Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

By EMILY LOOF
Saint Mary’s Sports Information Office
 
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Members of the four NCAA Division III women’s basketball national semifinalists—Wartburg, Bowdoin, Amherst, and Thomas More—sat down to share some thoughts in advance of their Division III national semifinal games Friday evening.
 
Here are some of the highlights:
 
WARTBURG COLLEGE: Head coach Bob Amsberry, senior Morgan Neuendorf, and senior Katie Sommer

• COACH AMSBERRY ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HERE: “This group has worked extremely hard and I’m just happy for our seven seniors that have come in and worked really hard on our culture and our chemistry.” -Head coach Bob Amsberry
• NEUENDORF ON HOW THIS EXPERIENCE IS DIFFERENT FROM THEIR FINAL FOUR APPEARANCE TWO YEARS AGO: “I think last time we were in the Final Four, it was kind of eye-opening for us. But this time, it means a lot more to us, and going out senior year this weekend is really special and something I’ll take with me for the rest of my life.” -Neuendorf
• SOMMER ON WHAT THIS MEANS TO THE WARTBURG COMMUNITY: “I think our fans and community and students deserve this opportunity as well because they’ve been along for this journey just a much as we have. We appreciate them so much.” -Senior Katie Sommer
• SOMMER ON WHAT THE WARTBURG CULTURE IS ALL ABOUT: “Any one of us could go off for 20 points a game, but we don’t care who scores all the points. I think it’s important that we celebrate each other’s successes on and off the court.” -Sommer
• COACH AMSBERRY ON HOW HE PLAYS TO HIS SEVEN SENIORS’ STRENGTHS: “A lot of times I just get out of the way. It’s so awesome to have a group that you can just trust in every area. Because let’s be frank: the play is at the other end of the floor, and I’m not down there. They have to be able to communicate and this group does that.”
• COACH AMSBERRY ON WHAT THIS MEANS TO THE STATE OF IOWA AND THE IOWA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: “I’ve always said that I think there’s great basketball in Iowa. We really focus on Iowa because there’s a lot of talent, and I feel like if we can get our talent from within a 100-mile radius, that we’re going to be very successful. We’re well prepared because of our IIAC play, and we’re happy to represent our conference.”
• COACH AMSBERRY ON THE MATCHUP WITH BOWDOIN: “Bowdoin is really good. They remind us of us. I think it’s a classic matchup of two very similar teams. We both score a lot and we’re both very good defensively. We’re excited for this opportunity and ready to get started.”
• NEUENDORF ON THE MATCHUP WITH BOWDOIN: “I think once the tip-off happens it’s just going to be a regular basketball game.”

 
BOWDOIN COLLEGE: Head coach Adrienne Shibles, Junior Hannah Graham, and senior Lydia Caputi

• COACH SHIBLES ON BOWDOIN’S SEASON: “It’s been a wonderful journey with these 14 women this year. Playing tough competition has taken us deep into this season and we couldn’t feel more blessed to be here.”
• COACH SHIBLES ON WHAT BOWDOIN BASKETBALL MEANS: “It starts on the defensive end. We bring a lot of grit to the defensive side of the game. Beyond that, it’s about being selfless, sharing the basketball, and bringing a fierce mentality to the floor. We have so many weapons. Every one of our players on any day can be our leading scorer and that’s such a luxury.”
• CAPUTI ON THE FACT THAT TWO NESCAC TEAMS ARE IN THE FINAL FOUR: “You look at our two losses this season, both are to NESCAC teams. I think that speaks volumes about how great our conference is. The other teams in our conference are tremendous. We can never go into a NESCAC matchup expecting anything other than a really great opponent.”
• COACH SHIBLES ON THE MATCHUP AGAINST UNDEFEATED WARTBURG: “We prepare every day in practice. I think they’re a lot like us. They like a high-tempo game and have a nice inside-out balance. But we’re preparing for this just like we would prepare for any other game.”
• GRAHAM ON THE PRESSURE OF BEING IN THE FINAL FOUR: “I think the hype of this weekend can really get to you if you don’t stay focused. Coach does a great job of keeping us focused in practice. Since they are so similar to us, the people I’m practicing against every day are really lending a hand in that.”
• CAPUTI ON WITNESSING BOWDOIN’S ONLY OTHER FINAL FOUR APPEARANCE AS A NINE-YEAR-OLD IN 2004: “I had the privilege of growing up in Brunswick, so I have spent hours on end since I was five years old shooting around in our home gym. I could name so many Bowdoin women’s basketball players that have had a huge impact on me and the woman that I am now. To be able to be back here now myself with my teammates and coaches is pretty sweet.”
• GRAHAM ON THE DEPARTING SENIORS: “I just want 40 more minutes with these seniors because they bring so much to this team, like leadership and poise on the court.”
• COACH SHIBLES ON THE TEAMS’ SERVICE AT THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE: “Bowdoin is a school that is founded on serving the common good, and service is a big part of our culture. So the opportunity to service while we were here was really exciting to us.”
• CAPUTI ON WHAT THIS WEEKEND IS ALL ABOUT: “We’re here to play basketball and that’s the number one thing on our minds. But my dad tells me this quote, ‘Attack every day with an enthusiasm unknown to humankind.’ I feel like if you’re coming into this weekend and you’re not ready to soak everything up, you don’t really deserve to be here.”

 
AMHERST COLLEGE: Head coach G.P. Gromacki, senior Hannah Hackley and junior Emma McCarthy

• COACH GROMACKI ON THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY IN ROCHESTER: “Being near the Mayo Clinic is very humbling. We’re very fortunate to be where we are in such a great place of hope and innovation. And we’re excited to be back for our third-straight Final Four.”
• COACH GROMACKI ON THE PRESSURE OF DEFENDING THE CHAMPIONSHIP: “We don’t feel any pressure at all. We haven’t looked at who we’re playing, it’s just the next game. I think there’s more pressure on the teams who are going to be playing us.”
• COACH GROMACKI ON WHAT MAKES HIS TEAM SPECIAL: “They’re always looking forward to their next challenge. They’re willing to learn. We’ve had great leadership, and we’ve had a lot of young players step into roles and run with it.” 
• MCCARTHY ON LEADING HER TEAM AS A CAPTAIN: “I think what makes our team so special is not just having Hannah and I as leaders, but also having so many returning players and having a small team. I think it makes unity really special. Everyone on our team has a voice and I think that’s really important.”
• HACKLEY ON WHAT THE COMMUNITY SERVICE MEANT TO HER: “While are we coming obviously to play basketball and win, having the community service integrated within the tournament every year is a staple of the experience. We’re grateful to be a part of it.”
• MCCARTHY ON PLAYING THEIR FIRST ROAD GAME OF THE TOURNAMENT FRIDAY: “It is great to play at home, but all of our families are coming this weekend, and the experience to come here is really special, as well as the opportunity to create these memories.”
• COACH GROMACKI ON THE STRENGTH OF THE NESCAC: “Our conference was really deep this year. We were pushed to the limit many times and it definitely can only help us now.”
• HACKLEY ON THE KEYS TO THE MATCHUP AGAINST THOMAS MORE: “We have to be confident in our game and our strategy. At the end of the day, we just have to be mentally focused and we’ve done a very good job at that all year. We just have to play sound team basketball and defense.”

 
THOMAS MORE COLLEGE: Head coach Jeff Hans, senior Abby Owings, senior Nikki Kiernan, and junior Madison Temple

• COACH HANS ON HIS TEAM’S SEASON: “We had an opening weekend loss at Rochester (New York) and I think that really set the tone for us on some things we needed to get better at. That and our trip to Hawaii helped us build team chemistry. For our program, it means the world to be back here on the big stage.”
• COACH HANS ON BEING BACK IN THE FINAL FOUR: “It’s impressive for us to be here again. And this team has a hunger to them to try to prove to everybody that we belong here.”
• OWINGS ON MISSING THE FINAL FOUR LAST YEAR: “Last year’s second-round loss to Hope really fueled the fire for us every day at practice. This is a whole new year, whole new team, and I’m impressed with what we’ve done so far. But we’re not done yet.”
• COACH HANS ON HIS TEAM’S SECRET TO SUCCESS: “It’s the chemistry and the culture. We play for each other. There’s a lot of people talk about that, but you have to back it up. And for people who have seen us play, it’s evident that we do that. It takes all 16 people on our roster to be successful.”
• KIERNAN ON ENDING HER BASKETBALL CAREER: “We’ve really become a huge family. This team means everything to me and Abby. And we’ve worked all four years to get to this place.”
• TEMPLE ON THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP: “They have meant so much to me as role models. Coming in my freshman year, they were huge in welcoming me into the team, and it’s been that way every since. Last year, we wanted to play for our seniors, and we let them down. So this year, everyone was more motivated when we realized that we needed to send these seniors out the right way.”
• OWINGS ON THE RONALD MCDONALD SERVICE EXPERIENCE: “It’s just about giving back. We get to go out every day and just play basketball, and those kids have to fight cancer or other diseases. For us to go in there and just make blankets and put a smile on their faces, that really means a lot to us.”
• COACH HANS ON THE MATCHUP AGAINST AMHERST: “We have to just continue doing what we’ve been doing. Our previous opponents in the tournament have helped us prepare for the tough game Amherst brings. The two teams have contrasting styles for sure, but we’ll see who can win. We’re looking forward to the challenge just as I’m sure they are.”