouth ties and friends in common, we were able to visit the Bengals Paul Brown Stadium. Katie and her daughters, Elizabeth and Caroline, gave us the royal treatment! We got to watch the Bengals do their walkthrough for their game against the Browns tomorrow right on field level. The players got lots of pictures in the stadium and even some with quarterback Carson Palmer, head coach Marvin Lewis and other players.

After watching practice we got a full tour of the stadium, which also houses the team’s training facilities and offices. We went everywhere from the team meeting rooms, to the head coach’s office to the full size basketball court near the locker room, where the team and Elizabeth played a mean game of knock out. Meghan McFee `11 edged Michelle Meyer ’10 for the win!

The whole experience was a thrill for everyone, but especially for Ohio natives and Bengals fans, Michelle and Louise Vanden Bosch ’11.

We’re back at the hotel now for the afternoon and we’ll relax here until film and practice at 5. Then it will be a quiet night in as we prepare mentally and physically to take on the University of Cincinnati tomorrow at 2.

- Dara

Go Big Green and Go Bengals!

The Process Continues

2009-11-26T22:58:00.002-05:00

We lost again to Vermont on Wednesday night. We faced an experienced and talented UVM team and they pulled away in the second half.

Okay, I admit I have a hard time losing and we are losing big. But there will be no pity party from me. I am watching some players grow up right in front of my eyes. Sasha Dosenko and Faziah Steen stepped up and competed as they saw significant playing time last night. Overall we are competing better, but we are not “there” yet. No sure I have ever been … "there."

Perseverance. That concept is at odds with this here and now world. It is dull and slow … not shiny and sleek. There are no short cuts to perseverance and its journey will be arduous. Those without a vision will never see the finish line. There is no vision without faith. Basically, you have to believe and put one foot in front of the other and get going … one step at a time.

Off to Cincinnati in the morning. Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for following us!

- Coach Wielgus

Hitting the Road ... And Being at Home

2009-11-25T12:59:00.000-05:00

We're all set for our first road game of the 2009-10 season at Vermont tonight (7 p.m.). It's certainly a bit odd for us to three games into the season and yet to play on the road - the last few years have been filled with early road trips. But now, we won't be back home at Leede Arena until the Blue Sky Classic on Dec. 29-30. Because of our location, we don't have day trips for road games very often. They can be a bit hectic. Usually the staff works and the players go to class, then we head out and eat pregame meal along the way.

Few links for tonight's game - check out the game preview and notes here, where you will find links to the WUVR radio broadcast, livestats and Vermont's video feed (which costs $7 if you want to watch the game).

For those who had questions about what game day is like at home, here are some thoughts. Home game days are usually pretty hectic for everyone. I obviously have a lot of responsibilities to make sure the gym is set up and that media and game operations will run smoothly, but the coaches and players have full days too.

So for the players, when we are at home, most of the day goes like any other - they have to attend all of their classes. The team has its "shootaround" or walk through sometime during the day, usually at 1 or 2, and sometimes people can't make it because of class. We all come together for a delicious pregame meal at 3:00 up the street at Molly's - like clockwork it's salad, grilled chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies. I think most players enjoy a quick nap after pregame to relax before taking the court. Oh and Coach Wielgus never comes to pregame meal at home ... she's a little superstitious ;)

In terms of getting to the gym, it really varies depending on how much time an individual player needs to spend in the training room, but 5:30 in the locker room is pretty common. People get heat treatments, ankles taped, etc over in the training room before reporting to the locker room. There are lots of different little rituals - I know some people get dressed in a certain order, some like the solitude of their own headphones, others like the bustle of the locker room.

Players make their way onto the court at different times to shoot and loosen up before starting a formal stretching routine. The coaches and players head into the team room to go over strategy about 35 minutes before tip-off and come back out with about 20 minutes to go for their stepped up warmup.

After the game the players usually get something to eat on their own - spend time with their family if they are here - and try to relax if they don't have too much studying to do!

Thanks for the questions and comments, keep 'em coming!

Happy Thanksgiving as well ... We'll have an update before heading out to Cincinnati on Friday.

-Dara

Growing Pains

2009-11-23T10:29:00.000-05:00

The season has barely started and we have hit some major bumps in the road. We lost Cassie Cooper to a knee injury on Friday and had one practice to adjust. I feel awful for Cassie. It was her turn to see what she could do and she was more than ready to play.

We will have to work our way through the early part of this season against some very strong opponents. The competition is above us now, and youngsters who should be watching will have to play. Amidst the setbacks, there are enormous opportunities for growth. Hopefully, we rise to the occasion.

There is nothing to do but lace up our sneakers and hit the hardwood. This is going to take time.

-Coach Wielgus

More Than Just Basketball

2009-11-21T15:39:00.000-05:00

The game this Sunday against Hartford is special for a number of different reasons. First, it gives us another chance to prove that we can play with the nations best. After a disappointing loss to Temple on Thursday night, we are preparing for the next challenge. The key will be to put forth a sustained effort throughout the game and help each other out on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. This is our last home game before the Blue Sky Tournament so we want to make it an exciting battle for our fans. We have some of the best fans in the nation and the community support means so much to the success of the program.

Also, this Sunday we are sponsoring a non-perishable food drive to benefit the community food shelf at the Upper Valley Haven, a local shelter specifically for families with children. Our team has a special connection to the Haven because we have volunteered at “homework club” during our preseason the past two years. At homework club, we help the children with their homework, construct various art projects, read books with them, and play outside on the playground. My favorite activities with the kids include painting with watercolors, playing two-square and collecting acorns. One of the children is a very talented painter and made beautiful portraits of Faziah and me in our basketball uniforms. I happen to have mine hanging in my locker.

Volunteering at the Haven is a great way to connect with local children and give back to the community. I’ve had such a wonderful time getting to know the kids. We feel so fortunate to support the noble work of the Haven and hope to expand on our community service endeavors in the years to come.

- Betsy Williams (Norwich, Vt.), Senior, Guard

One Down, 27 to Go

2009-11-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

Dartmouth - Bryant Game Story

We opened the 2009-10 season at home against Bryant and got a W, 57-47! Felt great to start the season and even better to be 1-0. It was the first time since 2005 that we've opened the season at home and also our first season-opening win since that year's victory over Quinnipiac.

Lots of people contributed to the win. Props to junior Cassie Cooper '11 who scored a career-high 14 points and added seven rebounds in her first collegiate start - she's been waiting two years for this and she's ready. Brittney Smith '11 and Betsy Williams '10 scored in double figures too and Margaret Smith '10 hauled in 12 rebounds. It was also really special to see senior Michelle Meyer '10 on the court for the first time in more than a year (after an injury took all of last season) and gave us a big boost off the bench. Welcome back #12.

Coach Foster broke down the film today and they'll be review of the game this week as well as preparations for a very good Temple squad that comes to Hanover this Thursday night. Temple started its season with an impressive 18-point comeback win over Illinois and hosts Auburn on Tuesday. The Owls will be a tough early season test for us, but as Dartmouth has proven time and time again, playing the best is what makes you the best.

After Temple comes yet another solid team in Hartford, who we HOST (yes that's three in a row) on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. If you're coming to that game we'll be holding a non-perishable food drive - please do what you can to help us help our community.

-Dara

Twas the Night Before Bryant ...

2009-11-13T14:52:00.004-05:00

Bryant Game Preview/Notes

GAME TIME has finally arrived! Tomorrow’s center jump at 7 p.m. in Leede Arena marks the first step on our journey. There is a high energy level in the gym — the players and coaches are clearly excited. Radio personnel, photographers and newspaper reporters have been to the gym to watch practice; seniors and coaches have been interviewed and there has been a parade of loyal fans and alumni stopping by the office. WE HAVE A GAME!!!

We won’t have an accurate scout on Bryant … and vice versa. This is the first game of the year for both teams, so there is no available current game film. But I did the scout anyway and based it on last year’s game film (we used a second half comeback to win, 71-56). Scouts are very important to me and to our success.

And my scout tells me ... drum roll please ... it should be a good game for both teams.

- Coach Wielgus

The Buzz About Brittney

2009-11-05T16:18:00.003-05:00

Dartmouth junior forward Brittney Smith has been getting some well-deserved preseason recognition. In consecutive seasons, she won the Ivy League's Rookie and Player of the Year awards.

In 2009, she became Dartmouth's 11th Ivy Player of the Year honoree. She was also one of two unanimous selections to the first team All-Ivy. The 6-1 forward was a force inside throughout the season, averaging 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game overall. In conference play she upped her numbers to 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while contributing to the Big Green's dominant defense, allowing just 47.1 points per game.

This preseason, Smith has garnered praise from two national publications. First, USA Today put her on its "All-Brittney" team, which was published in the annual college basketball preview magazine (click to enlarge).

In addition, Full Court Press online women's basketball journal named Brittney honorable mention on its Preseason Mid-Major Top-25 players. That article can be viewed here.

These accolades are exciting for Brittney, the team and all of us. But I think the best thing about Brittney is that she is a team player and will do whatever she has to for the team to succeed - her teammates are the same way!

Getting excited for tipoff on November 14!

-Dara

Dartmouth Gets Hyped for Hoops!

2009-11-02T14:25:00.000-05:00

For the first time since the 2005-06 season, Dartmouth will be hosting a "midnight madness" style event for basketball this week. Obviously it's not midnight madness before the first practice, but we think our Hoops Hype is coming at just the right time.

Dartmouth students always need a little time to ease into a new sport it seems, so this week our marketing department, with a tremendous effort by new staff member Josh Hartman, is sponsoring Spirit Week and Hoops Hype. Spirit Week includes a variety of activities building up to the Hoops Hype event on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. in Leede Arena. This Tuesday, Nov. 3, the women's team will be holding an open practice from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Leede Arena. Both events are open to the public so we'd love to see you there if you're in the area.

Personally, I'm really excited for Hoops Hype for this team. We ended the season on such a great note, beating Harvard in front of a nearly full house to clinch the Ivy title. A ton of students came to the game and made it a tough environment for the Crimson. Hopefully they liked what they saw and will come back for more. Having this event on Nov. 5 is especially important to us because it's just nine days before our home-opener on Nov. 14 against Bryant. Yes, we not only get to open the season at home but we have three straight home games to start. Two very good mid-major programs in Temple and Hartford come to town on Nov. 19 and 22.

Click here for more details on Spirit Week, Open Practice (Tues. 11/3 @ 4:30) and Hoops Hype (Thurs. 11/5 @ 8). Hope to see a lot of faces at these events this week and at our upcoming games.

-Dara

A Homecoming to Remember

2009-10-30T12:47:00.001-04:00

I AM A DARTMOUTH GROUPIE! Every year I drag my family to the Homecoming festivities. They roll their eyes, but come. I love the parade with all the classes, bands and teams marching all over town and the freshmen sweeping in at the end of parade. I actually go to the front of Dartmouth Hall and LISTEN to the speeches. I don’t want to miss anything. Then there is the bonfire. It is spectacular.

This Homecoming was special to me. Our women’s basketball alumnae came home to Hanover for the weekend. Thirty women from the class of 1979 to the class of 2006 returned to celebrate our great basketball tradition. They celebrated as only our players can. They talked and laughed. They played three-on-three with the current team, attended practice, had a banquet and watched a pictorial history of the program. What amazed me the most was that regardless of the amount of time between meetings, our conversations picked up right where they were left off. And then there was the laughter — we laughed so much it hurt.

But it was not all about them. The alums were anxious to meet our current players. They wanted to know “THE TEAM”. Knowing the names and statistics off the website was not enough. Watching streamed games online was not enough. Our alums are not fans; they are a part of us. And they wanted to share their precious time with our current team. They met formally and informally with each other and with us.

On Sunday morning everyone rolled out of bed for one final meeting. Alums from all walks of life met with the team for a mentoring session. A businesswoman, lawyer, doctor, teacher, professor and pilot told their stories. They offered advice not only on careers, but also on life itself. The alums returned to this place to do what they have always done — give back. The big secret to the success of this program is that each generation has left our program better than they found it. That tradition is alive and well. This weekend it was passed onto to our current players.

I will treasure this Homecoming. I am amazed at the accomplishments of our alums. I am proud of the women they have become. I am blessed to know them. They have put a permanent smile on my face.

- Coach Wielgus

Early Season Opinions

2009-10-28T18:58:00.000-04:00

The Ivy League's annual preseason poll has come out and a panel of 16 media members and women's basketball sports info contacts think the two-time defending Ivy Champion Dartmouth women will win it all again.

Dartmouth received 11 first-place votes (of a possible 16), garnering 123 of a possible 128 points. Harvard, which finished second in 2009, is a close second in this poll with 115 points and five first-place votes. Princeton and Columbia are neck-and-neck for the next two spots, with 86 and 83 points, respectively.

We're not a bad pick considering that the Big Green has won four of the last five Ivy titles. But preseason polls are a funny thing. I don't think anyone places much stock in them anyway. I'm entering my fourth year here and this is actually the first time we've been picked to finish first. We were tabbed for second in 2006-07 and finished there, fourth in 2007-08 and finished tied for first and second in 2008-09 and finished first.

Those of you who know Coach Wielgus and all that she has seen in 24 years in this league can probably imagine her take on it, but here it is:

"I appreciate that we have been picked first but I put absolutely no stock in it," said Wielgus. "Nobody knows what is going to happen; the league is extremely balanced and I think there's teams in there that have been picked in traditional spots that belong higher. I have such respect for my opponents and I know that any one of us can win this Ivy Championship. I'm looking forward to starting the season and the only poll that matters is the one at the end of the year."

For my official DartmouthSports.com take on things and the full poll results, click here.

- Dara

(Dartmouth Sports Info)

Farewell Morning Workouts

2009-10-20T21:42:00.002-04:00

So, last Monday was the seniors’ LAST 6 AM workout EVER and the rest of the team's final 6 AM fall work out. I feel free, liberated, happier sort of, and caught up on sleep ... finally! 6 AM's were great for conditioning and there’s no one the team would rather see in the morning than Coach Miller, but let’s be serious. No one wants to be woken at 5:30 AM up by the piercing, high-pitched buzzing noise of an alarm clock ... it just puts you in an even worse mood, And don’t even get me started on the annoying jazzy cell phone alarms that now exist which try to cover up the fact that they’re interrupting your great REM sleep by being pleasing to the ears. No. There’s really nothing that can cover up the fact that I’m waking up at 5:30 to go run. People aren’t supposed to be awake or functioning at this hour and trust me, no one wants to see me this early in the morning ... that’s for sure.

But there’s something special about waking up at 5:30 AM, walking out the door into air so cold it stuns my lungs and a sky so dark I can’t see in front of me, and heading over to Leverone Fieldhouse where the rest of my teammates await. No one on the team prefers 6 AM work outs (except for Kelsey maybe) but everyone shows up. That’s the beauty of preseason ... all 12 of my teammates and I have the same goal: we want to be prepared for the tough season ahead of us. If that means waking up at 6 AM and doing a million shuttles to the point where we can’t feel our legs for a week straight ... then we’ll do it.

The beauty of 6 AM's is to see that while we’re all just as tired from staying up the night before doing homework (or watching Desperate Housewives ... ahem) we are all just as focused on getting through the workout and getting better collectively. Ten minutes into the workout the concept of time is irrelevant and we are focused on the task ahead of us, cheering each other on every second of every sprint.

6 AM workouts are extremely painful to wake up for, but incredibly important because they bring the team together and constantly remind us that the harder we work the luckier we’ll get.

Hard work breeds champions.

- Michelle Meyer (Covington, Ohio), Senior, Guard

25 Years and Excited as Ever ...

2009-10-16T14:53:00.001-04:00

I couldn’t sleep last night. I got up early, showered, BLEW dry my hair and broke out a new sweat suit. I got to work early. I bothered everyone in the gym and made them talk to me.

It is the first day of practice and I can’t contain myself!

-Coach Wielgus

Courtesy, Jen Goodwin

Life Is Good ... When You Can Scoot

2009-10-13T13:15:00.002-04:00

This is rogue blog that breaks away from the tantalizing world of Dartmouth Women's Hoops to explore life in the north country. The Upper Valley, as we call this area, is all our opponents say it is. We do get snow, there are lots of trees, there are only two highways that lead to Hanover. “Booney” is the preferred adjective of our competitors. So yes we are remote, but we are not isolated. The world comes to us.

Hanover is much, much more than an Ivy League outpost. It is a vibrant, rich place with a great sense of community. People here care. They especially care about our program, our players and our staff. Our players are local stars who stop often to sign autographs and be greeted by strangers. We have, hands down, the best attendance in the League and the best fans. Leede Arena rocks.

The College is remarkably diverse and the environment allows for people from all walks of life to mix together. It is a culturally healthy place.

There is always something going on in the Hanover area. Every Thursday I check the local paper for plays, concerts, dances and special events like bonfires, festivals and street fairs. My New York City-based family come up here to partake in our long list of activities! This place is culturally rich and personal. You are somebody and there is always something to do.

Then there is the lifestyle. This is a fun place with fun people. For those of you in the real world, commuting to work can be a major grind. I know — I commuted to NYC everyday for a couple of years. But in Hanover, we can be more creative. My staff and I ride to work on scooters!

(Coach Wielgus, Dir. of Operations Jen Goodwin, Asst. Coach Mary Gleason)

Bottom line, I think life is good if you can scoot to work!

Until next time,
Coach Wielgus

Don't Worry, There's More Coming

2009-10-11T21:32:00.000-04:00

Hey Going Green followers! Thanks for all the great feedback so far. We're all very excited about sharing the 2009-10 season and the quest for an 18th Ivy title with you.

Just wanted to touch base to let you know that the posts will start coming with more frequency soon. Practice starts next weekend and we look forward to having Coach Wielgus and all the players blogging during the season.

Check out the 2009-10 schedule here. We'll be heading to Cincinnati and Los Angeles this season along with a host of Northeast opponents and our traditional Ivy slate. We'd love to see you at a game when we're in your neck of the woods.

Thanks for following and stay tuned for more exciting stuff from the Big Green! And as always feel free to e-mail (or post as comments) any comments or questions you'd like to see answered here and we'll do the best we can to oblige.

Go Big Green!

-Dara

A Well Deserved Honor

2009-10-02T12:19:00.000-04:00

For those who may not have seen it on DartmouthSports.com, congratulations are in order for Coach Wielgus. She has been named the 2008-09 New England Basketball Coach of the Year by the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

Wielgus led the Big Green to its 17th Ivy League Championship and the 12th of her career at Dartmouth last season. Dartmouth finished 18-11 overall and 13-1 in the Ivy League, just one overtime loss shy of the first 14-0 mark in program history. On the final night of the regular season, Wielgus won her 400th career game as Dartmouth defeated Harvard to clinch the Ivy title. The Big Green advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament, all coming under her direction, also marking Dartmouth’s fifth straight postseason appearance.

Wielgus, who is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame (2004 inductee) will be honored at its annual induction/award ceremony on October 9 at Mohegan Sun.

While last year's squad had a great deal of talent, under Coach Wielgus' guidance the group bonded together to become a truly great team. The Big Green took great pride in its defense, which held Ivy opponents to a paltry average of 47.1 points per game and all opponents to an average of just 55.1 points. At one point, Dartmouth held 14-consecutive opponents under 60 points in regulation.

Congrats Coach!

-Dara

On Shuttle Tests and Secret Weapons

2009-09-30T16:20:00.002-04:00

The “big news” in our b-ball haven is that all but one of our players passed the conditioning test! Testing is something our players understand. There is no place to hide on a conditioning test — cramming results in nagging and annoying injuries. What you see in the test results reflects their effort during the summer. Championships are not won in a noisy Leede Arena in February, but rather in the quiet, solitary workouts in the summer.

Because of the late start of school (we've been in classes less than a week) our conditioning program requires that the players come back to campus in shape. With the skilled guidance of our strength coach Bob Miller, they got the job done. Coach Miller is hands down a great coach. He is one of the best in this department. He knows his material, keeps current and can flat out teach. How lucky are we to have him? He is our secret weapon.

So this week's bottom line, our first step on this long journey — conditioning was a good one.

- Coach Wielgus