HILLSBORO, Ore. – Following a 2020-21 athletic season and academic year like no other, women’s basketball returns to the Northwest Conference (NWC) beginning Friday, November 12. All nine teams are set to return to the court in 2021-22 after the official NWC basketball season was cancelled last year.
Whitman has been selected as the Northwest Conference frontrunner for the 2021 season, as voted on by conference head coaches. The Blues earned 64 points and eight first-place votes. Pacific (Ore.) and George Fox are tied in second-place with 50 points respectively. Pacific (Ore.) also received one first place vote.
Puget Sound lands in the fourth spot on the list with 49 points, while Whitworth received 33 points to rank fifth. Pacific Lutheran earned 27 points to rank sixth followed by Willamette’s 25 points to land them at seventh. Linfield (17 pts.) and Lewis & Clark (10 pts) round out the poll.
Conference play will begin Friday, December 3
rd.
Below are key returners to watch from each team as well as statistical highlights and NWC accolades from 2019.
KEY RETURNERS/PLAYERS TO WATCH
George Fox
*Jenna Lacey | SO | W |
*Rachel Parks | SR | G |
Cassidy Posey | SR | W | 2019: Played in all 29 games as a reserve her sophomore season… Averaged 20.8 minutes and six points per game… Shot 42.7% from the field and 41.2% from deep… Scored a career-high 15 points against Linfield (Jan 31, 2020)… Helped her team reach the NCAA Sweet 16.
Lewis & Clark
Jessica Cerne | SR | G | 2019: Lead the Pioneers in three point percentage (32.6)… Played in 24 games… Had 18 points, four rebounds and one assists at George Fox on Feb. 21… Had 14 points, five rebounds, one assist, and was 100% from the free throw line at Puget Sound on Feb. 14… Had 12 points and two rebounds at Pacific Lutheran on Jan. 24… Had 13 points, two rebounds, three assists, and was 100% from the free throw line against Northwest (Wash) on Nov. 15.
Delsie Johnson | SR | F | 2019: Named into All NWC Honorable Mention… Lead the Pioneers in points per game (15.3)… Lead the Pioneers in points per game (8.4)… Lead in field goal percentage (48.8)… Played in 24 games… Had 22 points, 14 rebounds, one assist, and was 88.9% from the free throw line against Linfield on Feb. 15… Had 35 points, six rebounds, one assist, was 14 for 17 from the field and was 83.3% from the free throw line at Linfield on Jan. 7… Had 22 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and was 75% from the free throw line at La Verne on Dec. 30… Had 24 points, eight rebounds and two assists at Willamette on Dec. 7.
Peyton Romo | SR | G | 2019: Lead the Pioneers in assists per game (1.6)… Played in 24 games… Had 20 points, five rebounds and one assist against Pacific Lutheran on Feb. 22… Had 14 points, four rebounds and three assists at Pacific Lutheran on Jan. 24… Had 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists against Puget Sound on Jan. 18… Had 10 points, three rebounds and one assist at La Verne on Dec. 30.
Linfield
Alexis Heald | JR | F | 2019: Letter winner… Started all 12 games… Totaled 90 points and 27 rebounds… Scored career-high 16 points against Warner Pacific, March 27 and against George Fox, April 9… Grabbed seven rebounds against the Bruins, April 9.
Brooke Landis | SR | G | 2019: Letter winner… Appeared in 11 games, starting 10… Totaled 57 points, 17 rebounds, 16 assists and 11 steals… Scored 11 points at Warner Pacific, March 26.
Delaney Ragan | JR | G | 2019: Letter winner… Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week, April 19… Appeared in all 12 games, starting seven… Scored 141 points and tallied 55 rebounds, 16 assists, 22 steals and eight blocks… Recorded 23 points at Corban, April 15… Grabbed nine rebounds against Pacific, April 2.
Pacific
Alexis Intong | JR | Post | 2019: Appeared in 26 games for the Boxers and made ten starts during the season. Scored 122 points throughout 2019 averaging 4.7 points per game. Made 38 offensive rebounds and 90 defensive rebounds.
Brilie Kovaloff | JR | G | 2019: Appeared in 23 games for the Boxers and made 19 starts during the season. Scored 278 points throughout 2019 averaging 12.1 points per game. Made 17 offensive rebounds and 59 defensive rebounds.
Rilee Price | JR | G | 2019: Started in all 26 games during the season. Scored 202 points throughout 2019 averaging 7.8 points per game. Made 44 offensive rebounds and 75 defensive rebounds.
Pacific Lutheran
*Ava Edmonds | SO | F |
Holly Roark | JR | F | 2019: Appeared in 21 games for the Lutes and made one start during her freshman season. Averaged 2.6 points per game on the season. Scored a career high 11 points against Trinity (Texas) on December 22nd 2019.
*Mady Simmelink | SO | G |
Puget Sound
*Paige Gerhart | SO | G |
Katie Minnehan | JR | G | Minnehan scored 10 points with 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in the against Wis.-Oshkosh (Dec. 22)... During the last game of the season Minnehan scored 19 points with 1 3-pointer and 3 rebounds (Feb. 27).
Sammie Swartout | JR | G | Swartout had 13 rebounds, 2 steals and scored 4 points during the win over Willamette (Feb. 21)... During the game vs. George Fox Swartout scored 4 points with 10 rebounds.
Whitman
Sydney Abbott | SR | G | 2019: Played and started in 11 games... Second on the team in scoring averaging 10.8 ppg... Averaged 5.5 rpg and 3.2 apg... Season high of 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists vs. Whitworth... Was one rebound shy of a double double at Puget Sound with 14 points and a season-high nine rebounds.
Taylor Chambers | SR | G | 2019: Played in 21 games with four starts... Averaged 4.8 ppg and 2.1 apg... Season high in points (15) rebounds (8) steals (3) and minutes (33) in the team's NCAA Tournament win vs. Wheaton (IL)... Scored 10 points and handed out four assists against George Fox in the NWC Tournament final... Nine points and five assists including a season-high three three pointers vs. Puget Sound.
Kaylie McCracken | SR | F | 2019: Saw action in 29 games with three starts... NWC honorable mention selection... Ranked second in the league in field goal percentage (53.7) and third in the Blues with 11.1 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game... Season-high 22 points on a season-best 9-10 shooting against Pacific (Ore.), also grabbed six rebounds... 17 points and eight rebounds against Wheaton (IL) in the NCAA Tournament... Double double at Wartburg (10 pts, 10 reb) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament season-high 11 rebounds vs. George Fox... 16 points on 10-12 from the FT line vs. Walla Walla... 14 points (5-7) at Concordia (TX)...20 points (7-12) at Whitworth.
Kaelan Shamseldin | SR | G | 2019: Played in 29 games with 26 starts... Opened the season with a season-high 17 points (5-9, 5-8 three pointers) against Concordia (TX)... Scored 14 points against Maine-Fort Kent (4-7 three pointers)... Scored 14 points and grabbed a season-high seven rebounds at Pacific Lutheran... 12 points (4-6 three pointers in the NWC Semifinal vs. Puget Sound.
Whitworth
Talia Brandner | SR | G | 2019: Talia became one of the most dangerous three-point shooters in the NWC. She averaged 9.7 points per game and made 40.9% of her three-point attempts.
Megan Dorney | SR | F | 2019: Injuries limited Megan to only 15 games, but she averaged 8.9 points, while making 60% of her field goals, and 5.9 rebounds per game. She added 1.5 assists per contest.
Quincy McDeid | SR | G | 2019: Quincy started all 25 games as a first year Pirate and tied for the team lead in scoring average at 14.4 points per game. She added 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists to claim honorable mention All-Northwest Conference recognition.
Willamette
Amanda Carpenter | GR | G | 2019: Enters the season with 509 career points scored to go along with 112 assists, 73 three-point baskets, and 60 steals... Started all 25 games in 2019-20 while averaging 7.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game... Connected on 33 three-pointers... Recorded 47 assists and 30 steals... Scored 23 points against California Lutheran on Nov. 22, 2019, and produced 21 points against Lewis & Clark College on Dec. 7, 2019.
*Ava Kitchin | SO | F |
Sami Riggs | JR | G | 2019: Played in all 25 games and averaged 9.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest... Made 14 starts for the Willamette... Earned 25 steals and 24 assists.
(Points awarded on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote for their own teams; numbers in parentheses indicate first place votes).
| Team |
Pts. |
2019 NWC Finish |
| Whitman (8) |
64 |
2nd |
| Pacific (Ore.) (1) |
50 |
8th |
| George Fox |
50 |
1st |
| Puget Sound |
49 |
3rd |
| Whitworth |
33 |
4th |
| Pacific Lutheran |
27 |
6th |
| Willamette |
25 |
7th |
| Linfield |
17 |
5th |
| Lewis & Clark |
10 |
9th |
For the complete 2021 NWC women’s basketball schedule, click
here.
*Newcomer to the NWC. Did not compete in 2019.