Coach Duckworth Sites Depth As Team’s Strength for Coming Season

NEW PALTZ, NY — This season the SUNY New Paltz women’s basketball team enters its fourth season under head coach Brad Duckworth. In 2004 the Hawks complied a record of 11-14 overall and a 5-11 mark in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). With 11 victories, the Hawks produced their highest win total since the 1992-93 season. In ’92-93, SUNY New Paltz had a mark of 13-13.

The Hawks look to build on last year’s success. With the most talented group of athletes Coach Duckworth has ever had, he and the players have great expectations for this season. At the top of the women’s basketball team’s list of goals is competing for a SUNYAC title. Coach Duckworth believes that this goals is very attainable, especially with the added talent and depth in this year’s in coming class. The Hawks will look to their youth to fill in important roles, which will allow this the team to remain fresh throughout the season as a whole.

They return a majority of their roster from 2004; including senior forward Sandra Glazewski (Dobbs Ferry, NY), junior guard Kerri Kelty (Valley Stream, NY), junior forward Kristin Jackson (East Islip, NY) and junior forward Sarah Salvo (Manorville, NY), they will look to their junior captains Kelty and Jackson for leadership on the floor. Coach Duckworth feels that the impact of his newcomers is already being felt in preseason practice sessions. He claims that so far practice is much more competitive than in past years and that he has already seen great signs from freshmen Jasmine Scheffel (Oakland, MD), Chanel Tolbert (Poughkeepsie, NY), and senior transfer Alexandria Cruse (Poughkeepsie, NY).

The SUNY New Paltz women’s Basketball team will open up the 2005 season on Saturday November 19th with a 3:00 pm contest at Drew University.