Posted: Jan 20, 2021
FREELAND, MICH. -- The Trine University women's basketball team was selected to finish second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Preseason Poll that was released today.
The Thunder received one first-place vote and had a total of 49 points. Hope (Mich.) College was the conference favorite with eight first-place votes and 56 points. Albion (Mich.) College rounded out the top three with 40 points.
Trine recorded its fourth-straight season with 20 or more wins and finished with a 23-6 overall mark in 2019-20. The Thunder advanced to the MIAA Tournament championship game for the fifth straight year and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. It was Trine's fourth consecutive appearance in the national tournament. The Thunder won their first two games of the NCAA Tournament to advance to the "Sweet 16" for the second time in the last three years.
Trine returns all but one starter from last year's team, including All-Region and first-team All-MIAA guard Tara Bieniewicz. Bieniewicz led Trine in scoring with an 11.9 points per game average and also led the team in field goals made (113), field goal attempts (243), three-pointers made (62), and three-point attempts (152). Bieniewicz scored in double figures in 18 games, including scoring a career-high 21 points on two separate occasions against Adrian (Mich.) College and Hope (Mich.) College.
Kayla Wildman, Kelsy Taylor and Shay Herbert also return in 2020-21 as starters from the previous season. Wildman averaged 9.7 ppg. and shot 43.0 percent (98-of-228) from the floor. Taylor scored 8.3 ppg. and was second in rebounding at 5.6 rebounds per game. Herbert was the team leader in both rebounds (5.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (27) while scoring 5.9 ppg.
Additionally, the Thunder bring back a host of players who saw significant playing time in 2019-20 in Sam Underhill, Rachel Stewart, Sophia Kreag, Sophie Sloneker, Kaylee Argyle, Makayla Ardis, Alyssa Argyle and Alexa Porter. Underhill, Stewart, Kreag, Sloneker, Kaylee Argyle and Ardis all played in 20 or more games last winter.
Trine continues its 2020-21 season tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 20) with a matchup against Alma (Mich.) College at the MTI Center. The game is set to start at 7:30 p.m.