TERRE HAUTE — St. Mary-of-the-Woods coach Deanna Bradley had high expectations prior to this season, anticipating a welcome turnaround in the school’s struggling women’s basketball fortunes.
Bradley’s optimism was due to her roster of 13 talented athletes, sporting at least three starters returning for their sophomore seasons, along with a strong recruiting class of incoming freshmen.
But as the classic Rolling Stones’ song said, “You can’t always get what you want.”
Instead of a probable winning record at this stage of the season, the Pomeroys are saddled with a lowly 1-17 won-loss ledger prior to Wednesday’s annual matchup vs. Rose-Hulman at 7:30 p.m. inside Hulbert Arena.
What happened? Injury, after injury, after injury. You get the idea.
To wit:
• Lexee Hayes, a former Northview standout, underwent a procedure harvesting cartilage for her injured ankle — a nine-month recovery process, according to Bradley. Out for the season.
• Abby McKee had shoulder surgery and was within a week of being released by the doctor, only to fall and re-injure the shoulder. Out for the season.
• Brooke Brown had foot surgery in the summer and was ready to begin the season, but tore a quad muscle in the second game. Bradley describes her availability as “iffy” at best and has played in just seven games.
• Jacci Martin “a tremendous recruit,” according to Bradley, pulled a hip flexor muscle and has been limited to just four games. Bradley was hoping she would be a big scorer, especially from beyond the 3-point line.
• Jordon Bedella was the second-leading scorer this season, averaging 10.3 points per game. But she suffered a stress fracture and has missed the last six games.
• Jade Messerschmitt was providing about 20 minutes a game, but missed eight consecutive games following the removal of a cyst from her foot. She returned for a brief appearance on Saturday.
Oh by the way, these half-dozen athletes provided the bulk of the size for the Pomeroys’ basketball engine. Hayes is 5-foot-10, McKee 5-11, Brown 6-1, Martin 6-1, Bedella 5-11 and Messerschmitt 6-0.
“It’s tough when you have three, or four, prospective starters out for the season,” Bradley lamented. “That’s our rebounding, defenders and scorers. We’ve had to bring in new players and try to make them impact players. We’ve had our challenges.
“I like to think our [record] is deceptive.
“It’s been a rough go for everybody. But we’re not ripping each other apart. So that’s good. We have the next [seven] games to show improvement. There are no excuses.”
Only six of the 13 players on the SMWC roster have played in all 18 games this season.
The most productive of those six is 5-5 freshman Chelsey Barron, leading the Woods in scoring (about 13 ppg), rebounding, assists and steals.
The other six durable Pomeroys include Rebecca Tracy (5-2 junior) — a transfer from Vincennes University — and the team’s leading 3-point shooter; Amanda Trimble (5-5 senior); Bailey Birt (5-8 freshman); Adrianne Blickenstaff (5-11 freshman); and West Vigo graduate Amanda Payne (5-7 senior).
“It’s been tough on our new kids to have to be playing all the time, with no returning players to look up to in tough situations,” Bradley added. “We won’t have that the rest of the season. We just want to finish strong.”
While Bradley focuses herself and her team’s energy in the here and now, it’s only natural for her to think what if?
“We’d probably be 11-5 if everyone was healthy,” Bradley predicted. “But you’ve got to deal with the cards that are dealt you. There’s an old saying ‘hard work will beat talent.’ We just haven’t worked hard enough.
“But that will not be the issue with Rose,” Bradley said of Wednesday’s annual crosstown rivalry. “[Rose] is physically strong. Their record is very deceptive too. They are definitely better than their record would indicate.”
On the subject of playing “home” games for the past few seasons at the old Clinton gym, Bradley said, “We like it up there … it’s great playing there. But you can’t get a good student crowd when you’re playing 15 miles from campus.”
On the prospect of a on-campus facility, Bradley did say, “It’s headed in the right direction.”
While the 2008-09 season has been a major disappointment for the Woods, the prospect of all these returning underclassmen plus four additional high school recruits will hopefully translate into a more prosperous 2009-10 campaign.
The four high schoolers committed to be Pomeroys next season are Lauren Miller (Speedway), Brittany Shaner (Center Grove), Dannie Cardwell (Noblesville) and Whitney Allen (Covington).
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
Injury bug bites Pomeroys hard
The Woods takes on Rose in annual matchup Wednesday
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Secret weapon: Kelsey Rosselli finishing Woods career with a bang
At Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, reporting game results to the Tribune-Star after a win or a loss is not always a high priority.
So when one of its athletes enjoys an outstanding season, like senior Kelsey Rosselli is doing for the Pomeroys’ softball team in 2013, media publicity doesn’t always follow.
In fact, her efforts almost seem like a government secret.
Rosselli’s name might sound familiar to longtime Terre Haute softball followers because she was a standout for North High School, from where she graduated in 2009.
Since then, she’s helped The Woods finish runner-up in three straight U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national tournaments in 2010, 2011 and 2012. -
A time for firsts: SMWC seniors have national title aspirations
Even though St. Mary-of-the-Woods College has won eight national titles in softball in the last 16 years, seniors Sara Goelz and Jessica Jonas are among the many current Woods players who have not been part of a national championship team.
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Federal audit says SMWC should return $42M in student aid
A federal audit says St. Mary-of-the-Woods College should return $42 million in loans and grants made to students between 2005 and 2010, something the college plans to challenge.
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This underdog has its day
It’s been an up-and-down regular season for the St. Mary-of-the-Woods College women’s basketball team, but it concluded on a definite uptick.
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The mane attraction: Woods students learn about careers in equine world
A horse can be a powerful therapeutic tool, something Chris Marks knows firsthand.
“I’ve seen children with autism speak their first word to a horse,” causing their parents to “dissolve in a puddle of emotion,” said Marks, chairman of the Equine Studies program at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College.
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Rose, The Woods post weekend victories
Rose-Hulman relied on a balanced scoring attack and a strong defensive effort to earn a 55-44 women’s basketball victory Saturday over Mount St. Joseph.
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SMWC topples Rose-Hulman
After a sluggish first half for both teams, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College found enough offensive rhythm in the final 20 minutes to outlast host Rose-Hulman 51-41 in the 19th annual Clabber Girl Trophy women’s basketball showdown Tuesday night inside Hulbert Arena.
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METRO ROUNDUP: SMWC’s Runyon wins USCAA cross country title
Blinding snow and freezing temperatures couldn’t stop Saint Mary-of-the-Woods junior Stephanie Runyon, an education major from Noblesville, from becoming the 2011 U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association women’s national champion in cross country Friday.
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Trimmed roster may benefit SMWC
“Less is more” is a statement with many, many meanings, attributed to many, many sources through the years.
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Dottie King becomes 16th president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College
As the mother of six children, Dottie King learned early on the importance of setting priorities and achieving the right balance between family, education and work.
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Pomeroys battle to second at national championship
Eight times, St. Mary-of-the-Woods has captured some form of a national championship in softball.
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Shearing Time
You’ve probably never seen a haircut quite like this.
Alpacas, remarkably sweet-looking members of the camel family, were getting their annual shearing last week at the White Violet Center for Eco Justice at St. Mary-of-the-Woods. -
SMWC puts up fight in tourney
St. Mary-of-the-Woods downed Judson 6-2 Sunday morning in the semifinal round of the 2011 USCAA national softball championships, earning a trip to the best-of-three title series.
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BREAKING: St. Mary-of-the-Woods College names Dottie King as 16th president
Dottie L. King, Ph.D. has been appointed the 16th president of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, the board of trustees announced today.
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Ex-Wildcat finds new home at Woods
Many people find “the path of least resistance” as a preferable way to proceed in life. After all, less risk is involved with a sure thing.
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NEW: St. Mary-of-the-Woods College announces academic changes
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College announced today a refocus of its academic programs. An afternoon news conference is under way at SMWC, which posted a notice about the changes on its website, www.smwc.edu.
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Marian holds off Rose women’s second-half charge
Marian University relied on a strong defensive effort to hold off a second half Rose-Hulman charge and earn a 61-52 women’s basketball victory Saturday afternoon.
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Influx of new players has Pomeroys on rise
With a steady influx of “Killer B’s,” the fortunes of the St. Mary-of-the-Woods’ women’s basketball team are once again on the rise.
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Woods soccer goes 1-1, earns national honors
St. Mary-of-the-Woods returned from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association soccer finals with a 1-1 record and a host of national honors.
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Six St. Mary-of-the-Woods teams compete in national tournaments
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College athletics celebrates the end of a phenomenal year during the 2009-10 season as six teams competitively competed in national tournaments.
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Rosselli, other Valley talent leads Woods into national softball tourney
The St. Mary-of-the-Woods softball program is no stranger to national tournaments.
The Pomeroys claimed some form of a national championship in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, the last several sanctioned by the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). -
St. Mary-of-the-Woods plans Saturday commencement
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College will celebrate its 169th commencement Saturday. Graduation activities will begin at 10:30 a.m. with the traditional baccalaureate mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
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Woods, Rose softball teams split doubleheader
Rose-Hulman and St. Mary-of-the-Woods College split a softball doubleheader that featured the longest athletic contest in history between the two schools on Friday night.
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Ring Day a much anticipated event at The Woods
Ring Day is a much anticipated and special day for most students, but for two St. Mary-of-the-Woods External Degree students in particular it was an especially great experience this year.
- Injury bug bites: St. Mary-of-the-Woods basketball trying to get and stay healthy A myriad of injuries have plagued the St. Mary-of-the-Woods women’s basketball team in recent seasons, forcing the Pomeroys to compete on numerous occasions with just seven, six and sometimes only five players able to play.
- The Woods appoints new vice president for development St. Mary-of-the-Woods College President David G. Behrs has announced the appointment of Serafina I. Spatola as vice president for development.
- St. Mary-of-the-Woods takes fourth in national tournament
- The Woods celebrates 168th commencement More than 140 students are expected to participate in St. Mary-of-the-Woods College’s 168th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday.
- Untold Stories: Film takes unique look ‘Inside Iraq’ At 7 p.m. Monday, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College will present “Inside Iraq: The Untold Stories,” which will include a film showing and discussion with the director of the film, Mike Shiley. The presentation, which will be in the Cecilian Auditorium of the SMWC Conservatory of Music building, is part of the College’s Four-Star series, and it is being co-sponsored by the SMWC Student Activities Committee. The presentation is free and open to the public.
- TH to promote ‘Crossroads of Higher Education’ at Statehouse Terre Haute may lie near Indiana’s western border, but business, education and government leaders want state lawmakers to know that the city that bills itself as the “Crossroads of America” is also the “Crossroads of Higher Education.”
- More Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Headlines
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