Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Add Three Player For 2000-2001
December 28, 1999 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 17, 1999
Bowling Green, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball program has signed three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, BGSU head coach Dee Knoblauch has announced. Andrea Ault, Kelly Kapferer and Stefanie Wenzel will join the Falcon program next fall.
Ault, a 6-0 forward from Urbana, Ohio, currently attends Urbana High School. She enters her senior season with 1,102 career points (16.6 ppg) and 607 career rebounds. Ault averaged 20.6 points and 11.3 boards last year, helping the Hillclimbers of coach Bill Moss to a 19-3 record and a second-straight Central Buckeye Conference title. Ault, who led the area in both scoring and rebounding, was the District 9 Player of the Year last season. She is a two-time all-league and all-district selection, and was a Division II special mention All-Ohio pick last season after earning third-team honors as a sophomore. In Ault's first three years, Urbana has posted a 51-16 overall record.
"Andrea is a very strong inside player who also has three-point range," said Knoblauch. "She can score, but she is also an excellent rebounder and defender."
Kapferer, a 6-2 forward from Jefferson, Ohio, attends Jefferson High School under coach Rod Holmes. She is coming off a junior season in which she earned first-team Division II All-Ohio honors. Kapferer, who averaged 20.1 points and 15.1 rebounds last winter, was named the Northeast Lakes Division II District Player of the Year for the Falcons, and became the first Ashtabula County and Northeastern Conference junior in nearly 20 years to surpass the 1,000-point mark for her career. Kapferer, the two-time defending NEC Player of the Year, has 1,036 points and 786 rebounds in her first three years. She is the first player in her school's history to average more than 20 points and 10 boards in a season, and has done it in each of the last two years. Kapferer was an honorable-mention All-Ohioan in volleyball, and recently was named the conference player of the year for the third consecutive season.
"Kelly is very athletic and fast, so she will be great on our presses," said Knoblauch. "She has a good shot and three-point range, and she can obviously score, having averaged 20 points a game each of the last two seasons."
Wenzel, a 6-0 guard from Sussex, Wis., attends Arrowhead Union High School in Hartland, and plays for coach Heidi Hamilton. In her fourth year as a starter, she is listed among Wisconsin's Top-25 high-school seniors after being named to similar lists during both her sophomore and junior seasons. Wenzel has earned all-conference honors in each of her first three years on the hardwood, and earned all-county laurels as both a sophomore and a junior. Additionally, she is a two-time all-state selection in track, and earned academic all-state honors twice in that sport as well. This past fall, Wenzel was a second-team all-league pick in cross country, and she earned academic All-Wisconsin honors.
"Stefanie is quick and athletic, and she loves to run," said Knoblauch. "Her cross country team finished second in Wisconsin this fall. Stefanie is a very versatile and smart shooting guard.
"I am thrilled that these three student-athletes will be joining our Bowling Green family. They are all good students who seem to be very dedicated to the game. We look forward to working with them."
The Bowling Green women's basketball program plans to sign one additional recruit during the late period, which begins April 12, 2000.
BGSU opens the 1999-2000 season Saturday (Nov. 20) at Youngstown State. The Falcons will face St. Bonaventure Monday (Nov. 22) in the home opener. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. in Anderson Arena.
BGSU RECRUITING CLASS
Name Ht. Pos. Yr.* Hometown (Previous School) Andrea Ault 6-0 F Fr. Urbana, Ohio (Urbana) Kelly Kapferer 6-2 C Fr. Jefferson, Ohio (Jefferson) Stefanie Wenzel 6-0 G Fr. Sussex, Wis. (Hartland Arrowhead Union) * denotes year of eligibility for 2000-2001 academic year
(November 15 Release)
BGSU OPENS SEASON SATURDAY AT YSU
Falcons' Home Opener Set For a Week From Tonight (Nov. 22) vs. St. Bonaventure
BGSU PROBABLE STARTERS
F__30__Sherry Kahle______5-10__Sr.__Lima, Ohio___________10.9 ppg__4.0 rpg F__31__Afra Smith_________5-9__Jr.__Madison, Wis._________9.0 ppg__3.0 rpg* C__44__Dana Western______5-11__So.__Whitestown, Ind.______1.8 ppg__1.3 rpg G__22__Francine Miller___5-11__So.__Kalida, Ohio_________10.0 ppg__4.9 rpg G__33__Jaymee Wappes______5-5__Sr.__Kendallville, Ind.____3.6 ppg__4.1 apg statistics are from the 1998-99 season * Smith's stats from Cloud County [Kansas] CC
THIS WEEK: The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team opens the 1999-2000 season this week. Having completed the two-game home exhibition schedule, the Falcons will take to the road for a Saturday evening (Nov. 20) game at Youngstown State. That contest, the 1999-2000 season opener for both teams, is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at YSU's Beeghly Center (6,500).
Two days later, the Falcons will open the home portion of the schedule by taking on St. Bonaventure. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at BGSU's venerable Anderson Arena (5,000).
ABOUT THE FALCONS: BGSU ended the 1998-99 campaign with a 13-14 overall record, and the Falcons finished in third place in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference with a 9-7 league record.
The Brown and Orange, seeded fifth for the MAC Tournament, lost a quarterfinal game to host Akron, the fourth seed.
The Falcons went 8-4 at home, 3-9 on the road and 2-1 in neutral-site contests a year ago.
BGSU lost the services of nine letterwinners, including three starters, from that squad. Senior co-captains Sherry Kahle and Jaymee Wappes head a cast of five returnees. Kahle and Wappes have combined to start 97 contests over their first three seasons.
Junior Angie Farmer and sophomores Francine Miller and Dana Western round out the returning players.
BGSU shot .443 from the field last winter, while the opponents shot .436. The Falcons averaged 75.3 points per contest, but allowed 79.5. BGSU grabbed 39.6 boards per game to the opponents' 39.7.
DEE KNOBLAUCH: Falcon head coach Dee Knoblauch enters her second season at her alma mater. Knoblauch (pronounced: kuh-NOB-low), a 1983 graduate of the University, assumed the reins of the Falcon program on August 21, 1998.
Knoblauch, in 12 seasons as a head coach, has an overall record of 195-133 (.595). She came to BGSU after spending 11 seasons at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. Over her last five years, she led the Purple Raiders to a 116-32 mark (.784), including three NCAA Tournament appearances and two NCAA Division III "Final Four" berths.
As a player, Knoblauch was a two-time All-MAC Second-Team selection, and she was named to the Academic All-MAC First Team as a senior. She led the league in assists in each of her last two seasons, and still holds all of the school records in that category.
SCOUTING YSU: Youngstown State welcomes back 12 letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's team. That edition of the Penguins posted a 20-9 record, the school's fourth consecutive 20-win season. YSU tied for the Mid-Continent Conference title with a 10-4 league mark, earning the team's fifth-straight league crown. Junior guard Brianne Kenneally led the Penguins with 16.3 points per game en route to earning Mid-Con Player-of-the-Year honors. A pair of seniors, guard Leslie Majewski and forward Missy Young, round out the returning starters. Majewski finished second on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg), while Young was fourth in that department while leading YSU in rebounding (7.7 rpg). Wednesday (Nov. 10), in the team's lone 1999-2000 exhibition, Youngstown recorded a 100-87 overtime win over the same Latvian Select team that BG faced yesterday. Ed DiGregorio enters his 17th year as a head coach, all at YSU. He has an overall record of 371-230.
SCOUTING SBU: St. Bonaventure returns 10 letterwinners, including a pair of starters, from the 1998-99 squad. The Bonnies, who open the regular season Saturday (Nov. 20) at Canisius, went 10-17 last year, including an Atlantic 10 record of 4-12. Junior forward Melissa Fazio is the top returning scorer, having averaged 16.5 points last winter. She also averaged 6.4 rebounds. The other returning starter is junior guard Shannon O'Connell. Sophomore center Angela Scott, who began last year as a starter, returns after suffering a season-ending injury just four games in. SBU's lone exhibition game was back on Oct. 31, a 92-78 loss to Syracuse AAU. A pair of freshmen -- forward Courtney Mattingly and guard Trish Raniewicz -- and sophomore forward Christina Cole joined Fazio and Scott in the starting lineup for that game. Marti Whitmore begins her seventh year at her alma mater, and has a record of 75-91. She is 100-165 in 12 years as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES: The Falcons lead the all-time series with Youngstown State by a narrow 8-7 margin, and BGSU has won the last seven contests against the Penguins. The teams have played in each of the last six seasons. Three of the last four meetings have been decided by 10 points or less, including last year's 83-79 Falcon win in Anderson Arena (Nov. 18, 1998). Two years ago -- as is the case in 1999-2000 -- the teams opened the season at YSU, and the Brown and Orange captured an 81-72 win that was closer than the score indicates (Nov. 14, 1997). Following that game, Youngstown won the next 16 games en route to a 28-3 record. In fact, YSU has gone 24-1 at home since that contest two years ago. Overall, the Falcons are 3-3 in road games vs. the Penguins.
Bowling Green has never met St. Bonaventure in women's basketball.
RECAPPING THE EXHIBITIONS: The Falcons opened the 1999-2000 campaign with a 110-91 exhibition loss to the Premier All-Stars (Nov. 1) ... BGSU was led offensively by sophomore Dana Western, who scored a game-high 32 points ... Western, who totalled 38 points during her entire freshman season, was 12-of-17 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point land ... the Falcons led by as many as nine points midway through the first half, at 23-14, before the All-Stars battled back ... the visitors took the lead for good at 30-29 with eight minutes left in the first half ... the All-Stars opened the second half with a 13-3 run to take a 25-point lead ... for the Falcons, sophomore Francine Miller and freshman Megan Jerome joined Western in double digits ... Miller had 13 points on the night ... Jerome was 3-of-3 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line en route to 11 points ... senior Sherry Kahle led the Falcons with 13 rebounds, and classmate Jaymee Wappes dished out a game-high eight assists ... BGSU took a whopping 36 shots from three-point land, making 10 ... yesterday (Nov. 14), the Falcons dropped a 75-71 decision to the Latvian Select team ... the visitors shot .448 from three-point range and drained a total of 13 treys en route to the win ... BG trailed nearly the entire afternoon ... the Falcons, who were behind for the final 15 minutes of the first half, reeled off 10-straight points to take a 37-36 lead early in the second stanza ... the Latvian squad went on a 12-2 run to take a 10-point lead, the biggest of the game, with 12:41 left ... but, the Brown and Orange scored another 10 unanswered points midway through the stanza, including a pair of Wappes triples ... a Miller layup gave the home team a 57-55 lead, but the Latvians scored the next six markers as part of a 9-1 run ... the Falcons still had a chance in the final minute, pulling to within two points ... but, Ieva Tare made all four of her free-throw attempts in the last minute to keep BG from pulling even ... all five Falcon starters scored in double digits, led by Miller's 16 points ... Wappes had 13 points, including four treys, while Kahle had 12 markers ... Afra Smith and Western each had 11 points, and Western had a double-double with 10 rebounds.
CAPTAIN'S LOG: BGSU's two seniors will captain the Falcons as the squad boldly goes where no team has gone before (into the 21st Century) ... Sherry Kahle and Jaymee Wappes are the co-captains of the 1999-2000 team.
MEET THE NEW KIDS: Seven of the 12 players on the Falcon roster are newcomers, including six freshmen ... junior transfer Afra Smith, redshirt freshman Rachal Hamilton and true frosh Pam Brown, Kim Griech, Megan Jerome, Regina Smith and Karen Stocz all joined the BG squad this fall.
WELCOME BACK: The Falcons have just five returnees from the 1998-99 squad ... in fact, only three players on the 12-woman roster were at BGSU prior to head coach Dee Knoblauch's arrival in August of 1998 ... those three are senior co-captains Sherry Kahle and Jaymee Wappes and junior Angie Farmer ... sophomores Francine Miller and Dana Western round out the returning players for the Brown and Orange ... Kahle and Miller are returning starters, while Wappes was a part-time starter a year ago.
TAKE A NUMBER: Several of the returning players have changed uniform numbers ... after wearing #31 for three years, Sherry Kahle will wear #30 as a senior ... sophomore Dana Western was #25 a year ago, but will don #44 this season ... only Angie Farmer (#24), Francine Miller (#22) and Jaymee Wappes (#33) will be wearing the same uniforms as in 1998-99.
MOUNT UNION REUNION: Youngstown State head coach Ed DiGregorio is a 1951 graduate of Mount Union College, the same school that produced current BGSU assistant coaches Michelle Bohan and Suzy Venet ... additionally, BGSU grad Dee Knoblauch coached the MUC Purple Raiders for 11 years (with Bohan as an assistant for six of those years) prior to returning to her alma mater.
BOMBS AWAY: Last year, BG broke the school single-season records in both three-pointers attempted and made ... the Falcons made 135 treys in an even 400 attempts ... those totals shattered the old records of 97 triples made and 296 attempted, set by the 1994-95 squad ... if the exhibition games are any indication, those records may be in serious jeopardy in 1999-2000 ... BGSU attempted 36 treys, making 10 ... the Falcons went 8-of-25 from beyond the arc yesterday ... those numbers project to 234 successful "threes" in 793 attempts over a 26-game schedule.
WESTERN SIZZ'LIN': Sophomore Dana Western may be ready to announce her presence as an offensive force ... Western, who totalled 38 points during all of her freshman season, had 32 points in the Falcons' first exhibition game ... she made 12 of her 17 shots from the floor, including a 4-for-6 effort from three-point range ... Western also went 4-for-6 from the free-throw stripe ... in the second exhibition, Western had a double-double, with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and added three assists ... she is the lone returning post player from the 1998-99 team.
MAC PRESEASON POLL: In the MAC News Media Association's 1999-2000 preseason poll, the Falcons were tabbed to finish fourth in the East Division. The complete poll follows, with first-place votes and points received:
East Division_____________Pts. Kent (33)_________________237 Akron (1)_________________190 Miami_____________________148 Bowling Green_____________128 Buffalo___________________117 Ohio_______________________84 Marshall___________________48West Division_____________Pts. Toledo (21)_______________191 Western Michigan (12)_____167 Eastern Michigan (1)______126 Northern Illinois__________89 Central Michigan___________82 Ball State_________________67 first-place votes in parentheses
THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT (MINUS THE LONG): What the Falcons lack in experience, they also lack in size. Bowling Green, with six freshmen on the 12-woman roster, is the shortest team in the Mid-American Conference. A scan of the schools' preseason rosters reveals the Falcons as the most vertically-challenged conference team, with a height average of 5-9 1/4. The complete list of MAC schools, from shortest to tallest:
School_________________Avg. Ht. Bowling Green____________5-9.25 Ball State_______________5-9.63 Buffalo__________________5-10.0 Marshall_________________5-10.0 Western Michigan_________5-10.0 Miami___________________5-10.08 Eastern Michigan________5-10.38 Ohio_____________________5-10.5 Toledo___________________5-10.6 Central Michigan________5-10.69 Akron___________________5-10.87 Kent_____________________5-11.0 Northern Illinois_______5-11.08
THE SMALL SCREEN: Bowling Green's Feb. 25 game at Buffalo is scheduled to be televised as part of the MAC's TV package ... the regular-season finale between the Falcons and Bulls is scheduled to be shown by Fox Sports Net Ohio.
SEASON OUTLOOK: The Dee Knoblauch Era begins in earnest this winter, and program sales could be brisk.
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team hits the floor with seven newcomers and just five returning letterwinners.
In fact, only three players on the 12-woman roster saw action in a BGSU uniform prior to Knoblauch's arrival at her alma mater in August of 1998. The roster features two seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen.
The Falcons went 13-14 overall last year, and Knoblauch's first squad posted a MAC record of 9-7. BG loses the services of nine letterwinners from the 1998-99 squad, including a four-member senior class. Jacki Raterman, one of those seniors, set the school record for scoring average in a season, while two other seniors -- Jill DeFosse and Jen Gafford -- joined Raterman in the starting five. The final senior, Netta Smith, gave the Brown and Orange quality play off the bench.
Additionally, five other players have departed for various reasons, so it could be said that Knoblauch's second team will put the "green" in Bowling Green. The coach sees some positives in the roster makeover, however.
"We're very excited, because we can go back to playing the way we love to play," said Knoblauch. "Our pressing and running style is back.
"We've got more new players than returning players, so we're thinking that the new blood, new energy and new attitude will be a boost.
"Our major concern, of course, is that we are going to be so young and inexperienced. Obviously, we'll be inexperienced playing-wise, but we will also be inexperienced in terms of playing together. We will need to learn quickly."
Two players that hope to provide some quick lessons for the youngsters are senior co-captains Sherry Kahle and Jaymee Wappes. Kahle, a wing, and Wappes, a point guard, have been in the starting lineup off and on since they arrived on campus, and have combined to start 97 games during that time.
Kahle started every game last year, and is the top returning scorer, having averaged 10.9 points per game last winter. Wappes, who started 15 games, dished out over 4.1 assists per contest.
The lone junior returnee is Angie Farmer. After seeing limited playing time as a freshman, Farmer exploded onto the scene last winter, averaging 7.2 points per game. She had a pair of 21-point games and set a school record by draining seven three-pointers in a win over Ohio.
Sophomore Francine Miller was one of the top newcomers in the MAC last year, and Knoblauch expects her to pick up where she left off.
The other returning sophomore -- Dana Western -- was slowed during her freshman year by an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered late in her high-school career. She saw action in all but six games, however, showing flashes of the player she could become.
Knoblauch expects the five returnees to log a lot of minutes on the court, as the newcomers get acclimated. The guard-heavy Falcons will not be using a conventional lineup, and BG fans could see many different looks this season.
"We will not be talking about our lineup in terms of positions," said Knoblauch. "We don't have a lot of kids that we can say, 'You're a true forward' or whatever. Danny Ainge down in Phoenix (Suns head coach) calls it 'Small Ball,' and that's what we will go with out of necessity. Most of our returning players are guards, and we'd like to have a high percentage of returning players out there at all times. We'll probably play a lot of four-guard, one-post lineups, but we're not even going to call it that. It's positionless basketball."
"We're going to rely heavily on the returning players for their experience, maturity and confidence. We've got five of them, and they're gonna be playing a lot. We'll try to blend in the new players, though, because we will be playing 10 players night-in and night-out."
One of the newcomers, Afra Smith, is a junior who spent the last two years at Cloud County CC in Kansas. She has played every position except center, which fits right in with Knoblauch's system.
Another Smith, Regina Smith, joins the Falcon program. The 5-3 point guard from Euclid, Ohio, led Villa Angela-St. Joseph to the state title last March.
Kim Griech took her Tallmadge squad to the state tournament, which Knoblauch considers a tribute to her ability. Megan Jerome, who became Knoblauch's first recruit to her alma mater last November, is a smart, fundamentally-sound player, according to her coach-to-be.
Pam Brown, who prepped at Warren Harding High School, is another athletic player with solid defensive skills, according to Knoblauch.
Knoblauch describes freshman Karen Stocz, another Youngstown-area product (Cortland Lakeview High School) as a banger. The coach adds that Stocz is a well-rounded player with good strength as well as solid shooting and passing skills.
Rachal Hamilton could play a key role for the Falcons as well. Originally a walk-on, Hamilton has earned a scholarship. She provides something lacking in many of her teammates: size.
Knoblauch realizes that her newcomers will be counted on more than your average frosh, but also welcomes the influx of youth.
"The freshmen are in kind of a different situation. Usually, freshmen coming in are not expected to play right away. They may expect to play, but normally, they don't have to contribute right away, and they get an acclimation period. Our kids, though, will be jumping right into the fire, and they better be ready.
"A lot of our newcomers -- Afra, Kim, Megan and Regina -- have played point guard in the past, so hopefully our passing will be better and our turnovers will decrease. We have added some fast people, and we are much quicker and more athletic than last year. That is perfect for our 'Small Ball' style."
So, fans looking for an up-tempo brand of basketball need look no further than Anderson Arena. Just be sure to pick up a program on the way to your seat.
FALCON NOTES: The 1999-2000 season marks the 27th year of BGSU women's basketball ... over the first 26 seasons, the Falcons have won 62.2 percent of the time, with a 412-250 overall record ... in 18 years of MAC play, BGSU has a 213-88 league ledger (.708) ... last year, the Falcons became the first MAC women's basketball program to reach the 400-victory plateau ... freshman guard Regina Smith's twin sister, Re'Tina, is a student manager for the Falcon women's basketball squad ... Sherry Kahle's sister, Teresa, is a freshman on the women's basketball team at Toledo ... a trio of Falcon newcomers have relatives with football backgrounds ... Pam Brown's father, Timothy, earned a pair of football letters from Ohio State ... Brown's uncle, Aaron Brown, played for both the Buckeyes and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ... Afra Smith's father, John, earned two letters in football at Wisconsin ... Karen Stocz's brother, Eric, helped Westminster College to the 1995 NCAA Division II national championship ... he spent several years with the Detroit Lions, and was on the 1999 preseason roster of the Buffalo Bills before being waived ... last year, Tallmadge High School became just the third school in Ohio history to advance to the state semifinals in volleyball, girls' basketball and softball ... Kim Griech played a big part in two-thirds of that success ... Griech earned all-state special mention in basketball last year, and was the starting centerfielder on the Blue Devils' two-time state champion softball team.
FALCON QUICK FACTS
THIS WEEK BGSU at Youngstown State Saturday, November 20 - 7:00 p.m. Beeghly Center (6,500) - Youngstown, OhioSt. Bonaventure at BGSU Monday, November 22 - 7:00 p.m. Anderson Arena (5,000) - Bowling Green, Ohio
LAST WEEK Latvian Select 75, BGSU 71 (Exhib.) Sun., Nov. 14 - Anderson Arena
1998-99 BGSU RECORDS Overall: 13-14 Mid-American Conference: 9-7 - Third in East Division - Fifth seed for MAC Tournament
HEAD COACH - Dee Knoblauch (BGSU, 1983) Record at BGSU: 13-14 (one year) Career Record: 195-133 (12 years)
BOWLING GREEN RECORDS All-Time: 412-250 (.622) (1973-present / 26 seasons) MAC: 213-88 (.708) (1981-present / 18 seasons)
MAC STANDINGS Final 1998-99 Standings East Division Team (Overall)___________MAC Kent (22-7)_____________14-2 Akron (16-3)____________10-6 Bowling Green (13-14)____9-7 Buffalo (15-12)__________8-8 Miami (11-15)____________7-9 Ohio (4-22)_____________2-14 Marshall (4-22)_________1-15
West Division Toledo (25-6)___________14-2 Western Mich. (19-10)___11-5 Eastern Mich. (14-13)____8-8 Central Mich. (11-16)____7-9 Northern Ill. (10-16)____7-9 Ball State (9-17)_______6-10
BGSU RESULTS LINE 419/372-7076, choose option 4 (same-day scores and brief summaries from all Falcon athletic teams)
