With the arrival of the month of November comes a few certainties: The sun sets earlier than most would prefer, stiff winds bring the leaves to the ground and NESCAC women's basketball tips off another intriguing season. The NESCAC is one of the most competitive conferences in all of women's Div. III basketball, and last season was no exception. The conference sent three teams — Amherst, Bowdoin and Tufts — to the NCAA Tournament last winter, and the Jumbos advanced as far as the Elite Eight. With plenty of returning talent, as well as a few new faces, the 2008-09 season promises to be just as exciting as the previous one. A look at where each of Tufts' conference foes stands heading into this year:
Amherst
Last season: 7-2, 1st place
Coach G.P. Gromacki was successful in his first year leading the Lord Jeffs, as he turned a 12-13 team into a NESCAC champion that eventually made a run to the Sweet 16.
But the Jeffs have lost a lot of firepower after graduating two First Team All-NESCAC picks: Shaina Pollack and Stefanie Reiff. But Gromacki is confident in his young players' ability to fill in the gaps.
"You can never fully replace them, so you hope that a group of people will be able to pick up the slack," Gromacki said.
Bates
Last season: 5-4, 5th place
The once-powerhouse Bobcats fell on hard times last season. Despite boasting a lineup with three one-time All-NESCAC players, Bates finished in the middle of the pack and made its quickest exit from the NESCAC Tournament ever.
Things don't figure to get any better in Lewiston this season. The Bobcats graduated more than 30 points of production, as well as their top two rebounders, leaving senior co-captain Val Beckwith as one of the team's few established scoring threats.
Bowdoin
Last season: 6-3, 4th place
For the first time since the NESCAC Tournament's inception, the Polar Bears will not enter the season as defending conference champions. But after graduating just one senior, the Polar Bears appear primed for a bounce-back season.
One of the new faces is Adrienne Schibles, who takes over the reigns from long-time coach Stefanie Pemper.
"I know that Coach Pemper's departure was a shock, but I have been impressed with the way that they entered the academic year with a positive outlook and an intense focus." Schibles said.
Colby
Last season: 2-7, 8th place
Could this be the surprise team of 2009?
The Mules season ended with a first-round NESCAC Tournament loss to Amherst last year, and it won't help that they'll have to replace points and rebounds leader Katie McCabe, who graduated.
But with no seniors on the roster this season, the young guns will be given plenty of opportunities to shine. Coach and UNC alum Lori Gear McBride has added six freshmen to the roster to go along with seven sophomores.
Conn. College
Last season: 2-7, 9th place
The Camels are coming off a 12-12 season that represented their best finish since 1997. Conn. College went into the final weekend of regular season action without any NESCAC wins on the year, but stunning victories over Williams and Middlebury kept the squad out of the conference cellar. A unique blend of personnel — the team has eight guards and no seniors — will attempt to keep Conn. College afloat.
Middlebury
Last season: 4-5, 7th place
One year after bowing out to Tufts in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament, the Panthers return four-fifths of their starting five.
If recent history is any measure, the league knows what it can expect out of Middlebury this year; in each of the last six seasons, the squad has finished within four games of .500 and hasn't finished higher than sixth place in the NESCAC.
Trinity
Last season: 1-8, 10th place
The Bantams finished 9-5 against non-NESCAC opponents last season, yet were abysmal in conference play, finishing in last place with a 1-8 regular season record, with their only conference victory coming over Conn. College. Last season marked the first time since the 2004-05 season that the Bantams missed out on the NESCAC Tournament, and Trinity will be looking to right the ship this year.
Wesleyan
Last season: 6-3, 3rd place
After reaching the conference semifinals a year ago, the Cardinals should receive a boost from fifth-year senior co-captain Lucy Sprung, who led the team in rebounds and was second in points. Sprung had an extra year of eligibility and returns to Wesleyan as a graduate student. The Cardinals also return senior Ali Fourney, who last year paced the NESCAC with a scoring average of 16.4 points per game.
Williams
Last season: 5-4, 6th place
A young Williams squad showed considerable promise last season as the only team to score regular season victories over both conference finalists, Tufts and Amherst. But the Ephs fizzled out by season's end, dropping a stunner to previously winless Conn. College the final weekend of the regular season and falling to Wesleyan in the first round of the conference tournament.
