The Kenyon College women’s basketball program looks to embrace new opportunities under a new coaching staff.
Five first-year players and nine total underclassmen look to mesh with Kenyon’s four upperclassmen as the new-look team retools.
Kenyon finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 6-20 record and went 4-12 against North Coast Athletic Conference opponents. Kenyon earned a seventh-place finish in the NCAC and were picked for seventh this year in a preseason poll.
Coach Mary Corbett takes the reins for the Owls as the 10th coach in the program’s 49-year history. Corbett previously served as the lead assistant coach at Otterbein University. During her tenure, the Cardinals posted a combined 38-26 record, including an 18-7 mark in 2021-22 that earned the team a fourth-place finish in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Corbett will pair with assistant coach Lexi Hassing, who enters her first season with the Owls after serving as an assistant at Baldwin Wallace University.
“Our upperclassmen have shown great leadership and work ethic this season,” Corbett said. “The entire team is extremely coachable and wants to get better each day at practice. We believe our first-year class will be a vital part of our success and are excited about their development throughout the year.”
The Owls return six of 14 letter-winners and two of five starters from a season ago. Kenyon’s top returning player is guard Katie Orefice, one of two seniors on the team. She earned a spot on the All-NCAC Second Team last year after averaging 16.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Junior forward Claudia Cooke returns after tallying 10.9 points per game and leading the team by averaging 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Senior guard Bela Krslovic and sophomores Chiara Nevard, Megan Lieb, Ruby Hutchins and Raine Hammel will look to step into bigger roles this season.
The Owls must replace three senior starters from last year in Madelyn Anderson (9.3 points per game), Grace Connery (13.3 points per game) and Greta Propp (8.1 points per game), who combined for exactly 50% of Kenyon’s points. Kenyon will also be without the services of senior Bridget Molnar, who was sixth on the team in minutes (12.5).
The Owls’ season opened at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 at home against Defiance College. The results of the game were unavailable at press time.
