Led by the terrific trio of Shanna Oaddams, Megan Fogle and freshman phenom Lauren Beckley, the Shippensburg University women’s basketball team reaffirmed its standing as one of the top teams in the PSAC a year ago as the six-time conference champions finished third in the PSAC Western Division and advanced to the PSAC quarterfinals.

The Lady Raiders posted a five-game improvement over their record from the 2005-06 season and will look to parlay last year’s success into a second-straight appearance in the PSAC Women’s Basketball Championship and 13th in the last 14 seasons.

The primary objective facing Shippensburg entering this season was finding a replacement for the loss of four letter winners, including its most dominant post presence from a year ago in Oaddams and its most experienced ball handler in Samantha Ramus, both of whom were lost to graduation.

Oaddams concluded her four-year career with 1,453 points and 969 rebounds to rank ninth on the school’s career scoring list and second in rebounding. She also played in all 111 of the team’s games during that time and was a four-time All-PSAC Western Division selection, including three-straight first team honors from 2005-07. Shanna was the 2004 Western Division Rookie of the Year.

Ramus joined the team prior to the 2004-05 season after transferring to Shippensburg from West Virginia Wesleyan. In three seasons with the Lady Raiders, she totaled 204 assists, including a team-high 122 during the 2005-06 season. Ramus started 49 games as the team’s point guard over the last two seasons and posted just the program’s second ever triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists at Seton Hill on Dec. 17, 2005.

However, the coaching staff is confident that with the return of six letterwinners, highlighted by Fogle and Beckley, as well as the addition of two talented newcomers, the Lady Raiders will be a serious contender for the program’s league-leading seventh PSAC championship.

"The leadership and skill of Megan and Lauren should carry us a long way," said head coach Kristy Trn. "They have the best experience on the team, and will be called upon to help their younger, less experienced teammates learn and grow."

Fogle returns for her senior season after becoming the 15th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points a year ago. She enters the season with 1,039 career points in three seasons with the Lady Raiders and is ranked 14th on the school’s all-time scoring list.

As for Beckley, she had the best freshman season in the history of Shippensburg and the PSAC. The 2007 PSAC Western Division Rookie of the Year, she became the first freshman to be named All-PSAC Western Division First Team since California's Sara McKinney in 2001-02 and totaled 548 points, breaking the PSAC freshman scoring record set by McKinney.

One of the expected standouts in this year’s incoming recruiting class will be freshman Kasey Gardner who Trn expects to compete for a starting position right away and contend for PSAC Western Division Rookie of the Year honors.

"Kasey is a strong and physical player that can mix it up on the block, as well as step outside and become a scoring and penetrating threat," said Trn. "She should alleviate some of the offensive and defensive burden left by Shanna’s graduation. She is a great complement to the talents of both Megan and Lauren. I’m excited to see her develop over her career at Shippensburg University."

In Trn’s eight seasons at Shippensburg, four Lady Raiders have earned the honor of the division’s top newcomer, including Beckley last season and Fogle in 2005 to go along with Shanna Oaddams in 2004 and Katie Bray in 2001.

Backcourt

The steady and consistent Fogle will headline the team’s guard play as the fourth-year player is the team’s lone senior. She has started all 82 of the team’s games since she came to Shippensburg prior to the 2004-05 season.

An All-PSAC Western Division Second Team selection in 2006 and PSAC Western Division Rookie of the Year in 2005, Fogle has averaged 12.7 points over her first three seasons and totaled 161 three-pointers and 95 assists during that time demonstrating her ability to lead the team in scoring while also showing her skill as a ball handler.

"Megan has the confidence of her teammates being named one of the captains again this season, and I foresee her having the best year of her career," said Trn.

Another leading candidate expected to contribute greatly to the success of the team this season is junior Phylicia Bessick. A capable scorer, she has averaged just under nine points with 60 three-pointers in 55 career games.

"Phylicia has shown the ability to come off the bench and provide a scoring spark for us last season," said Trn. "With improvements on defense and more consistent play, she should be a go to player for the Lady Raiders this season. We are counting on her to fill some of the void statistically of Oaddams."

In addition to offensive contributions, Bessick has also been key in Shippensburg’s defensive effort, totaling 66 steals in her first two seasons, the most among any Lady Raider during that time.

Sophomore Michelle Metz is expected to be the team's starting point guard left empty by the departure of Ramus. She gained valuable experience last season after appearing in all 28 games with five starts. Metz finished third on the team with 70 assists and made 11 three-pointers, but was one of six players who committed at least 60 turnovers.

"I feel Michelle is ready to take of the helm of the Ship and begin to lead us in the right direction as our point guard and leader on the floor," said Trn. "She has worked hard over the summer, and I feel is she can consistently tap into her competitive side, good things are going to happen for us."

The final veteran returnee in the backcourt this season is sophomore Sheila Wasser. The key for her will be more playing time and experience as she played in just eight games last season. Despite limited action, Wasser made the most of her opportunities as evidenced against Cheyney on January 14 when she totaled two points and one rebound in just two minutes.

Frontcourt

After a wealth of talent the last two seasons, led primarily by the play of Oaddams, Shippensburg’s frontcourt will undergo some rebuilding entering the 2007-08 season.

Beckley averaged a conference-best 19.6 points per game while ranking eighth and tops on the team in rebounding at 8.3 per game. She was the first Shippensburg freshman to the lead the team in scoring since Stacey Cunningham set the school’s freshman scoring record in 1981 at 16.3 points per game.

With the loss of Oaddams, the Lady Raiders will need to establish a consistent scoring threat inside so expect to see Beckley play more from the post than she did a year ago as she has the ability to be effective with her back to the basket and the quickness to score on the perimeter.

After two seasons in which she saw action in 48 games as a guard, junior Elise Mercer will make the transition to forward to help alleviate the lack of depth down low. She saw her most extensive action last year, playing in 27 games with eight starts and averaging 2.4 points. Despite two seasons as a guard at Shippensburg, Mercer played small forward at Stephen Decator High School in Maryland where she is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,494 points.

"Elise can really get off the floor and has great instincts to the basket," said Trn. "She could provide many match-up problems for our opponents. She will see action at both the guard and post spot. What I love about her is she is willing to do whatever the team needs of her."

After earning All-MVAL Honorable Mention honors in 2005 as a senior at Williamsport High School in Maryland, junior Chrissy Minnick attended Hagerstown Community College for two years where she appeared in 57 games for the Hawks and averaged 3.5 points and 5.6 rebounds.

The final member of the frontcourt is freshman Kasey Gardner. A third team all-state selection as a senior, she totaled 1,445 points and 731 rebounds at Sharpsville High School. She also added 104 three-pointers and shot 46 percent from the field.

Coaching Staff

For the first time in the last four seasons, head coach Kristy Trn will have a new full-time assistant.

While Jack Schenzel, a 1995 graduate of Shippensburg, returns for his third season on the Lady Raider staff, former standout Jen Scaffidi ‘05 begins her first season as assistant this year.

Two years after finishing her career with the Lady Raiders ranked sixth on the school’s career scoring list with 1,583 points; Scaffidi brings two years of assistant coach experience at the high school level. She is also ranked second in career three pointers with 188 and concluded her career with 481 assists.

With Scaffidi and Schenzel joining Trn, a 1993 graduate and the fourth-leading scorer in team history, the Lady Raiders have a staff that not only know and have been a part of the program’s rich history, but who also know the opposition in the PSAC which will greatly benefit the team in its quest for a PSAC championship.

Schedule

With the addition of Gannon and Mercyhurst into the PSAC as full members next year, the 2007-08 season will mark Shippensburg’s last in the Western Division. Since joining the Western Division from the Eastern Division prior to the 1987-88 season, the Lady Raiders have won six PSAC West titles during that 20-year period, the most of any current Western Division team, one more than California (Pa.) and Clarion.

In addition to the challenging league schedule that comes with being a member of the PSAC Western Division, Shippensburg will play a total of six games against four teams this season who are either ranked or receiving votes in the USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. Indiana (Pa.) is ranked at No. 16 while California (Pa.), Charleston (W. Va.) and Pittsburgh-Johnstown are receiv¬ing votes.

After hosting the annual Wolf’s Bus Lines Tournament November 16 and 17, the Lady Raiders will host 2007 NCAA tournament participants Pittsburgh-Johnstown to Heiges Field House.

The Lady Raiders will then wrap-up a five-game home stand to open the season when it begins PSAC crossover play against Kutztown and East Stroudsburg on December 1 and 2.

From there, the team will not play at home again until January 5 when it returns from a seven-game road trip that includes its participation in the ESU Rotary Classic (December 7-8) and Red Roof Classic (December 29-30).

Shippensburg begins the new year with its final three PSAC crossover games, two of which are at home, before opening its PSAC Western Division schedule at home against Lock Haven on January 16.

The quarterfinals of the PSAC Women’s Basketball Championship are set for March 4 with the semifinals and championship game being held on March 7 and 8 at the top remaining seed in the West.