SHERMAN, Texas - The Austin College women's basketball team heads into the 2023-24 campaign looking to bounce back from a down season a year ago, as head coach Michelle Filander brought in one of the biggest classes in program history. Those newcomers, along with a strong group of returners, will be counted on to help the 'Roos rebound from a 1-24 overall record a year ago.
Filander will be looking to Marianna Bert, Megan O'Neil, Lauren Traylor, and Naomi Anamekwe to supply senior leadership this season. All four players have logged significant minutes over the course of their careers. That includes 36 career starts for Traylor, 25 for Anamekwe, and 21 for O'Neil, who last season broke the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference single-game record with 13 made three pointers against Schreiner. Traylor enters her final campaign with career averages of 5.1 points and 5.2 rebounds-per-game, and last season Anamekwe pulled down 7.4 rebounds-per-game, reaching double-figures in that category six times including a 25-rebound performance against Schreiner.
The 'Roos will also be looking to a pair of sophomores, Grace Moothart and Brooklyn Matthews, to take on larger roles in their second year at Austin College. Matthews appeared in 24 of 25 games last year and got her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Occidental, and is poised to step into the starting center role this season. Moothart appeared in 22 games last season, including nine starts, and shot 34.3% from three point range while averaging 4.1 points-per-game. The 'Roos also welcome back junior wing Paulina Porter, who has played in 42 games with seven career starts, as well as sophomores Sammi Guffey, Kaylee Lewis, and Avery Rague.
Joining the sophomore class are transfers Tiffani Hamm, an athletic 6-foot-1 wing, and Trinity Williams, a 6-foot-1 post player with the ability to stretch the floor. They'll be joined as newcomers by one of the largest classes of first-years in program history, including point guard Lexi Martin and versatile wing Amerys Cuellar, who brings the ability to play three positions. Raylee McDonald, a native of Australia who went to high school in Fort Worth, brings size and athleticism at 6-foot-1, while former high school teammaes Avory Miller and Kaylee Smith will be expected to provide more offensive firepower and defensive tenacity to the perimeter. Kate Fletcher is another cerebral wing with the ability to score at all three levels, and Avery Sweeney and Julianna Giles add even more depth and talent at the guard position, helping to give Filander one of her deepest teams in several years.
Austin College will open the season at home on Wednesday, November 8, when they host the Lyon College Scots with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Hughey Gym.