Ivy League Sports

By Julie Greco, Cornell University

After an injury-ridden 2004-05 season saw the Cornell women's basketball team post a 3-24 overall record Head Coach Dayna Smith is excited to get the 2005-06 season underway.

“We had a lot of young players who were forced to play more than we expected last season due to some key injuries,” said Smith. “Those players did a lot of learning last year and matured physically, mentally, and emotionally. Their attitudes and work ethic are the best I've seen in my time at Cornell and they've come back hungry, so I'm very excited about the season.”

Cornell will have a tough road ahead of them this season as they will play in two tournaments, take a midseason trip to Texas, and potentially face five 2005 NCAA Tournament participants.

The team will begin their Ivy slate on Fri., Jan. 13 by hosting Penn and will play 14 straight conference games to end the season.

Returning after a breakout rookie campaign is Cornell’s top scorer from last season, Lindsay Krasna. The sophomore guard was a unanimous selection to the Ivy All-Rookie Team, becoming just the fifth player in program history to receive that honor. During the course of the season she also earned the league’s Rookie of the Week honor seven times.

Krasna led the Big Red with a scoring average of 12.3 points per game, good for ninth in the conference, and led the league with an 87.1 percent success rate at the free-throw line, which was the best single-season mark in Cornell history. Likewise, her 115 made free throws was the second highest total ever by a Big Red player. In addition to leading the team in scoring, Krasna finished the year second on the team in assists (2.4 apg.) and third in rebounding (4.5 rpg.) and steals (1.2 spg.).

“Our opponents were really focused on stopping Lindsay last season,” said Smith. “But the balance of the team this year will force our opponents to respect our other scoring threats and that should really benefit Lindsay.”

Junior Claire Perry, who has battled injuries throughout her career at Cornell, is coming off her most productive season with the Big Red. She returns as one of the teams most well-rounded players, finishing her sophomore year as the second best scorer (10.5 ppg) and rebounder (5.0 rpg) on the team. Last season she was also Cornell’s main three point threat, connecting on a team best 31 from beyond the arc.

“Claire sees the floor very well and is versatile in her scoring,” said Smith.

After missing the majority of the season with an injury, senior Sarah Brown will return to the lineup this season. As a sophomore Brown averaged just under five points per game in conference play and in limited action last season, averaged 6.8 ppg.

“Sarah brings leadership and a legitimate scoring threat to our backcourt,” Smith said.

After being injured for the majority of last season, senior Brittani Rettig will look to lead Cornell at the small forward position. As a sophomore Rettig was one of the Big Red's most valuable players off the bench as she saw action in all 27 contests.

“Brittani is an athletic and explosive player who will be the verbal leader on the floor,” said Smith.

Amy Lyon has come a long way since walking onto the team in her freshman season. After converting from the guard position that she played in high school to a forward for Cornell, Lyon saw her playing time increase considerably in her sophomore season. She led the team in rebounding in 10 contests and was the team's top rebounder on the season with 146 caroms. Lyon ranked third on the team with 256 points and led the Big Red in scoring in nine games.

“Amy worked very hard on developing an inside game,” said Smith. “She gained a lot of strength and will hopefully help us on the boards this season.”

Sophomore Megan Hughes will provide an athletic and physical presence on the floor for Cornell this season. As a freshman, Hughes saw action in all 27 games, averaging just over 18 minutes per contest and finished the season ranked second on the team with 12 blocks.

“Megan has the ability to score in a one-on-one situation while being able to play with her back to the basket,” said Smith.

Looking to add to the Big Red lineup will be freshman Jordan Cornett. Standing at 6-4, Cornett will bring some much needed size to the team. Over her final two seasons at St. Agnes Academy she averaged 10.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game and led her team to both the regional finals and the state semifinals. Cornett was a two-time district MVP while garnering first team all-state honors.

“Jordan is extremely coachable and has tremendous potential,” said Smith. “She will bring height, a soft touch, and the ability to finish to the frontcourt.”