Oberlin, Ohio - The Oberlin College women's basketball team enters the 2022-23 season with high hopes coming off last season's school-record-tying 21-win campaign.
Oberlin returns four of its five starters from last year's squad that went 13-3 in the North Coast Athletic Conference before seeing its season end in the NCAC Tournament Semifinals after qualifying as the No. 2 seed.
"Expectations are definitely high as we head into the season.," Head Coach
Stephany Dunmyer said. "After experiencing some success last season, I think this year's group is excited to work hard to earn even more respect for our program. If we focus on the process daily, commit to each other and our core values, and find a way to stay healthy, I think we can put ourselves in a position to be playing our best basketball at the right time and compete for a conference championship."
Sophomore
Camille Zinaich, who was the league's Newcomer of the Year in addition to being a first-team all-conference selection, headlines the core group of returners. The 5-foot-10 Boonsboro, Maryland, native posted 11.6 points and a conference-best 9.8 rebounds per contest while also finishing second in the league with 4.2 assists per game in her rookie year.
Zinaich produced seven double-doubles and was one of three players nationwide to have two triple-doubles on the season. She had 14 games with double-digit rebounds, 12 games with double-figure points, and 11 contests with five or more assists while shooting 52.2 percent from the floor.
Fellow first-team selection and co-captain
Gina Lombard is back after finishing second in the NCAC with an average 2.6 made 3-pointers per game while her 66 total triple-hits were also good for second in the league.The junior sharp-shooter from Newton, Massachusetts, started all 25 games in the backcourt and finished the year with 17 double-figure scoring games. She was second on the team with 12.2 points per game and had 12 games where she made three or more 3-pointers.
Sophomore co-captain
Bryana Woodard, who was a second-team honoree as a rookie, was a dominant force in the paint, averaging a conference-best field goal percentage of 53.5 percent while leading the team and finishing third in the league with 14.9 points to accompany her 5.7 rebounds per game. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native scored in double figures in 22 of 25 games and produced three double-doubles on the season. The 6-foot forward's impact was felt on the defensive end as well as she was second on the squad with 39 steals while tying for second in the NCAC with 1.5 blocks per game.
"To have three all-conference performers returning is incredibly awesome," Dunmyer added. "These are battle-tested players who have shown they can step up and make plays. The experience that Gina, Bry, and Camille bring is invaluable, and I am so excited to see their continued growth this season as both players and leaders in our program."
Junior co-captain
Alyson Jefferson, who started 20 of 22 games a season ago, will help steady the ship at point guard. Classmate and fellow co-captain
Maggie Balderstone along with junior
Jaedyn O'Reilly also have the skills to impact the game in multiple ways. Senior
Grace Burns and sophomore
Marley Cox add additional support in the backcourt.
Sophomore
Kendal McCall averaged 14.5 minutes per game as a first-year, producing four points and 3.6 rebounds per game and could be in line for expanded minutes in the frontcourt alongside senior
Jasmine Roberts, sophomore
Taylor Sanchez, and newcomer
Katherine Csiszar.
Angela Kumler, a 6-foot first-year guard from New Concord, Ohio, and
Ellie Pollock-Ballard, a first-year 5-foot-8 wing from Grove City, Ohio, bring added versatility to the lineup, while fellow rookies
Anora Lee and
Lily Najmulski will push to see their roles expand in the backcourt as the season progresses.
"If we can get healthy and stay healthy, I think our depth this season will be one of our biggest strengths," Dunmyer added. "Our incoming first-years all have the ability to contribute immediately, and I think the added depth this season will allow us to maintain a greater level of accountability on both ends of the floor."
Oberlin, which was selected second in the North Coast Athletic Conference Preseason Poll with two first-place votes, play five of their first six games on the road, which includes the season opener on November 8 at Alma College. The home opener is set for November 16 against Albion while the NCAC slate doesn't commence until January 4 at Wooster.
All fans will be able to watch most games live online while all home games will be carried on the
Oberlin Sports Network app powered by BlueFrame Technologies on any Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV enabled device.
