Emory, Va. - The Emory & Henry College Women's Basketball Team turned a lot of heads during the 2015-16 campaign. In the ODAC preseason poll, the Wasps were picked to finish fifth during the regular season. However, the squad exceeded expectations and finished third in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference with a 19-8 (11-5 ODAC) record. The third-place finish gave the Wasps a bye in the First Round of the ODAC Tournament for the first time since the field was expanded to 12 teams in the 2012-13 season, and its highest seed in the tournament since it was the #2 seed in 2003.
In the quarterfinals of the ODAC Tournament, E&H defeated Bridgewater in what turned out to be a thriller. Sophomore Chloe Harris hit the game-winning layup with 2.5 seconds remaining to give the Wasps the 88-87 victory. That win placed E&H in the semifinals for the second-straight season. Despite not winning the ODAC title, the Wasps hit several benchmarks. Emory & Henry reached a number eight ranking in the NCAA Division III South Region and saw three players named to the All-ODAC Teams.
Senior forward Karina Farr was tabbed to the All-ODAC Third Team for the third time in her career. Farr will leave the school in high regard after scoring her 1,000th career point and pulling down her 800th career rebound. Farr finished her career with 1,185 points which places her fifth on the all-time scoring list at Emory & Henry. Junior guard Megan Jacoby was named to the All-ODAC Second Team after leading the Wasps in assists at 5.8 and steals at 2.3 per game. Jacoby ramped up her scoring as well this season with 11.1 points per game with four 20-point games. Freshman Taylor Blevins had a monster year and was named the ODAC Rookie of the Year and also received All-ODAC Second-Team laurels. She was honored as the South Region Rookie of the Year by D3hoops.com as well as she led the Wasps in scoring (12.7), rebounding (9.8), field goal percentage (58.2%), blocks (24), and double-doubles (11). Blevins' ODAC Rookie of the Year nod is E&H's straight-second as Chloe Harris won the award last year.
The Wasps had great senior leadership, which was a big contributor to this year's success. Senior Anna Green was selected as team captain once again and had a breakout season. Green started 15 games and averaged a career-high 5.9 points while shooting 36.7% from three, which placed her third in the ODAC. Seniors Tamara Brewster and Amanda Stanley averaged 9.6 points and 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds, respectively, in their final seasons as a Wasp. Collectively, all of the seniors' experience and leadership skills will be missed in the coming years.
With 18 women on the roster, the Wasps' depth was key all season long. Junior guard Asja Jenkins started 13 games while posting career-highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, and steals. Harris continued shooting well for the Wasps hitting 41.2% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range. In her first season with the Wasps, Tessa Johnston hit 23 three-pointers on her way to an average of four points per game. Several other freshmen contributed to success of the team, each of whom will add experience, depth, and leadership in the coming years.
Team Leaders
Points – Taylor Blevins – 12.7
Rebounds –Taylor Blevins – 9.8
Assists – Megan Jacoby – 5.8
Blocks – Taylor Blevins – 0.9
Steals – Megan Jacoby – 2.3
FG% - Taylor Blevins – 58.2%
3FG% (min. 10 made) - Anna Green – 36.7%
FT% - Anna Green – 77.8%
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-photos courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H'15