Solid core of returnees expected

With good reason, second-year coach Lauren Macer and the Notre Dame College Falcons have their sights set high for the 201819 season. The Falcons return four starters from the team that last season finished 23-8 overall and 17-5 in the Mountain East Conference. Those 23 wins were the most in NDC women’s program history. So were the totals of points (2,446), field goals (895) and 3-point field goals (895).

NDC reached the championship game of the 2018 MEC women’s tournament before losing to regularseason champion Glenville State (W.Va.).

In the MEC’s 2018-19 preseason poll, NDC was picked to finish second behind Glenville.

Macer said this team has the talent and makeup to build on last season’s successes and make a serious run at securing the MEC tournament title and the program’s first bid to the NCAA Division II women’s tournament.

“These players are unselfish, competitive and coachable. They want to know what they can do to get better,” Macer said.

Junior guard Seina Adachi averaged a team-high 16.1 points last season. She earned All-MEC first-team honors. Adachi’s 516 points last season were the fifthhighest total in program history.

“I’m comfortable with the role I have in this offense. But all of my teammates can score, too,” Adachi said.

Junior point guard Marisa Finazzo (Gilmour) averaged 11.3 points and 3.9 assists.

“This team has so much potential,” Finazzo said. “If we don’t achieve our goals this season, it definitely will feel like a failure.”

Other players expected to make major contributions this season are junior guards Kyleigh Ramlow, Katie Karalic, Ajia McIntyre and Allie DeLaney, junior forwards Jessie Stout and Abi Oriti, freshman guard Theresa Parr and freshman forward Tamia Ridley.

Junior forward Maggie King is on the mend from offseason knee surgery and will be slowly worked back into the rotation.

Finazzo