Home games in bold
* = Midwest Collegiate Conference match
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2007-2008 Season
This year's Ashford University women's basketball team will have a completely new look. With just four returning players – one of which was a starter – from last season's 8-21 squad, third year Head Coach Chris Powers will have to rely heavily on his newcomers for success in 2007-08. "I'm excited for this year. We have a lot of new faces. Half of our team is made up of freshmen," said Powers.
This year's squad, picked to finish eighth in the Midwest Collegiate Conference, will look to returning sophomore starter Bethany Mahmens. Her 7.9 ppg and 7.2 rpg are tops among returnees for AU. Other returnees include senior guard Desiree Duran (1.9 ppg), sophomore guard Roni Connelly (0.4 ppg), and sophomore guard Amara Ward (1.5 ppg).
The ability of the Saints' 10 newcomers – seven of which are freshman – to adjust to the college game will be key for Ashford this season. Tops among the freshman recruits are Jordan Davis and Kayla Crist. Davis, a three-time first team All-Conference performer at Maquoketa High School, will join backcourt mate Crist, who was a three-time All-Conference performer herself at North Cedar High School, to form a tandem that should be a force for years to come. Joining them is Brittany Edwards who was a four-time team MVP and two-time Athlete of the Year at Notre Dame High School in Chicago, Illinois.
Giving the Saints some international flair will be Kira Favaro who was a two-time best defensive player at an extremely competitive St. Mary's College Prepatory in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Other freshman include Jonique Flourney from Hirsch High School, Angela Cooke from Carver Military Academy, and Lauren Fairbert from Parker High School in Janesville, Wisconsin. Other newcomers for the Saints include junior Michelle Woolley, junior Steffane Winslow, who will bring winning experience after qualifying for the National Tournament with Black Hawk Community College and junior Elissa Johnson, also from Black Hawk.
Powers said, "Obviously we are lacking in experience and height. We will make up for these disadvantages by picking up the tempo on both ends and trying to work harder than our opponents. Like any year, I want this team to get better as the year goes on and I think this team will continue to get better. Even though we're young, I want to win right away and hope this team adjusts to the speed and strength of the college game very quickly. I believe we can and we will."
Women's Basketball Roster
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| # | Name | Year | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Roni Connelly | Soph. | Washington, IA |
| 11 | Kayla Crist | Fr. | Stanwood, IA |
| 15 | Elissa Johnson | Jr. | Leland, IL |
| 21 | Amara Ward | Soph. | Fulton, IL |
| 23 | Bethany Mahmens | Soph. | Goose Lake, IA |
| 25 | Jonique Flournoy | Fr. | Chicago, IL |
| 30 | Angela Cooke | Fr. | Chicago, IL |
| 31 | Jordan Davis | Fr. | Delmar, IA |
| 32 | Brittany Edwards | Fr. | Chicago, IL |
| 33 | Desiree Duran | Sr. | Camanche, IA |
| 35 | Michelle Woolley | Jr. | Peoria, IL |
| 41 | Lauren Fairbert | Fr. | Janesville, WI |
| 50 | Kira Favaro | Fr. | Sault Ste. Marie, ON |
| 55 | Steffane Winslow | Jr. | LeClaire, IA |
Head Coach Chris Powers
(chris.powers@ashford.edu)
Coach Chris Powers takes over the reins for a second time as the University's head men's golf coach as well as his duties of head women’s basketball coach. Powers graduated from Mount St. Clare College in 1997. He was a two-sport athlete, participating in baseball and basketball. In basketball, he was a three-year captain and team MVP while earning all-conference recognition. He is the school's single season and career assist leader and scored more than 1,200 points in his career. In baseball, he was team MVP and earned all-conference recognition as a pitcher. He was the recipient of the school's Athlete of the Year award three times (1994-1996).
After graduation, Powers began his coaching career at MSC as assistant men's basketball coach and head men's golf coach. The 1998-1999 basketball team was ranked as high as #15 in the country and won the conference. After two years at The Mount, Powers made the transition to women's basketball. He was an assistant coach at St. Ambrose University for two years, making it to the Elite Eight of the national tournament in 1999-2000 before moving on to Loras College (2001-2003) as an assistant and was part of the first conference championship and national tournament berth in Loras history. Prior to his current job, Powers was an assistant boys' basketball coach at Morrison High School.
Powers is a Clinton, Iowa native and graduated from Clinton High School in 1992. During his senior year, he was the point guard of the Class 4A State Championship basketball team.
Coach Powers and his wife Stacy reside in Clinton, Iowa. He is the son of Jim and the late Karen Powers.
Assistant Coach Alyssa Rickert
(alyssa.rickert@ashford.edu)
Alyssa Rickert comes to the Saints from Botkins, Ohio. She attended Ohio Northern University, a Division III NCAA institution in Ada, Ohio where she was a four-year starter with more than 1,000 career points and left with the most three pointers made in a career for the Polar Bears.
After completing her playing career, she became an women's varsity assistant coach at Sidney High School in Sidney, Ohio. She then accepted a position as an assistant men's and women's basketball coach at Lake Erie College in Cleveland, Ohio where she helped guide the men to their first DIII NCAA tournament appearance in school history.
After completing her tenure there, she accepted a position at Marietta College where she contributed to the department as a women's basketball assistant coach and women's tennis head coach before accepting the position at Ashford.