MARIETTA, Ohio - The Marietta College women's basketball team made history in the 2021-22 season as they won their first ever NCAA tournament game, defeating Wittenberg in the first round.
Kole Vivian will be at the controls for his seventh season this winter.
"I am really excited to get started this year," said Coach Vivian. "This is one of the deepest teams we have ever had at the college. Our leadership is strong again with our five seniors and six juniors. Hopefully we can lean on our talent and experience and be one of the teams near the top of the league come the end of February."
The Pioneers will have stability in the front court with some key returners from last year's historic team. The front court will be anchored by All-OAC First Teamer senior forward
Erin Hahn (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville). Hahn averaged 9.9 points per game, and led the team in rebounds with 8 rebounds per game, which was third in the OAC. Hahn produced five double-doubles during the season.
Senior
Camille Cummins (MIddlefield, Ohio/Cardinal) and juniors
Makenzie Wilson (Wapakoneta, Ohio/Wapakoneta),
Kelly Levering (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty), and
Hannah Kroft (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta) will add experience and depth to the front court. Cummins came off the bench last season and averaged 3.0 points per game and collected 4.6 rebounds per night. Wilson started 27 games last year for the Pioneers, averging 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as well leading the team with 24 blocked shots. Levering brought down 5 rebounds a game and was the team's best free throw shooter, shooting 87% from the line. Kroft provided stability off the bench and was a presence in the paint for the Pioneers.
"We are really stressing the importance of playing inside/out on our team," said Coach Vivian. "We've had some really successful teams here over the years, and it seems like it always starts with our mindset of playing through our post players, and we have another great group there again."
The Pioneer back court will have some firepower as juniors Oliva Gribble and
Hannah Schill (Rootstown, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) and senior
Devin Hefner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) return for the 2022-23 season. Gribble earned second team All-OAC status last year and led the team in scoring with 10.5 points per game. She also averaged nearly 40% from three-point range. Schill led the teams in assists and steals, scoring 7.5 points per game and earning All-Conference Honorable Mention. Hefner was also named All-Conference Honorable Mention after she averaged 8.1 points per night and grabbed nearly five rebounds per game.
The backcourt will be helped by sophomore
Ally Grake (Morrow, Ohio/Little Miami) and senior
Haley Ross (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora). Grake appeared in all 28 games last year and started all but one. She average nearly three points and two assists per contest and average 28 percent from three-point range. Ross can put up points in a hurry, either from the perimeter or from high-percentage range.
Sophomores
Adi Hill (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta),
Ali Shane (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley), and
Paige Tolson (Guysville, Ohio/Federal Hocking) are all expected to make contributions this season as all three have shown promise in the preseason.
Madison Cecil (Centerburg, Ohio/Highland) will also be pushing for the rotation after coming back from an injury sustained during her freshman year.
"Our guard play has a chance to be a strength as well," said Coach Vivian. "With us bringing back an experienced team, we have a number of guards that have had a lot of success in college. And we have some hungry kids to make an impact as well. Our two groups should complement each other really well."
The Pioneers also have brought in some newcomers that will make immediate impacts as they help the program continue to grow. Freshmen Mae Mastin, Sophia Murray, Morgan Dixon, Lexi Cashwell, and Jenna Smith all come to Marietta after finishing very successful high school careers where they were all part of winning programs their senior year.
Marietta will open the season on Tuesday (Nov. 8) inside Ban Johnson Arena against Washington and Jefferson College with tip off scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
"We start off the year with two of the top teams, if not the top 2 teams, in the President's Athletic Conference during our opening week," said Coach Vivian of this year's schedule. "We also face a Penn State Behrend team that won 20 games last year and a tough Case Western team before Thanksgiving. Then after Thanksgiving we face four of the top teams in the league before we head to Puerto Rico after Finals. We also play Ohio Wesleyan in there and they won 20+ games last year and bring back a great team."
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
