Nov. 1, 2009

11.1.09 - The Lady Evangels are coming off a successful 2008-2009 season where the attained their first NAIA post season win at the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament. They also captured a NCCAA Division I Regional title and placed third at the NCCAA National Tournament. MACU plans to build upon the successes of last season as momentum for the upcoming 2009-2010 season.

"I am very excited about the upcoming season," Head Coach Markus Crandall said. "We have a solid group of student-athletes that could be the finest group that we have ever had play here at MACU. With continued hard work and dedication to the team goals and team mission, I believe this group of players is going to have an exceptional season."

The Lady Evangels return ten letter winners from a year ago and have added four newcomers to the mix.

"We are returning a high-quality nucleus of players from last year's team," Crandall said. "Nine of the top twelve from last year's roster will be back in action this season. They will be led by third team All-conference player Karina Trindade. Karina and several players that made contributions last season will be expected to continue to progress and establish themselves as a successful women's basketball program in the NAIA."

Trindade averaged 10.8 points per game and 31 minutes last season. She led the team in total rebounds with 304 and should offer a solid inside presence for the MACU.

At the guard position, the Lady Evangels return six players: Melissa Aguilar, Rachel Bushong, Blanca Casale, Michelle Hardimon, Marchse Keno and Brittany Prandy.

Aguilar started at point guard last season as a sophomore, averaging 4.3 points per game. She player more than 21 minutes per game and led the team in assists with 90. Hardimon, a junior, also saw minutes at point guard, averaging 16 minutes a game. Casale and Keno return following season-ending knee injuries last season. Bushong played in 24 games as a freshman and looks to receive quality minutes this season.

At the forward position, the Lady Evangels return an experienced group of players. Nathalia Araujo comes back for her senior season along with junior April Hale and sophomore Charis Beasler.

Araujo played in 35 games last season scoring five points per game while playing in 20 minutes per contest. She was a force on the boards by hauling in 140 rebounds on the year.

The Lady Evangels look to add depth with the addition of experienced newcomers who all come from other programs. Egidija Busaite is a junior guard who transferred from Weatherford Junior College, Bernista Frost is a sophomore transferring from Southeastern Community College, Brittany Johnson is a junior from USC-Upstate, and Julisa Mitchell is another sophomore from Temple Community College.

"Julisa Mitchell will be an immediate impact on the boards and defensively," Crandall said. "Egidija Busaite will bring us an aggressive quickness both offensively and defensively; her European style of play should be a tremendous asset to the team this season. Brittany Johnson will be strong offensive presence and leader in the paint, and she should make an impact in the conference. Bernista Frost should give us depth and will compete for opportunities on the floor."

MACU hopes to raise the bar for success during the 2009-2010 season. With the achievements of 2008-2009, the Lady Evangels hope to improve on last season's efforts and expect to compete with the elite. They finished ninth out of 12 teams in the SAC last season. Coach Crandall is expecting to see the team improve their standings this spring.

"I expect our team to finish in the top half of the conference," Crandall said. "We have also set a goal to defend our NCCAA Division I Regional title and win a NCCAA Division I National Championship."

The Lady Evangels face a tough conference schedule along with a challenging non-conference schedule. It will be tougher to get to the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament this season since only eight teams advance to tournament play.

"We should be able to compete with the teams in the top half of the conference this year," Crandall said. "Last season we did not get a victory against a team ranked higher than 6th in the conference. We plan on getting physically stronger and mentally tougher so that we can challenge those teams in the top half."

The Lady Evangels were picked to finish ninth in the Sooner Athletic Conference Coaches Poll. They were picked to finish 10th in the NCCAA preseason poll.

The Lady Evangels tip-off their 2009-2010 season on November 2nd at home, playing host to Southwestern Assembly of God University.