Preparations for 2009-10 Season in Full Swing

The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team is nearing the completion of its first week of preseason practice, after a workout on Wednesday evening at Anderson Arena. The Falcons 'officially' began preparations for the 2009-10 season with a practice at Perry Fieldhouse on Saturday morning, and also had Sunday and Monday practices at “The House That Roars.”

“The journey for the 2009-10 season has officially begun,” said Falcon head coach Curt Miller, who enters his ninth season in Northwest Ohio. “I am excited about the potential of this veteran team. We will continue to have a big bulls-eye on our back, and we will need to be prepared for all of the challenges ahead of us this season.”

BGSU is roughly a week and a half away from the team's first game of the season, an exhibition against Findlay on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Then, the Falcons open the regular season with an appearance in the Preseason WNIT, and a first-round game vs. Chicago State on Nov. 13 at Anderson Arena. BGSU will play at least three games in the Preseason WNIT.

“Our non-conference schedule will provide many difficult challenges for us, beginning with the games in the prestigious Preseason WNIT,” said Miller. “It will be a great test for our program early in the season, and we look forward to playing against some of the outstanding teams selected to participate.”

The Falcons return 10 letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's team that posted the second-highest win total in school and Mid-American Conference history. BGSU went 29-5 overall, including a 15-1 MAC record, in 2008-09. The Falcons won a fifth consecutive MAC regular-season title and advanced to the third round of the WNIT.

The list of returnees includes three seniors – Tara Breske, Laura Bugher and Sarah Clapper – along with five juniors. Breske started all 34 games in the post last season.

The returnees in the junior class include a pair of highly-decorated players in Lauren Prochaska and Tracy Pontius. Prochaska, a wing, was the 2009 MAC Player of the Year, while Pontius, a point guard, was an honorable-mention selection to the Associated Press All-America Team. Both Pontius and Prochaska earned All-MAC First-Team honors in 2008-09.

Juniors Jen Uhl, Chelsea Albert and Kelly Zuercher also return. Uhl started the final 13 games of the year at a forward spot.

Sophomores Maribeth Giese and Jessica Slagle round out the returning letterwinners.

Two other players get to suit up in a BG uniform for the first time this season. Fifth-year senior Tamika Nurse (Univ. of Oregon) and redshirt junior Maggie Hennegan (Saint Louis Univ.) participated in practices at BGSU last season, but sat out the year after transferring from other NCAA Division-I schools.

Both Hennegan and Nurse gained valuable experience during the Falcons' foreign tour to Costa Rica in August. The team's 12 returnees made the trip, playing in four games and benefitting from 10 days of practice time to get a jump on the 2009-10 season.

For Miller and his staff (associate head coach Jennifer Roos, assistants Brandi Poole and Kevin Eckert and director of operations Monique Rosati), five newcomers also join the team for '09-10. That list includes four freshmen – Simone Eli, Allison Papenfuss, Chrissy Steffen and Jessie Tamerlano. Danielle Havel also joins the program, but will sit out this season after transferring from DePaul University. She will retain three seasons of eligibility.

As mentioned, the first chance for Falcon fans to see their team in action will be Wednesday, Nov. 4, when BG hosts Findlay in the lone exhibition of 2009-10. The regular season begins nine days later with the Chicago State game, and the Mid-American Conference schedule also begins at home, on Jan. 6, 2010, vs. Akron.

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Preparations for 2009-10 Season in Full Swing

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