Erie, Pa – Mercyhurst Women's Basketball travels to Charleston, WV to participate in the MEC vs PSAC Challenge to begin their 2022-23 season. They are set to open the new campaign on Friday, November 11th with a match against Charleston, and follow that on Saturday, November 12th as they take on West Liberty.
1. Familiar Faces
The Lakers are returning most of their key players from last season and hoping to improve on the 2021-22 campaign. Grace Centrulla comes back for her second year after leading the charge for the Lakers last year and averaging 14.5 points on 53% shooting. She was helped by Jayde Boyd with 12.5 points per game and Julia Buchman with 10. Another key to the team's success is Nicolette Arnold who played in only 14 games last year as she was coming back from a knee injury. She is going into the 2022-23 season healthy and full of energy and she is hoping to be one of the leaders on the Mercyhurst squad.
2. Incoming Players
The Lakers introduced a plethora of new players, with three incoming freshmen and two transfers. Lexi Wagner is a graduate student, that came from Youngstown State, and has already established herself as one of the most lethal scorers on the team as she scored 15 points in the exhibition against Kent State. Danielle Grim is the other of the two transfers, also hailing from a DI school as she comes to Mercyhurst from Long Island. The Lakers also welcome three freshman players: Sophie Kelly, Bailey Kuhns, and Jenna Van Schaik. The coaching staff is confident in their ability to adapt to the college level and expects them to make an impact right away.
3. History Lesson
Mercyhurst hosted last year's MEC vs PSAC challenge in the newly renovated Mercyhurst Athletic Center. They fell to Charleston in the opening match after a low-scoring game by a final score of 49-41. They followed that with another close game against West Libery that the Lakers could not come out on top in, falling 84-75. Buchman led the charge in the first game with 14 points while Centrulla dominated in the second with 25 points and 12 rebounds on 63% shooting.
4. Coaching Staff
After recording nine wins during the 2021-22 campaign, Head Coach Brooklyn Kohlheim enters her fourth season with the Lakers. She has more than 14 years of playing and coaching experience in either NCAA Division I or Division II. Kohlheim is joined by two new coaches, Molly Glick and Sophia Fortner. Glick joins Mercyhurst after spending six seasons as part of Northern Kentucky University's women's basketball program. The former Norse laced them up for five seasons while returning as the team's Director of Basketball Operations for the 2021-22 season. Fortner is the second of the two additions to join the Lakers for the 2022-23 season with the Wadsworth, Oh. native joining coach Kohlheim's coaching staff as a graduate assistant. Sophia began her collegiate playing career at the University of Toledo before moving on to Ashland University. During her time as an Eagle, Fortner was a two-time team captain while playing in 47 games.
5. Scouting The Opponents
Charleston comes out of a successful 2021-22 campaign, that they finished with 23-9 record and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Markyia McCormick led the team with 15.5 points per game and she was followed by Clarissa Francis with 12. They both come back for the 2022-23 campaign and hope to start their season well on Friday, November 11th at 2:00 PM.
West Liberty is a well-balanced and a young team. Bailee Smith returns for her sophomore season after leading the team last year with 15 points per game. She will be helped by Corinne Thomas as she averaged 14 and Karly McCutcheon who was around 13 points per game. The Lakers are looking to avenge their last year's loss on Saturday, November 12th at noon.
