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 following Division III national semifinal games Friday evening.
Here are some of the highlights:
BOWDOIN COLLEGE: Head coach Nancy Shibles, senior Kate Kerrigan, and junior Abby Kelly
- COACH SHIBLES ON BOWDOIN’S RUN TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: “It’s just been such a great journey. I’m so blessed to share it with these ladies sitting beside me and the other 12 women in the locker room, our staff, and our administrators. It’s just been truly a special ride. It didn’t go our way today, but I’m super proud of everything that these women have accomplished this year. It will be a defining moment in my life for sure, and I’m hoping that they will only have the best of memories in the years to come.”
- KELLY ON THE SENIORS: “I’d love to talk about them. I could talk about them for hours. I actually don’t even know where to start. These are three of the best people I have ever met in my life. I know probably every team will come in here and say that, but they are three of the most humble, loving, appreciative, selfless… there are no words to describe them. They have made this team what we are this year. Look at where we are, it’s because of them. Their hard work, their love for the game, their love for the team, is going to set the tone for the years to come. But this has been one of the most memorable times in my life because of those three. I think the whole Bowdoin community could say the same thing.”
- COACH SHIBLES ON HER TEAM’S SCORING DROUGHT: “I’ll give them a lot of credit, they are the most amazing defensive team. I felt like they defended us on the perimeter exceptionally well, they defended us when we tried to get into the paint. Certainly our shot selection wasn’t the most phenomenal, and we had some open looks that we just didn’t hit. That’s the way it goes sometimes. Unfortunately, it happened on national championship day.”
- COACH SHIBLES ON MCCARTHY’S PERFORMANCE: “She was certainly playing like it was her last game and had a lot of heart. She’s super physical and tough and she had an amazing game.”
- KERRIGAN ON WHAT ADVICE SHE WOULD GIVE TO YOUNG GIRLS WHO WERE WATCHING BOWDOIN’S RUN: “I think the biggest thing is enjoy every moment. Play with people you love. The reason you play basketball is because you love it. Go out there every day and play because you love it. It’s an unbelievable game. I’m going to miss it.”
AMHERST COLLEGE: Head coach G.P. Gromacki, senior Hannah Hackley, junior Emma McCarthy, and sophomore Hannah Fox
- COACH GROMACKI ON THE WIN: “It’s an incredible feeling. I’m so proud of our team and the way they handled themselves all weekend. To be in front of you right now with a national championship, it’s an unbelievable feeling. It goes to the team. They fought through thick and thin and at times didn’t look so good, yesterday and today, but it’s a special group. This is the most resilient team I’ve ever coached. It just seems like there were times during the season that, you know, we weren’t blowing everyone out. People thought we would lose the game, and every time they stepped up and made a play. Especially these three up here, along with the other eight women in the locker room. It’s a team I’ll cherish forever.”
- COACH GROMACKI ON KEEPING BOWDOIN OFF THE BOARD FOR OVER NINE MINUTES OF PLAY: “We knew them well. What a team Bowdoin is. They really got hot in the tournament and were just whipping through everyone, so we knew we were going to be up for a pretty tough fight and a battle. But we clamped it down and our forwards were hedging out the guards, making it tough to get passes in, and contesting the shots. They turned it up a notch at the right time.”
- MCCARTHY ON HER TEAM’S 20-POINT RUN: “I don’t look at the score at all, so I don’t really know that much. But defense is our game plan going into every game. All five of us out on the court need to be in sync in order to be successful. I think our game plan was to come out and be strong and get in their face so they couldn’t get their inside presence, and I think we all did a great job of communicating. In the first half we didn’t do as well with that, and when we talked about it in the locker room at halftime, that was our huge emphasis. And I thought we came out really strong and proved it.”
- COACH GROMACKI ON MCCARTHY’S PERFORMANCE: “She wanted the ball. She’s not one to shy from any type of challenge, and she made plays time after time. We did tell our team to keep getting her the ball because she had the hot hand and she finished. She deserved everything she accomplished this weekend. To get MVP of this tournament is not an easy feat. She really stepped up big time.”
- FOX ON MCCARTHY’S PERFORMANCE: “This game really encompassed what she’s done for us the whole season, whether it be through her leadership, helping everyone out. She knows all of our plays and all of our opponent’s plays like the back of her hand. And she’s always there to make sure our team does their best. She had big shots today, big defensive stops, and I’m so proud of how Emma played.”
- FOX ON THE DIFFERENCE FROM LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP: “It’s a different team from last year, different personnel, different playing style, but regardless of that, we all brought everything we could in each practice and game. It feels different in the sense that it’s back-to-back championships. That was our goal. Each season is unique, and we’ll remember last year’s national championship, which was extremely special to each and every one of us, and this year, the same. It’s special in its own way.”
- COACH GROMACKI ON FOX’S GROWTH FROM HER FRESHMAN YEAR: “We knew coming in she had a lot of talent. Hannah kept working hard and didn’t complain and played her role last year, which was a big role. But this year, we handed the keys to her, and she didn’t hesitate or blink an eye. She’s a really confident player with a lot of talent, and the team will play for her. She stepped right in like she had been playing for four years.”
- MCCARTHY ON COACH GROMACKI: “Coach comes in super prepared. And the NESCAC is super competitive, we just played Tufts last year in the national championship, so that’s a huge testament to the conference. Coach comes in every day ready to go with our other two coaches, who are phenomenal, and he wants to sit back and let us have fun in the games. He comes in at a time-out and reminds us that it is our time as players to step up and take leadership, so he really gives us the opportunity to come out and play. And he takes the reins in practice, which I think is an awesome way to go about it. Everyone has such a powerful voice, and being such a small team, everyone really buys into his style.”
- HACKLEY ON ENDING HER CAREER AS A TWO-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPION: “It’s just an amazing feeling. I’m so lucky to be part of this team. The coaching staff is really amazing and put their heart and soul into this team. The young women on this team are so motivated. It’s a privilege to go out like this.”
