WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University Colonels women's basketball squad returns to the courts for a full season of play after a shortened 2020-2021 season that saw them go 3-7 and 1-6 in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom and finish the season with a victory over Lebanon Valley in the MAC Crossover Challenge.
 
Head coach Tara Macciocco's squad, voted to finish eighth in the MAC Freedom preseason poll, has improved over her four-year tenure every season.   "Expectations are high, especially coming off of a couple of wins at the end of the shortened season we had last season," said Macciocco.  "We're trying to carry that momentum forward and they've been very eager since the end of last season to get back into the swing of things."
 
Guards Juliann Duignam (Tatamy, PA/Nazareth) and Kendra Smith (Hughesville, PA/Hughesville) make up the pair of seniors on the 21-22 version of the women's basketball squad.   Duignam played in all 10 games last season in a backup roll, recording 11 rebounds in 6.9 minutes played per game.  Smith shot .286 (10-of-35) from the field in her third season with the Colonels this past year, averaging 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 155 minutes played.
 
The six juniors make up the bulk of the upperclassmen for the Navy and Gold.  Brenna Babcock (Sweet Valley, PA/Northwest Area), Brianna Horton (Verona, NJ/Verona), and Katelyn Kinczel (Highland Heights, OH/Mayfield) make up the guards, while forward Alexa Jones (Honesdale, PA/Honesdale) joins centers Baylee Guedes (Thompson, PA/Palmerton) and Ariel Reed (Woodbury, PA/Northern Bedford) in rounding out the third years.  Babcock started in seven of 10 games for the Colonels this past season, averaging 7.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.  She recorded six steals and 13 assists while shooting .435 (30-of-69) from the field.  Horton contributed in all facets of the game in her 206 minutes last season, shooting .381 (16-of-42) from the field and adding in 32 rebounds and eight steals.  Kinczel scored 6.2 points per game while shooting .367 (22-for-60) from the field.  Guedes recorded four steals and 10 rebounds in 57 minutes played last season, while Reed contributed 18 defensive rebounds and 2.4 points per game.  Jones starts her first season of play in the Navy and Gold.
 
"We're going to rely heavily on Smith, who is a true senior, and Babcock, who transferred in halfway through the year," said Macciocco.  "Kinczel has also been stepping up big the last couple of days of practice."
 
Center Erin Shober (Reading, PA/Wilson), forward Tess Edwards (Benton, PA/Northwest Area), and guard Julia Marino (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Township) make up the sophomore class for the Colonels, playing their first full season for the program.  Marino made an immediate impact, starting in nine of 10 games with 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.  Shober started in six games and played in all 10, with 16 blocked shots to her name and 4.2 points per game as well as 3.6 rebounds per contest.  Edwards played 34 minutes in six matchups, recording eight rebounds on the season.
 
"Those sophomores that were first years last year during the COVID year did get a lot of good experience on the court playing-wise."
 
The Navy and Gold bring in a sizable first year class consisting of four guards and two forwards.  Julianna Askins (Carlisle, PA/Carlisle), Isabella McKeefery (Moosic, PA/Riverside), Emily Hocker (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest), and Emma Stout (Bangor, PA/Bangor) make up the guards, while Jordyn Jennings (York, PA/Northeastern) and Breanna Kijek (Mountain Top, PA/Crestwood) join the squad as forwards looking to make an immediate impact.
 
"We have a couple young players that as the year goes on that they'll start to understand the expectations and what this program is about," said Macciocco.
 
The Colonels open the season on Thursday, November 11 inside the Marts Center as they host Penn State Worthington Scranton at 7:00 p.m.  They finish their first week of play inside the Marts Center as they host MAC Commonwealth foe Widener on November 13 at 1:00 p.m.  The Navy and Gold will get an early look at unanimous top team in the preseason poll, defending MAC Freedom champion and number nine in the preseason D3Hoops.com poll DeSales, as they open MAC Freedom play at home against the Bulldogs Wednesday, December 1 at 6:00 p.m.
 
"I mean everybody every year is chasing DeSales, that's a given," said Macciocco.  "Stevens is a pretty tough draw and now bringing in Lycoming and Arcadia, I think it's a battle every single night, you can't take any nights off, you've got to play the full 40 minutes."