Case Western Reserve Women's Basketball

First Road Trip for Erin Reynolds '15 and The Spartans!

2012-01-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

Pictured left, Erin Reynolds is a first-year member of the women's basketball team at Case Western Reserve University.

The journey started out like any other, just the men's & women's teams on their way to show their appreciation for the hallowed game that we call basketball. Thought the four hour bus ride was long, the ten mile hikes to our individual chateaus once we arrived in Rochester seemed even longer. The comfy beds, full kitchen, and free popcorn helped mend our weary bones. The next day we set off for the gym to prepare for our game against Rochester. Shoot-around started off rough, but with brilliant fight the team pulled together and ended the practice on a high note.

That evening we faced the Yellow Jackets of Rochester. The first half of the game, to put it politely, was streaky. We had our good moments, we had our moments, and we ended the half trailing by 14. We rallied at half time, and did what we do best; come together and play as a team. We came within three, but ended up losing the game by 12 due to some sharp free throw shooting by Rochester.

The next day we headed to the airport with our sights set on Atlanta and defeating Emory. Our progress was slowed by a two hour delay at the Rochester airport, but we found ways to fill the time. Some, being the studious Case students we are, worked on homework, others played card games, and some passed out on the floor of the airport (see Rachel Beaty '15 sleeping in the picture below.) Due to the delay, our Saturday’s practice time was cut in half but we worked hard on preparing to face Emory the next day and left the gym tired and hungry.

That evening, while some team members left for dinner with their families, the rest of the team went to a nice pizza place in downtown Atlanta, where we were serenaded by a swarthy man with a guitar and entertained by old women trying to hit on the musician. We completed the evening by returning to the hotel and stuffing our faces with some delicious Double Tree cookies (and if you have ever had a Double Tree cookie, you know you can’t eat only one).

Sunday brought warmth and hope to the team as we prepared for our game further by watching film and eating the hotel’s 5-star breakfast. We then went to support our men’s team, who gave it their all but unfortunately lost to the Emory Eagles. Next it was our turn, and once again we came out of the gate slow. After trailing by ten at half time, we once again rallied to gain the lead by three points. We couldn’t hold on to the lead, and had another disappointing loss.

We have had a rough few weekends, but I am so proud of the team’s fight. We refuse to say, “Hey, we just played some of the best teams in the country and competed with them; that’s good enough.” We are constantly striving for perfection and can’t wait to catch these teams the second time around.

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.” – Tim Duncan

Meet the first-year Spartans!--Amanda Germer '15

2011-10-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Amanda Germer (pictured middle with Destinee Henton '15 on the left and Sarah Milligan '12 on the right) and I am a first year Spartan! I am from Malvern, PA, which is right outside of Philadelphia! (Cheese-stakes YUM!) And my intended major is communication sciences!

The past month and a half here on campus has been absolutely amazing! New faces, community showers (still adjusting to those), and grueling, yet inspiring professors, but most exciting has been being welcomed into the Case women’s basketball family!

It's been a month and a half of waiting for the big day...the first practice! A new system to adapt to, new teammates to learn to play with, but most importantly a new opportunity to let yourself shine and begin this priceless journey that I am already beginning to experience as a student-athlete here at Case! It was like waiting for the first day of school all over again, but this time our parents won't be the ones putting us on the bus!

Instead we were thrown into the open arms of our fearless leader Coach Reimer, who inspired us through her intensity, passion, and love for the game. The first practices were filled with fundamentals, DEFENSE, and learning how to play basketball the Case way! Which means doing the little things, not cutting corners, supporting our teammates, and most importantly not forgetting to put all the balls in the ball cart!

These practices have been intense, focused, and demanding. But it has been nothing but rewarding and inspiring to know that I am now officially a part of something bigger than myself. As a member of this team we have all given up our free time, social lives, and a little bit of extra time in the library, but these all seem like small sacrifices when you know, “we’re all in it TOGETHER!”

The past three practices have made it evident that we are all here for the same common goals, and we each have an equal part in making these dreams our reality. It has only reassured me that Case is the only place for me. I cannot wait to see the places we will go as we continue to come together as a basketball program. I see great things in our future!

Meet the first-year Spartans!--Brooke Orcutt '15

2011-09-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! My name is Brooke Orcutt '15 (pictured on right with Berit Eppard '15, left) and I am from a small town in Colorado, so yes I am a Denver Bronco fan, more specifically a Tebow fan, and yes I do ski and snowboard. I am a freshman here at Case Western Reserve University, and let me just say that I LOVE IT!

To be completely honest I was scared out of my mind to go to school so far away from home, but I have found Case to be my second home. While it took some time to adjust to college life, I have finally gotten into a routine of things and feel like I know what I’m doing; I no longer get lost walking to class, forget to lock my door when I leave for the day, and am now completely confident in my ability to do my own laundry.

For me, the college selection process was not easy. I visited over ten college campuses, evaluated their academics, location, size, and basketball programs and when it came down to it, Case was by far the best choice for me. When I visited the campus it was snowy, overcast, and cold, actually cold is an understatement….it was freezing. However, the unfortunate weather wasn't even a factor after I met the basketball team. They were the nicest, most welcoming people I ever met. They made me feel so comfortable and assured me that I could handle Case. They answered all of my questions honestly-at least I hope- and from then on I could see myself being a student at this university.

I am extremely excited to see where the next four years will take me, and I am even more excited for October 15th to come (the date of our first official basketball practice). Case is one of the top ranked universities in the nation and I am lucky to be here; I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! (Pictured left to right, Sarah Mayer '15, Brooke Orcutt '15, Erin Reynolds '15, Berit Eppard '15, Amanda Germer '15 and Rachel Beaty 15.)

Home Sweet Home --- Marissa Miles, Chelsea Lasky and Lauren Elkin

2011-08-26T05:16:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe that these last 11 days are over already and that we are finally back on American soil. It feels like only yesterday that we were boarding the plane to Italy, with fat wallets and a ton of excitement.

Picking up where Chelsea and Erica (not really Erica, though) left off, we now bring you to the first day of our tournament, or as they called it “The Flanders Trophy.” We had three games to play Saturday, and for some reason it seemed to be a little more agonizing than the AAU tournaments that we could handle at the young and agile age of 16. The Case Spartans of “Cleverland” Ohio came ready to play and swept the day with three victories to bring us out of pool play to the championship bracket. Over the course of the day, we defeated teams from Canada, France, and Belgium.
Between games, we were lucky enough to avoid the carnival food which we had the previous night for dinner and enjoy a good between-game lunch consisting of 3 sandwiches: cheese, tuna, and turkey (just turkey) or as coach called them, “cramp sandwiches.” Thankfully, Julie Mooney was able to digest these… unlike her breakfast which she lost in the locker room toilet mid-way thru our first game. As a celebration of our solid start to the tournament, we enjoyed another great Italian meal (as if we hadn’t had enough in Italy - where’s the schnitzel!?) Our ride home would not be complete without the serenading voices and rockin’ dance moves that Yan and Marissa shared from the front seat of the bubble van—love at first sight <3

The next morning we arose ready for day two of the trophy… or tournament, or whatever they call it here. Our first game we faced another tough French team. Although it seemed like some of their players may have been older than our parents, these ladies were no joke. Unfortunately we fell short of a win, mainly because their game plan was not as transparent as the team from Spain, “Pick and Roll Madrid.” A few cramp sandwiches and waffles later, we hit the floor again to face the Canadians in the semifinal game. Four quarters later, we came out victorious and were ready to claim our third place trophy…but we played in the trophy, so maybe we won a tournament? Still not sure how that works.

After the awards were presented, we headed back to the hotel to shower up and catch the tram to dinner; Italian again—so much for becoming cultured.
Summary from dinner: Lauren learned to twirl her spaghetti without using her fingers as a utensil; Sarah joined the “clean-plate club” because “when I rolled it and it got so big on my fork, I felt like I had to put it in my mouth!”; water was still not free; and Mr. Peck tried to steal Yan from Marissa. As always, ice cream followed dinner – who said America had a problem with obesity?

Monday was our final day in Europe and became a celebration for our wins. We started with sleeping in until lunch and then hopped on the tram to spend the day in downtown Gent. There was much to see and many shops to prowl in for the team to spend our final Euros. Thankfully we weren’t stuck again searching the stores all day for a single pair of colored pants for Evy Iacono—worst experience ever! Lunch for us was, we’ll give you one guess…Italian. As the day winded down, we had a few more waffles and helpings of ice cream before heading to our farewell dinner at a waterfront restaurant overlooking the canal. After enjoying a few undercooked steaks, and the best tomato soup of our lives, we settled down at the water’s edge to spend our final hours bidding goodbye to Europe.

Looking back on our ten day tour of Europe, we made a lot of memories, experienced some awesome cities, and learned some valuable lessons that we will now share with you. Think of it as your virtual souvenir. :)

• Practice is much more enjoyable with a good view of the alps (note to self: sunscreen for Erin next time)
• We have a newfound appreciation for deodorant, washing machines, water fountains, ice, and toll-free restrooms.
• Don’t get confused if you hear our new nickname for Coach Halicki—sorry Coach, but “Donna Stinky” is just too catchy.
• Attention men of Case: If you are looking to pick up any member of our team this year, there are a few things you should know—we now have a thing for man-purses, capri pants and button down shirts that are two sizes too small.

Thank you to everyone who supported our trip in any way and for following us on our European adventure. You helped to give us an experience we will never forget.

Until next time,
Marissa, Lauren and Chelsea Lasky

Where Are We??? --- Chelsea Peck and Erica Iafelice

2011-08-20T00:04:00.000-07:00

Ciao! Bonjour! Guttentaug?! Halo pronounced ALO!

After we discovered that we were not actually in Berlin, Brazil, or any other word beginning with B… it was time to leave! We loaded up our Fiat Minibubble vans (dirty laundry and all… including no air conditioning… you could only imagine) and began our three hour journey through the hills of wherever we were to Brussels. Let us take a minute to explain our journey aka perilous, dangerous, excursion like we've never experienced. First, Yams, whose glasses are as thick as Evy Iaccono’s hair after and before being brushed (which we discovered… actually never happens), literally ran into our other minibubble van driver Henrick. Henrick who uses GPS through his homeland (not reassuring) decided he needed to Reverse down a one way to park backwards and in turn ran over a stationary TALL … LARGE .. Easily spotted barrel. Luckily after sleeping with one eye open… (unlike Marrissa Miles… whose mouth was wide open), we arrived in Brussels.

After much deliberation, we finally found out that Brussels is actually in Belgium and that Belgium is not actually a city (Thank you Erin Hollinger). As many of you know (except us), Belgium is known for only two things in this world: Beer and Waffles (According to Sarah Miligan). Sarah gleefully (get it sarah?) sang us the Waffles girl Youtube video song… over and over and over… until she finally was able to sit down and enjoy a Belgian waffle. Our lunch consisted of: a Waffle with ice cream, with chocolate sauce, with strawberry sauce, and with whippit cream.
Lets just say, we rolled on out of that restaurant and waddled through the fabulous, gothic, city of Brussels.

“Hey Yams (minivan driver), how far are we from the hotel?”
“O it should only take us 45 minutes to get home… we will have plenty of time for dinner before your game!” Needless to say, the GPS had wrongly informed us of the ETA and one and a half hours later, we finally arrived with only an hour to spare before our big match (match is what they say here… Erica). Quite worried and starving, we decided that it was completely necessary to eat a little, quick, snack before the game (apparently waffles just don’t do it). In the famous words of Coach Reimer, “Hey guys, remember when we had Mcdonalds before our practice and Marissa threw up?... yes, well… this is worse than that!” Before we knew it, Yams and Hendrick were serving us fried tacos and Belgian fries. As we force fed ourselves the unique flavoring of euro tacos… Erica serenaded us to the tune of Grease. It follows as: “Grease is the word, it’s the food, that we’re eating.” After consuming the most heavily frowned upon pre-game meal, we arrived at this, odd looking, gothic, building surrounded by large walls and barb wire. Yes, our game was played in the local jail gymnasium. Hilarious. During this match, we discovered that Lauren Elkin, is once again our MVP and Emily Mueller has more moves than when Chelsea Peck was trying to speak to Italian men. (this actually didn’t happen… they tried to speak to me). To put the cherry on top of this amazing day, we ate Chinese food but not just any ordinary Chinese food… “Americanized” Chinese food at 11:00 PM for our post game meal. We need a diet.

Day 2:

We woke up this morning with severe abdominal muscle pains from what seems to have been caused by over eating. However, that did not put a damper on our indulgence of salami sandwiches (plural) with eggs and espresso. We loaded the minibuses and headed to Brugge. Once arriving in Brugge, we took a boat with friendly Asians (we felt right at home CWRU) and viewed the lovely, gothic, architecture dating back to when Erica believes to be the 1600’s. (we have no idea).

We were set free to explore the city so we decided (Erica and Chelsea) that we would take a bike ride through the glamorous, and over crowded streets of Brugge. This was no ordinary bike ride. Erica would only agree to rent a bike if it was TANDEM. Let me say that we have NEVER driven a tandem bicycle ever yet alone in an overpopulated, dangerous, cars zooming, area. When we first boarded this oversized bike, Erica could not get her handles straight and we immediately almost rode straight into a on coming traffic… for which a Police officer pulled us over and said, “Seriously? You girls should walk… seriously!” (Erica claims that it was the road… “which it was”). Therefore, we seriously walked our bike to a non crowded alleyway to practice… pretty much all day. We decided that we were lucky to escape the treacherous streets of Brugge… (however we may have been the ones to make it so dangerous).

We had a little down time after the city so we took a much needed nap. Erica woke up delusional and confused as to where we were… (but I don’t think she knew in the first place). (She doesn’t know that I am writing this). However, back to the day, we left for the opening ceremony where we were in for the biggest surprise of our lives. We are going to summarize in simple terms: Carnival food stations, ½ hour Glow stick dance show, and scantily clad Brazilian flamingo dancers? Hilarious. Pictures to come including one titled “Danna does Brazilian robot.” (Picture and/or videos are worth 1000 words).

So far, this experience has been out of control. We can’t wait for the next couple of days and to share our stories with you all once we return.

I apologize for this being so long, (ERICAAAA!!!! Yelled at me (Chelsea))) but it was sooooo worth it!

Ciao, Au’revoir, bye, finitto (erica’s version of Italian).

Ciao, Ciao, Ciao --- Erin Hollinger and Kathryn Huber

2011-08-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday morning, after departing from our humble abode in Como, we had the pleasure of a three hour bus ride to the splendid floating city of legend, a.k.a Venice. Upon our arrival, we were once again awoken to Flavio’s melodious signature greeting “Wakey wakey geerls! Sleeping beauties! And Brave knight!” (Brave knight referring to Julie Mooney’s father). We then made the trek across the lagoon by way of yacht (and by yacht we mean: boat). Stepping off the “yacht” we were greeted by picaresque Venetian houses, mansions and cathedrals with whitewashed walls, marble columns and orange tile roofs…and a multitude of noisy, dirty, smelly tourists. Once again, we were treated to another delectable authentic Italian lunch, followed by our first experience of getting lost in the winding maze of Venice. No worries, we found our way back just in time for a two hour walking tour of the streets and canals of the city, which actually became a history lesson instead. On this tour, we were educated on everything from the façade of St. Mark’s Duomo (Cathedral), to the construction of the gondolas, and finally to the “peegeon sheet” of the city’s public drinking supply.

After that, we were then turned loose upon the city to get lost to an even greater extent than before, where we could deplete the remainder of our Euros. With tired feet and a heavy heart, we returned not so empty handed to our “yacht” with souvenirs ranging from stockpiles of Venetian glass jewelry (the entire Mooney family and Chelsea Lasky) to enormously oversized sunglasses (Emily Mueller) and fabulous semi-authentic Prada handbags (Sarah Milligan). With such goods in hand, we then made our way to the illustrious and extremely unfamiliar Holiday Inn where we served a dinner of pork parmesan, an endless supply of ham pasta and French fries.

Entirely too early the next morning, we were bussed over to the Venetian airport to say our final farewells to Flavio and his brightly colored and super tight pants. By some miracle, Erica Iafelice’s bag was able to pass the weight limit and make it onto our plane (by the way, the miracle was Kathryn Huber). This plane was no ordinary plane, however, it was a plane of tiny yellow and blue plastic seats supplemented with a one of a kind in-plane outlet mall selling everything from Hello Kitty perfume to men’s tailored business suits. This plane also contained specific instructions to remove all our high heels and dentures in the case of an emergency (keep in mind that we are college basketball players and of course make use of both in our everyday lives).

Even though no one actually knew were we were going (Chelsea Peck and Erica Iafelice definitely didn’t even know which country we were in), we made it to Belgium safely and rendezvoused with our new tour guides Yon and Hendrich. They then took us by Fiat minivan on a three hour trip through the winding hills to our homey hotel in Saarbroken. Here we were treated to our first German meal consisting of delicious schnitzel. Following this meal, we headed off to play a semi-friendly game against a semi-German team. Even if it wasn’t the prettiest of matches, Lauren Elkin proved to be the team’s MVP and Erin Hollinger became the team’s first player to foul out, only to make a huge comeback by returning to play the entire second half with six fouls.

All in all, even though in these countries lavatory breaks come with a monetary fee, and gas stations come with their very own Pizza Huts (with slogan reading “Done the American Way”), we have found Italy, Germany, and Brussels (and whatever other country Erica and Chelsea think they are in) to be beautiful, friendly and very good at basketball.

Signing off,

Two very well gelato fed, ankle swollen, and recently smashed by huge German/American/14-year old ballers:

Erin Hollinger and Kathryn Huber

Marble Churches and George Clooney--by Evy Iacono & Julie Mooney

2011-08-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

Day Two-

After a good nights rest we were ready for our first full day in Italy. We woke up and had our first Italian breakfast consisting of fresh breads, meats and cheeses, croissants, and the team favorite, cappuccinos. After breakfast, we got on the bus en route to Milan, the fashion capital of the world. Needless to say, we were all extremely excited. Once arriving in Milan, we met up with our tour guide, Alessandro. She gave us a tour of "The Last Supper", the famous painting by Leonardo di Vinici. It is in a special room that helps to preserve the masterpiece.

After seeing the Last Supper, we went to the castle, which was gigantic and extremely beautiful. Alessandro filled us in on much of the history of Milan as we walked around the castle, the famous Scala Opera House, and the Galleria. The Galleria was amazing, with ornate glass ceilings, and shopping that none of us could come close to affording. In the center of the Galleria was a superstitious bull painted on the floor that you could spin around on in order to receive good luck, and become reenergized. Once we became reenergized, we walked to the Duomo, the largest marble structure in the world, and the fourth largest gothic building. We then had free time to walk around the city and go shopping, but because it was a holiday most of the shops were closed. This was probably a good thing or else we would have ended up very broke. After our time in Milan we returned to the bus to head back to Como for practice. We were all exhausted and passed out on the ride home, waking up every once in awhile to the obnoxious singing of Flavio.

Because we were all reenergized from spinning on the bull, we had a productive practice, but this time indoors. After practice, we all cleaned up for our second dinner in Como which consisted of the best lasagna we had ever had. After dinner we had the rest of the night to explore the city of Como and eat as much gelato as possible.

Day Three-

After another fabulous Italian breakfast with multiple cappuccinos, we were ready to board the boat to travel to Belaggio. The whole team sat on the open deck to get a prime view of the picturesque scenery. We were surrounded by the foothills of the alps with villages scattered on the hillside. As we went along on our two hour ride, Flavio pointed out George Clooney’s villas while we took A LOT of pictures. When we got there we shopped, had lunch, and explored the city of Belaggio. The city was quaint and on a huge hill, with narrow streets on a steep incline. After a full day of shopping and eating, we returned to Como to go home and get changed for practice. We had our third and final practice to get ready for our first game, which we’re excited for, but not quite sure what to expect.

After practice we had a delicious dinner and a free night to relax in the city. We are headed to Venice tomorrow to experience the most romantic city in the world!

We Made It!!! --- Emily Mueller and Sarah Milligan

2011-08-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

After several neckpillows, two airplane meals, and 8 hours of watching Julie Mooney contort her body in every possible position to get comfortable, we arrived in Milan at 7:30 am. We were completely exhausted, but started to get excited when we met our tour guide, Flavio (aka Flava Flave!). We loaded all the luggage onto our Mercedes Benz tour bus where Sergio (the Lion of Como) took us to our hotel in the heart of Como. On the way, we asked important questions like, "Are there squirrels in Italy?" ~ Erin Hollinger.

We dropped off our luggage at Hotel Plinius and set off on a tour of Como. The views were amazing, from the Alps in the background to the architecture in the streets. Flavio directed us through the town to the Saturday Flea Market. We were left on our own to shop and Lauren Elkin taught us all how to barter. All that shopping made us hungry, so we stopped by an outdoor cafe where we ate the greatest sandwich we've ever had. The fresh mozzarella and the tasty cappuccinos definitely helped us re-energize for more shopping.

Jet lag started taking its toll right around the time we were leaving for practice, so to wake us all up we practiced outside on a turf basketball court with the Alps in view (a very European way to start our basketball "training sessions"). After practice, we came back to the hotel, got dressed and went to dinner. We were served pasta, veal, and coffee ice cream. It was fantastico!! Despite having had dessert at the restaurant, we stopped for some gelato (our second time that day). We walked around Como for a little while longer before we returned to our hotel and slept like we've never slept before. So far, our trip to Italy has been great!

The Spartans Make Me Smile--Coach Jennifer Reimer

2011-06-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Spartans are amazing! Anytime someone asks me about our basketball team at Case, that's what I tell them. The women on our team are first and foremost great people; they are caring, hard-working, bright, self-motivated young women. They are the greatest!

So you can only imagine how thrilled I was to see all of our hard work recognized. Our team GPA of 3.609 earned us the #1 ranking in all of Division III on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's Academic Honor Roll. This group of biology, chemistry, engineering, nursing, computer science, accounting, management and world literature majors knocked it out of the park!!! (And if you are one of our alumnae reading this, you're the greatest, too and you really understand classes here are no joke!!! :) Not only did our team GPA rank as the best in all of NCAA Division III, but we finished #6 in all the divisions combined.

And it doesn't stop there!!! 6 of our players received All-Academic Recognition from the UAA this season. Erin Hollinger was named to the Capital One Academic All-America team and was a finalist for the prestigious Jostens' Award.

BUT WAIT! It just keeps coming!!! These Spartans are taking summer classes and working hard in the gym this summer while also working at places like The Cincinnati Zoo, Swaglok, Consol Energy, 84 Lumber and Nordstrom!

And let's not forget...we're pretty good when we take the court. Our 13-12 record (7-7 in the UAAa 4th-place finish in the league) was the best conference finish for a Case women's basketball team since 2002. Whoo hoo!!!

The blog title says it all...each and every day, the Spartans make me smile. The women who are part, have been part, and will be part of our Case women's basketball program are special. We'll continue to work hard, continue to support one another, and continue to raise the bar higher. Think beyond the possible...GO SPARTANS!

P.S. Stay tuned to our facebook page and this blog page August 12-23. The team will be traveling and playing in Italy and Belgium. We'll be sure to update you on all of our adventures!

Spartan Buddies! by Chelsea Lasky

2011-02-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

This year, the Spartans began a new program to get in touch with Case Women’s Basketball alumae for networking and friendship purposes—if not just to share in the perils of running 5 suicides in a row because no one opened their mouth to call out a switch.

In August, we anxiously awaited the email from coach announcing our Spartan Buddy matches so we could introduce ourselves and get the alums reconnected to the program. Some players were matched with recent grads like Ashleigh Tondo, Anna Taylor and Mary Herendeen, while others received matches who matriculated before Coach Reimer’s time at Case.

I got my Spartan Buddy’s name, Tracy Roessner (pictured in purple with members of the women's basketball team above,) I sent an email and immediately got a response from a more-than-enthusiastic Tracy. Very quickly we formed a friendship which shares a love for basketball and a present/past not only as a student at Case, but an assistant coach here as well (for those of you who didn’t already know, I am student coaching this year).

Tracy lives in Chicago, so we shoot each other emails every so often; me to update Tracy on the season and see if anything is new with her, and her to give encouragement and just to talk about anything and everything.

One exciting thing about this whole match-up was getting to meet Tracy for the first time when we traveled to Chicago for conference play a couple weeks ago. We knew well in advance the date of the game, and we were both looking forward to meeting one another. In an email reminder of the date, Tracy responded, “I have been looking forward to it all month!” After the game, I got the chance to meet my Spartan Buddy and we talked through most of the guys’ game which followed.

I learned so much about what Case was like a few years ago, and I shared so much about how Case has changed and how we do things these days. Tracy and I do not share a major—she graduated with a social sciences degree and I am on track in the engineering school—but that didn’t stop us from talking about so much.

The Spartan Buddy program may just be in its inaugural year, but it is doing great things for past and present players at Case. Tracy shares the same love I have for the Case Basketball program and she hopes to see us succeed more and more each and every year. I think it’s safe to say the whole team, as well as Tracy, hope to repeat her senior year appearance in the NCAA Tournament back in 2002.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2010-12-20T05:45:00.000-08:00

By Marissa Miles, Class of 2013

Ahh... another semester of college down. I can't decide what about this makes me happier, the thought of finally having time to sleep at night, or the fact that I won't be seeing the inside of the library for at least a solid month. It's refreshing to know that every time coach pulls us into a huddle to talk about increasing our energy, I won't automatically think of the thermodynamics behind it. And when she draws up an inbounds play at a timeout, I won't accidentally mistake the arrows for the movement of electrons across a bond rather than the movement of the ball across the floor. So you caught me, I'm a certified nerd. I guess that’s something that one should expect once they've found friendship with the afterhours security guard at the library and is on first name basis with the Safe Ride driver that brings you home after a long night hidden away in the stacks studying.

Finals week at Case is officially OVER! Now, I don't know if you've ever experienced anything like it before, but finals week here is without a doubt the craziest time of the year. Campus immediately becomes the walking grounds for a few thousand exhausted, zombie-like individuals making the trek to a horrifying 3 hour final, giant cup of coffee in hand. I'm trying to decide what about finals week was more entertaining, witnessing teammate Caitlin Rudge take a 5 Hour Energy and then fall asleep an hour later or watching Chelsea Lasky nap face first into her open Physics book. Despite all the late nights and hard work, all that matters now is that it's over, and somehow we made it out alive.

So now we're on to one of the most fun times of the year, winter break. A few days ago, campus shut down, and the majority of Case Western students made their ways home for the holidays. We however, just relocated to a different part of campus. For a few days now, and then for quite a few more after Christmas, our team all moves in together while we're here for winter practice and a few games. Sure, there's moments when being the only people on campus and spending entirely too much time together makes us want to kill each other, but for the most part we have a ton of fun. Who wouldn't enjoy a day full of basketball, food, movies, and NO class. It's spectacular. Although it's true that some mornings when I wake up in this different living situation I miss the sounds of Erica obnoxiously blowing her nose, I now know that Lauren's right downstairs ready at any moment to spit a rap for us. Living with my other teammates over Winter Break is definitely a bonding experience, and you really get the opportunity to learn more about each other than we already knew. For example, today I saw an old photo of Sarah Milligan dressed as a nun (we'll leave it at that).

I'm excited to beat Wooster on Sunday, head home for a few days with the family, and then get right back here to Cleveland to prepare for our Holiday tournament. A few great basketball games, a team holiday party, and a whole lot of bonding... they don't call it the most wonderful time of the year for nothing. Happy holidays!

Marissa

Here we go!

2010-10-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

Basketball Season Begins--Sarah Milligan '12, Team Captain

On October 15, the Case Women’s Basketball team prepared for our first day of practice. It was a day we had been anticipating since the end of last season. After last season ended, we hit the weight room and focused on improving our skills on the court. But on October 15, all of our hard work in the offseason was over and it was time to start practicing. We were all so excited to get started, but also nervous to see what Coach would throw at us during practice. The first practice was challenging and physically demanding, but we worked hard and pushed ourselves to get better. One of the best things about our team is that we are all so supportive of each other—we are always there to pick each other up. We came together during the first practice, and it was a great feeling. (Sarah is pictured above, far right)

The first week of practice as a whole has been great. We have done a lot of conditioning, started to work on our offense, and of course we have focused on our team’s pride—our defense! It is exciting to see how our team is shaping up, what our strengths are and what we need to improve upon. I am so excited for this season. We have so much talent, great unity and a lot of enthusiasm. We have set high goals for our team, and we are working hard every day to reach those goals!

Meet the Spartan Class of 2014--Kathryn Huber!

2010-08-31T06:59:00.000-07:00

From Tyler, Texas I send yall all a southern drawled- 'howdy'.
As I begin my freshman year in the dreary Cleveland, cold and cloudy,
I plan on majoring in the wildly popular world literature (totally the norm)
And am therefore writing my short biography in poetic form.
When I first began my inquiry into the wildly unknown world of college,
I originally hoped to find a great school of nerdy knowledge,
As well as a great team of awesome talent and skill,
A place where the odds of failure were slim to nil.
Luckily, I found myself finally on the doorstep of Case,
Unwanting of a home in any other colliegent place.

My summer (unlike this poem) in detail, would make you want to sob,
As my time was spent trying to balance three terribly boring jobs.
The first, and most entertaining, was a job at the Mexican Resturante El Chico,
Where my tasks included waiting tables, cleaning kitchens, and making pico.
The second, and most boring, was a job at the local Willowbrook Country Club,
Where these tasks included serving food, making drinks, and cleaning the hot tub.
Thirdly, and lastly, was a job coaching a middle school basketball team,
Which is entirely much more difficult than it would seem.
So yes, besides this much strung out - work - filled summer,
I'm sorry to say, that recently my life was largely uneventful...bummer.

And now as I conclude this brief biography,
About my summer, hopes and recent drastic change in geography,
I'll take this time to express my excitement for the coming season this fall,
and am ready to go the NCAA III Tournament and take it all!

Meet our First-Year Spartans--Julie Mooney!

2010-08-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! My name is Julie Mooney (pictured left; Caitlin Henry, middle; Evy Iacono, right.) I am from Dublin, Ohio, which is two hours south of Case Western. I am extremely excited to be here, and I am looking forward to a great first year of college. I chose Case Western mainly because of their outstanding nursing program. I knew Case had a great reputation, and after the first week of classes I can easily understand why. The combination of demanding classes and clinicals, and faculty members who are very knowledgable and supportive, makes me feel confident I will receve a great education. I also loved the basketball team and the coaches when I visited them in January. They have all been very welcoming and nice.

This summer, I spent most of my time with friends and family. I also spent four days a week babysitting in order to make a little money for school. I did manage to fit in a couple of great vacations. For my graduation present, my parents rented a house on an island in Florida. I took 6 friends and we had a great time. Then, since I recently took up playing golf with my family and friends, my Dad took me to the Greenbrier Resort for a weekend of golf in July. It was awesome! During my free time, I enjoy running and hanging out with my friends. I had a great summer, and am now ready to buckle down and get ready for school.

I am really looking forward to this school year and the basketball season! I am going to miss everyone from home but I will have plenty of time to see them when I go home for breaks. These next four years should be a great experience at Case Western

Meet the Spartan Class of 2014--Lauren Elkin!

2010-08-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

Hi! My name is Lauren Elkin, and I am from Reisterstown, Maryland. After applying to 12 schools and typing up many essays, I am very happy that I ended up at Case Western Reserve University!

I chose this school for several reasons. Most obviously, I chose this school for its awesome academic reputation. What sealed the deal was when I met Coach Reimer at an open house. After taking a tour of Veale and learning about the basketball program, I knew that this place would provide me with the perfect balance between academics and sports. I sent my deposit in that same day. I was officially a Spartan!

My summer has been fun. It started off with a day at Ocean City. Later on, my grandfather had surgery, so I spent a lot of time helping him and my grandmother. After all that was over, we focused on the playoffs for this coed adult softball team that my uncle, my sister, my dad, and I were all apart of. This was the first year that my sister and I joined the team, so the playoffs were super intense for us. In the end, we came out on top in the championship game! That was a blast! After that, I saw one last Ravens game live before I entered the Browns town…GO RAVENS! I concluded this awesome summer with a big family dinner. It was super fun!

So, I finally made it to Case after a 6 1/2 hour drive. I am going to miss my family a lot, and it will be hard for me to not see my twin sister every day (she's the one in the photo on the right), but I am so excited to be a Spartan!! These next four years will be absolutely awesome!!

The Shield--Issue 2

2010-07-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

THE KEY TO SUCCESS
by Coach Freeman Blade

There are literally hundreds of books, articles, papers, seminars and audio/video tapes on the topic of success.

I want to take a 30 second time out and share with you what I believe is a key to your success—preparedness.

Consider this:

1. Preparation is the key to success.

2. Luck favors a mind that is prepared.

3. If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Allow me to ask you a few questions:

1. How are you preparing now for your future success?

2. What has been your attitude in these summer months toward preparing for the fall or winter?

3. Are you developing your strengths and improving your weaknesses?

4. Are you improving your fitness level so you are able to work on your skills at game speed?

5. How much introspection (checking in on yourself daily) are you doing?

6. Will you have learned more about who you are as a person and as a player by the end of the summer?

Keep this in mind throughout August—how you prepare, the level of your commitment to preparedness will determine the level of your success. It will determine the quality of your success and the longevity of your success.

The best preparation for tomorrow is in doing your best today. Your will to prepare must be greater than your will to succeed.

Go Spartans!

The Shield: Issue 1

2010-05-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

THOUGHTS FROM THE CASE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OFFICE
by Coach Freeman Blade

There is an ebb and flow to every game, there are times when the offense is just not clicking and there are moments when you think you can't do anything right. The ball is not falling, the officials are not making the calls and fans (parents and friends) are not sure what to think.

There is, however, one thing that you have absolute control over. It is your relentless pursuit for excellence. It is your hustle, your hard work and your never-say-die-attitude. It is the hustle, the hard work and the never give up attitude that makes the difference between winning a ball game by one or losing by one.

Always work with this thought in mind: I will work harder than you, I will hustle more than you and I will be more efficient than you. It is about getting the most out of the moment that we have.

Go Spartans!

Let Finals Begin! by Coach Jennifer Reimer

2010-04-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that classes have officially ended and the members of the Case Women's Basketball team will begin their finals tomorrow!

The accomplishments of all our talented student-athletes were celebrated last night at the annual Spartan student-athlete banquet. Erin Hollinger, a sophomore for our team, was presented with the Dorothy L. Hoza Award, recognizing her outstanding accomplishments both on the basketball court and the track. This season Erin was a first-team all-UAA performer, a three-time UAA player-of-the-week and named to the ESPN Academic All-American second-team. She continues to leap over (very "punny") the competition in the high jump and will be headed to NCAA Division III Nationals after finishing second at the conference meet.

Our 2010 scholar-athletes and letterwinners were celebrated and a brand-new award, the "Ultimate Spartan" award was presented to Sarah Milligan. The wonderful thing about the award is that it was voted on by members of our team...it shows the great appreciation Sarah's teammates have for her dedication and hard work (and her unique ability to peel a banana...become a fan of "Case Western Reserve University Women's Basketball" on facebook to see the video!)

I feel so fortunate to have the chance to celebrate the end of an amazing school year with our team. I've seen our team work hard, hit challenges head-on and grow stronger, together, as a result.

We owe so much to our two senior captains and four-year letterwinners, Ashleigh Tondo and Kristyn Atkins. They've provided great examples of the dedication and sacrifice necessary to succeed. They've worked hard, been amazing teammates and most importantly, they are great people.

And so next week begins a summer that will be full of basketball, work, studying, internships, research & adventure. For our graduating seniors begins a new chapter in their lives. In whatever direction we go, as we look to next season, I know we're all thankful for the year we had & we're looking forward to the years ahead!

Best of luck Seniors & GO SPARTANS!

Spartans hit Boston & The Big Apple--By Emily Mueller

2010-02-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we reached the halfway point of UAA play, but don’t ask me how the time went by so quickly. We traveled to Boston and New York City to face Brandeis University and New York University. Sadly, we were missing one of our teammates. Chelsea Peck couldn’t make it due to shoulder surgery. She was definitely missed, but we felt like she was there because she sent inspiring texts to us throughout the weekend. I’m also happy to say that her surgery went well.

Our basketball weekend started a little early. On Thursday morning, a very lucky six of us who didn’t have class got to practice before we finished up our packing and prepared ourselves for the trek to the RTA station. During our ride, a few of us were privileged to meet some very interesting characters. We all made it to the airport and onto the airplane. As we were situating ourselves in our seats, we found out the flight was delayed, so we all made our way back to the gate where everyone got a lot of (cough) homework (cough) done. Eventually, we got back on the plane and had a safe trip to Boston.

Directly after the flight, we went to the famous Hard Rock Café for dinner (thank you Mrs. Henry!!!). After dinner we were let loose to explore all Boston had to offer. Due to the cold, we weren’t outside exploring for very long, but we did find Cheers (where everybody knows your name). Around 10 pm, we made it to the Double Tree Inn, and I ate one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten in my life.

Friday morning we woke up early for our shoot around. Because we took the earlier time slot, we were left a lot of time in between the shoot around and our pre-game meal to do more homework! Erica, Evy, and Nikki were lucky enough to get to take a chem. test (proctored by none other than Professor Reimer) during this time…I’m sure they all aced it.

After eating at a nice little Italian restaurant, we bussed to the Brandeis gym, where we unfortunately lost. It was a tough loss to handle, but through it we gained the tools to learn how to be a better team and how to play together.

Saturday morning we woke up early again for a lovely 4 hour bus ride to New York City. We got to our hotel (Radio City Apartments) with enough time to drop off our luggage and then go out and find somewhere to eat before practice. After practice, we got to our hotel and we had about 45 minutes to get ready for our Alumni dinner. For most of us that would be plenty of time, however there were three or four girls to most rooms and only one bathroom to a room. We were also having some issues with the elevator. Let’s just say it’s not a good idea to try and squeeze 12 people into an elevator only meant for about 6 (you’ll end up going down…not up).

By some miracle, we all made it down to the lobby very close to being on time. We then walked through streets of New York City to the pizzeria where our Alumni dinner was being held. This was the first time I had ever experienced NYC and I’m sure people could tell. I was walking around with my jaw permanently dropped pointing and oohing at everything I saw (most notably a very large Borders that Chelsea Lasky and I would very much like to visit sometime…what can I say, we go to Case). After the dinner, we were once again set loose upon the city. I still can’t believe how exciting everything was. There was an advertisement on every wall, bright lights everywhere, and taxis racing through the streets (I’m sure of this because I was nearly run over by a taxi…twice).

Sunday morning we were pumped and ready to play. We left for the gym at 11:30 so we could watch the guys’ team play. About 3 minutes into the game, an alarm started going off. At first everyone was annoyed, but didn’t think anything of it…until the announcer told us to evacuate the building. We made it outside and watched as the fire trucks made their way to the gym. After a few minutes of waiting, we were allowed to go back in.

Before we started our game, Evy lead us in a new pregame ritual. We put our arms around each other’s shoulders, swayed side to side and made some NOISE. It was a great way to get us all pumped for the game. Despite a lead in the first half, we ended up losing to NYU, but the effort was definitely there. Next week, we get the chance for revenge as we face NYU and Brandeis again in our House.

First UAA Basketball Road Trip Goes Into OT

2010-01-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

First UAA Basketball Road Trip Goes Into OT
By Sophomore Sarah Milligan (Canton, OH)

The start of University Athletic Association games is always an exciting time. There is not only great competition, but great opportunities to travel around the country. UAA teams are consistently ranked in the Top 25 of Division III basketball. The games are fast paced and very physical. The competition and traveling make UAA’s the best and most anticipated part of the season.

Last Thursday, we loaded the bus for our first UAA trip and left for Rochester, New York. After about a five hour bus ride, we got situated in the hotel and went to the gym for practice. After practice, we went to our team’s favorite barbecue restaurant —Dinosaur Barbecue.
As soon as we sat down, large platters of barbecued chicken, beef brisket, potatoes, corn, rolls and cornbread were brought out to us. The amount of food on the table was slightly overwhelming, but after the first delicious bite all worries were gone. We cleared every platter of food and enjoyed every bite! My favorite was the beef brisket.

The next morning after our shoot around, we went to a delicious sandwich and bagel shop called O Bagelo’s for our pregame meal. The sandwiches were made with thick homemade bread and tasted wonderful.

We were ready to face our first UAA opponent — Rochester. The game was intense. It was fast paced, as expected, and the score was close throughout the game. Unfortunately, we were outrebounded and ended up losing the game despite our great effort. It wasn’t a winning night for the Spartans, as the men lost their game too. We all were tired after the game but didn’t have much time to sleep because our flight to Atlanta was at the crack of dawn the next morning.

We had to wake up at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday morning in order to catch our flight — everyone was exhausted. We finally made it to Atlanta around 12:30 p.m. and briefly stopped at the hotel before leaving for another practice. We were so tired we didn’t know how we would make it through a practice, but we knew we had to be prepared to beat Emory. Saturday night in Atlanta, we went to the Fox Sports restaurant downtown. It was a really fun atmosphere with great food. We were even in the same room as a retired NFL player and a group of players who were trying to get drafted.

We woke up Sunday morning ready to beat Emory. We finally recuperated from the early plane flight and were excited to get on the floor. Our team got off to a slow start, but thanks to a great second half we were able to come away with our first UAA win of the season! Now, we were ready to get home for the first day of classes, but there was a slight problem. We found out that our flight had been delayed 3 hours because of power outages at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. We were disappointed we would be getting home late, but were happy our flight could still make it in. We arrived at the airport and someone yelled, “Hurry, the flight is now on-time! It leaves in twenty minutes!” We all ran up the non-moving escalator to the desk and to our dismay, our flight had been cancelled! We were shocked and disappointed to be missing the first day of class, but the situation was out of our control.

We stayed at the Westin Hotel near the airport, went to a place called Joe’s to get some food, and then called it a night. The teams were split up on three flights Monday — one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. The first flight was to leave at 9:20 a.m., but ended up getting delayed an hour. We thought we were in for another rough day at the airport, but thankfully no other flights were delayed or cancelled. We were finally home safely and glad to be back on campus after 5 long days. It was an exciting and memorable trip and I look forward to the rest of the season!

Posted by Creg Jantz at 09:09 PM Comments

First Road Trip! By Marissa Miles

2009-11-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

I woke up on Friday morning full of excitement (well technically I guess the first thing I could think about upon hearing my alarm was hitting the snooze button- but then after that, like I said, total excitement.) I knew it was going to be a great day for me, better yet, a great weekend. I was about to revisit a city that I knew pretty well. We were off to Pittsburgh for our first overnight trip of the season to team up with CMU in an effort to triumph at the annual UAA-OAC Challenge. Not only was I going home, I was about to experience my first ever real road trip with the team- something that I now know, thanks to Erin Hollinger, involve the three best things in life- basketball, sleep, and food. After this weekend, I can honestly say that I agree with Erin one hundred percent.

It all started as we boarded the bus, complete with fifteen girls, a load of Subway, our new travel bags (side pockets included!), and a selection of movies. The activities that took place on the bus ride were pretty typical… sleeping, studying (on a Friday, I know, typical Case students), eating, listening to music, sticking gum on a teammate's forehead- you know everything you would imagine it to be.

Soon enough, we were in Pittsburgh and ready to battle John Carroll for the rights to “Own the Beachwood Cheesecake Factory,” as coach put it. Well, we did that- and after the game there was even more excitement to come. A home cooked meal, something that I have learned is a rarity for a college student, awaited us upon arrival at the house of Chelsea Peck. Dinner was amazing! From there we were headed to our hotel, where, after a quick team meeting, we were free to hang out, enjoy each other’s company, and get some rest- we had another big day ahead of us.

Breakfast was served at the hotel in the morning, followed by a trip back to campus for a quick practice. We had enough time to grab some Panera Bread (more food!) and get focused as tip off was quickly approaching.

A few hours later we stepped on the court ready to win another basketball game. We weren’t battling for Cheesecake this time, but what we were about to do was make a statement that CWRU Women’s Basketball would be a team to beat in Ohio, which was why we were determined to defeat Marietta. Again, we came away victorious, and were off to have another warm meal on our plates (I know two in one weekend, it’s incredible I’m telling you!!) at Ashleigh Tondo’s house.

After stuffing our stomachs to their fullest capacity, we were back on the bus en route home to Cleveland. Looking back, it was a great trip- 2 games, 2 victories, a ton of food, and a hotel bed that puts my shabby little dorm room mattress to shame. I had a great weekend with my teammates, and I can only imagine what else is to come!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

2009-11-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Last Friday the Spartans continued our tradition of a Halloween costume contest at the beginning of practice. The turnout this year was phenomenal and is really going to force bigger and better things for next year!

Coach Blade and Coach Halicki dressed as twins as they pulled off the Thing 1 and Thing 2 look. Coach Reimer dressed as “the Golf of Mexico” complete with a sombrero and a golf club.

The freshmen, in true team spirit, dressed as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Emily Mueller found herself a head taller than everyone as Snow White after finally having her costume shipped to Case earlier that day. Let’s just say double checking the zip code is a good idea before trying to ship things from out of state! The other seven freshmen found their personalities matching up with their characters from Bashful Nikki D’Amico to Happy Marissa Miles.

The sophomores continued the teamwork trend as the three blind mice followed by the junior team dressing as Kanye West, Taylor Swift, and of course, a microphone to fight over.

The seniors stood as individuals as Kristyn Atkins dressed as a Christmas tree completed with lights that she could plug into the wall and brighten our practice. Ashleigh Tondo dressed as Coach Reimer from the short blonde hair to the whistle to the folded paper sticking out of her shorts. It was a rather frightening imitation that won first prize along with the freshman group.

Soon after determining a winner, we all changed back into practice clothes to get down to business. Practice was difficult and challenging as we look to improve each day and prepare to take on Cleveland State this coming Friday. It is going to be a fun challenge and we are all looking forward to playing some basketball and starting the season!

And so it Begins! by Chelsea Peck '12

2009-10-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

For some, the changing of the leaves, the bitter cold breeze, and the shortening of the day means the beginning of the winter season, but for the members of the Lady Spartans Basketball Team, it means only one thing… the beginning our official season (basketball season that is). (Chelsea pictured on right w/ Sarah Milligan)

When you step out onto the floor on the first day of practice, the atmosphere is something that you really can’t put into words. Each player contains so much energy and excitement. It is essentially the day that you have worked for since the end of the previous season. New faces, new talents, and new skills all come together to create a new team, our team. The first day is full of expectations, some of nerves, joy, excitement, and even fear.

As a second year player, I had a lot of expectations for this season based off of last year. The first three practices of last season were definitely the most difficult practices that I had experienced thus far as an athlete. Therefore, when I stepped out onto the floor this year, the memories of the sore body and the conditioning came flooding back. As a team, we all had the common understanding that practice was going to be difficult, but in the end, we all knew it was definitely worth it and that no matter what, we were going to get through it.

Practice started with the usual jump roping and stretching. With the resounding word “team” echoing through the gym, our huddle dispersed and practice officially began. We ran through a series of competitive drills that stressed the importance of teamwork and pushing one another to get better. By the end of the two hour practice, our bodies were sore. It was an effort to make it through the last five minutes of conditioning, but we knew, together as a team, we not only could do it, but we had to do it. Our practice ended the same way it began, with a huddle.

The second and third days were similar to the first day. We started practice off with a huddle and ran through a series of difficult drills that pushed our limits. Although it was a struggle to get through each drill, we went through it together, as a team. Our wills were tested and our bodies were sacrificed as we made it through each drill. After the last ten minutes of conditioning were completed, a sigh of relief came across the team. Well, it could have been a sigh of relief or just catching our breaths but either way, we had made it through our first three days of practice. These first three days have set the bar and the expectations for the rest of the season and although they were difficult and a struggle to get through, we made it through, all together, the 2009-2010 Spartans. (Pictured left, members of the team jump rope to begin warm-ups.)

Case Athletes Give Back by Ashleigh Tondo

2009-10-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

Case for Community Day is an annual event in which Case students give back to the community. Case Association of Student Athletes (CASA) organizes a sports clinic for inner city schools in the area where the students can play volleyball, soccer, track, football, and basketball with our student-athletes. The athletes and coaches from these specific teams volunteer their time to lead the kids through drills to make a day of fun and learning.

Our team was split into two groups, with help from Coach Reimer in Adelbert gym and Coach Blade in the Veale Center. I was stationed in Adelbert gym with Coach Reimer, some fellow teammates, and members of the softball team. Although we had to play in the dark, due to malfunctioning lights, it was a fun experience and it is always great to teach the game of basketball.

The stations consisted of passing, shooting, ball handling, and rebounding which were lead by Caitlin Henry, Sydney Berry, Erica Iafelice, Marissa Miles, Sarah Milligan, with our softball players, Mary Kruszka, Kayla Lang, Anneliese Fetterman, Lauren Wolz and Katie Slivar. Mary and I were in charge of the ball handling station where the kids learned how to properly dribble and protect the ball.

I thought I was doing a good job of keeping their attention, but soon realized I couldn’t compete with the volleyball pole sticking out of the ground. I guess the kids had more fun swinging around that then learning how to dribble. Needless to say when that plan fell through we decided to do dribble relay races—that seemed to be a hit.

I think my favorite part of the day was when we watched three of girls sing while doing a step dance. Each girl was called out during the song and did a split or cart wheel as the steps and clapping persisted. I believe it went something like, “we so fly (stomps), we so fly

(stomps), Shakira so fly (split)” and this continued for a few minutes until each girl was able to do their own pose. It was really comical to watch and put a smile on everyone’s face.

After numerous drills, water breaks, huddles, and a couple bruises, the day soon came to an end. We were all tired and our energy was spent, but it was a satisfying experience knowing that each of us made an impact in their lives and provided them with a day of fun.

Spartans Race for the Cure!

2009-09-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, we laced up our running shoes and headed downtown for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It was a beautiful day for running—the sky was clear, the sun was shining and there was a nice cool breeze.

We all met up at Starbucks to walk to the RTA Rapid station, but we ended up sprinting! We were walking leisurely under the bridge on Euclid, and all of the sudden we heard the rapid above us. Kristyn was leading the way—she dropped into a dead sprint! We all followed suit and bolted around the corner, up the stairs and onto the platform. Miraculously, we all made it on the train and it ended up being a great warm-up for the race!

When we finally got downtown, we met up with Coach Reimer and Coach Blade. We ended up splitting into two groups so that some of the girls could register for the race. We didn’t think about how hard it would be to find each other again among thousands of people! When my group was looking for Coach Blade’s group, we were drawn to the main stage area. Little did we know we were about to get a real warm up! Island music started playing and the announcer introduced a jazzercise instructor! Immediately, Caitlin, Erin and I jumped up and joined in. We shaked and shimmied our way to a sweat doing the Zumba moves. After the warm-up, it was time to start the race. (Erin Hollinger, Caitlin Henry and Sarah Milligan pictured left to right.)

The streets were crowded with people, and we still couldn’t find the rest of the group. When we got the front of the pack, we realized that the race had already begun for the runners! We quickly started running and began playing catch-up. We figured the rest of our teammates were at the front of the group, so it was our goal to find them. Somewhere in the middle of the race we caught up with a few of our teammates. It was great to find them and have some extra encouragement during the race! As we ran around Cleveland and past the Browns Stadium, the finish line was in sight. Everyone who finished early was waiting at the finish line to cheer the others on. It was a great to have so much support! We finished up with some ab-work and then found the free ice cream! The race was a great team bonding experience, and it was for a great cause! I can’t wait to participate again in the years to come. (Marissa Miles, Ashleigh Tondo, Coach Reimer, Awesome Pink Dude, Erica Iafelice, Erin Hollinger and Kristyn Atkins pictured left to right.)

The same afternoon we all drove out to the Farm to have a cookout with the boys’ team. We had a little difficulty finding the Farm, but after turning around about 4 times on the same road we finally found it. It was a fun afternoon of eating, playing cornhole and catching up with each other. It was a great day filled with the best teammates—I can’t wait to see what this season has in store for us! (Spartan men's and women's basketball teams pictured below.)

Meet our First Year Spartans--Caitlin Rudge

2009-08-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hi! My name is Caitlin Rudge, and I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Even though I am a huge Steeler/Penguins fan, and of course, despise the Cleveland Browns, I am very excited to spend the next 4 years of my life at Case Western.

When I visited Case last year, I quickly realized it was the place for me after talking with Coach Reimer and meeting the team. In addition, the academic reputation that Case has also made my decision that much easier.

I’ve had an extremely hectic and fun summer. I started it off by traveling to Punta Cana, Domincan Republic where I enjoyed 7 days of pure laziness while I layed on the beach. Just a week after I returned, I was then off to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. As for the rest of the summer, I worked a little, played some basketball, and spent some more time by the pool. Now, I am doing all of the last minute things before I move in on Sunday.

As my summer comes to an end, I am very excited to come to Case where I will be majoring in Nursing. I hope to one day become a Nurse Anesthetist, and I know that Case’s Nursing program will certainly prepare me for this.

See you all soon! Can’t wait to get back playing some basketball!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Carrie Orcutt

2009-08-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

Hi. My name is Carrie Orcutt (pictured on far left) and I am 18 years old. I have lived in a small town in Florida for my whole life. Making the decision of which college I was going to attend was definitely the hardest decision that I have made so far in my life. My mom and I visited over twenty different campuses, but somehow, Case just felt different.

Everyone was so nice to me while I was on campus. I could see myself spending the next four years of my life in Cleveland. I was looking for an excellent academic school that was located in a big city. Case was everything I could ask for. I knew right then I would probably end up at Case for my college career, but I ended up drawing my decision out to the very last minute.

Most of my friends did not want to leave the warm Florida weather, but I had different plans. I wanted to experience winter weather, instead of 80 degrees on Christmas day and over 100 degrees in the summer. When someone would ask me why I wanted to go to Cleveland, the answer for me was simple. I had an opportunity to get a great education and still be able to play basketball. If that meant coming to Cleveland, then that was what I was going to do. Coach Reimer was so helpful throughout the whole process and that just made my decision so much easier. She didn’t just want to know how interested I was, but also cared enough to ask what I was doing with myself and how our season was going. Knowing that I would be able to learn from someone like that was an amazing feeling.

This coming fall, I will probably be majoring in biology, with possible minors in music and sports medicine. I am very excited to start school and leave behind the hot weather of Florida. Hopefully I will not freeze in the winter!!!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Emily Mueller

2009-08-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Emily Mueller (I’m on the left next to my friend Maggie at my graduation). I’m from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and yes, I’m a HUGE Steelers/Penguins/Pirates fan (I hope that doesn’t upset anyone too much). And even though I’ll be in the same city as my sworn enemies, the Cleveland Browns, I’m so excited and happy about my decision to come to Case Western Reserve University.

I chose Case for a number of reasons. There’s no getting around how great of a school it is and that drew me in at first. I plan on majoring in civil engineering, and Case is a fantastic school for that major. Then, I took a tour of the campus of few summers back, and I really liked it. What sealed the deal was coming last fall and meeting everyone. All of the players were so nice and made me feel comfortable even though they didn’t know me. And of course, the coaches were great and made my decision very easy. What really pleased me (and my parents), was on the day I visited, I sat in on a practice and was told that one of the players was unable to attend practice because she had a lab. A lot of girls I know who play in college would be forced to skip their class for practice, and that showed me how much the coaches want us to be successful students as well as successful basketball players.

My summer has been kind of crazy. It began with my brother graduating from the Naval Academy. We saw the Blue Angels fly over us, and President Obama was the commencement speaker. It was a beautiful (extremely hot) day in Annapolis, Maryland, and a truly memorable experience. After my brother’s graduation came my own in June and then my graduation party which was a blast. The biggest event of my summer came on July 18 when my brother got married. I was a bridesmaid and the wedding was beautiful! I love my new sister-in-law and I’m so happy for her and my brother.

Now I’m starting to get everything together for my move in next week and I can’t wait to be a Spartan!!!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Nikki D'Amico

2009-08-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

The first time I visited Case I knew it was where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. However, that didn't stop me from waiting till the last minute to make my decision, or from torturing myself with pros and cons of many different schools.

The decision for me, however, was a no-brainer when I considered the unique basketball program, the people I met (especially Coach Reimer and the team) the great education I'd receive at one of the nation's leading research Universities, and the atmosphere on campus.

So I'm preparing to make the trek north (one whole hour!) to Case where I will be a Spartan for the next four years. Though I've had a lot of fun this summer spending time with friends and vacationing in San Diego (you've never seen a bigger mass of costumed people until you've seen San Diego during the Comic-Con), I am so excited to begin my life at Case studying Biochemistry and Cognitive Science.

Meet our First Year Spartans--Evy Iacono

2009-08-12T06:21:00.001-07:00

Hi! My name is Evelyn (or Evy as I’m called by family and friends) Iacono. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio about four hours south of Cleveland. Growing up as the youngest of 4 I’ve had to hold my own. My very tight knit family also had many opinions on the dizzying question of where I should spend my college years.

I decided to attend Case after checking out several schools and basketball programs. My first campus impression was one which highlighted the quality of academic programs, not too surprising considering it’s reputation in academic circles. I was also very excited about the enthusiastic basketball staff and team who are focused on being competitive. After meeting Coach Reimer, Coach Blade, and the rest of the team I felt the team dynamic was right for me. I loved the family aspect of the team where one can tell everyone cares for each other. And of course the academic reputation helped make the decision of Case Western that much easier.

After all the pieces fell into place for where I would be spending the next four years of my life, I had to decide what I should do for the rest of my life! As of now I am going into biology with the hopes of becoming an exotic animal vet taking care of everything from horses to elephants. This summer I was fortunate enough to work with a horse vet where I was able to observe surgeries, grind teeth, and of course shovel horse manure. I also took care of our two horses Rocky and Extreme.

I took a break with a trip out west with family. There we saw the incredible Grand Canyon and made our way up to the Rocky Mountains in Estes Park. Other than that I have been enjoying my summer with friends and family. I’m looking forward to the next chapter at Case Western and competing for a Spartan Championship!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Erica Iafelice

2009-08-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

The first time I walked around Case’s campus I noticed that the weather was rainy and overcast, the students and staff were focused and friendly, and there was something strangely unique about the basketball program. Oddly enough, I felt right at home. As a soon to be incoming freshman, I had endless questions about the campus, student life, the basketball program, and most importantly what the university could offer me academically.

All of my worries were soon put to rest after meeting and chatting with Coach Reimer, her staff, and her fun and talented athletes. They shared with me the countless opportunities a degree from Case can offer and the quality of people I would be working with both on and off the court on a daily basis.

As I reflected among the many experiences I would encounter while attending one of the nation’s leading research Universities, the choice as to where I should spend the next four years of my life was quite obvious.

Luckily for me, I am used to rainy summer days and snow-filled winter nights as I live a short hour-long car ride south of Cleveland in the beautiful dogwood city of North Canton. While at Case I plan to major in Biology with a minor in Sports Medicine in hopes of one day becoming a Sports Medicine Physician. This career choice would not only give me the opportunity to work with athletes, but would also help me understand the countless injuries I seem to come by while on the court.

It would be fascinating if I were able to tell you interesting facts about myself such as jumping out of planes and swimming with sharks, but unfortunately, I cannot. I can, however, share that I once competed in the Soapbox Derby (if you know what that means, then yes, it is quite embarrassing) snuck backstage to meet Colbie Caillat, biked down an active volcano, and am completely confident, thankful, and excited about my decision to not only attend Case but to be a member of our exceptional basketball program.

Meet our First Year Spartans--Marissa Miles

2009-08-11T10:02:00.001-07:00

Hello. My name is Marissa Miles and for the last 18 years of my life I’ve grown up in a small rural town about 30 minutes outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the City of Champions, and arguably the best spot in the entire continental U.S. For some odd reason however, I’ve decided to pack my bags and move to Cleveland (and no, this is not a joke.) As unbelievable as it seems, Cleveland will be my home for the next four years, and I will be a proud Case Western Reserve University Spartan. I’m excited about my future at Case, and relieved to now have some sort of plan for the upcoming years of my life.

After many months of struggling through the college selection process, weighing the pros and cons of different schools, and walking through numerous campus tours, I now finally have a plan. Although it may have changed since my more naïve days when my career path was aimed at baking cakes on Food Network (finding a culinary school with a basketball team became a bit of a problem) I figured why not attend Case Western and attempt to become and engineer?

Now my summer is wrapping up, and soon enough I’ll be an official college student. I have enjoyed my summer- went to the beach, worked at a golf course (which does entitle me to free golf although I promise I am not good!), and enjoyed time with my friends in what could be our final summer together. In just a few short weeks I’ll be at Case- I absolutely cannot wait!

Meet our First Year Spartans--Chelsea Lasky

2009-08-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Chelsea Lasky (pictured on far right with my sisters and aunt.) As some of you know I will be a freshman here at Case this year. As of now, I plan to be a biomedical engineering major with no intention of going to medical school. What attracted me to Case the most was the reputation of academic excellence, especially in my particular field. I chose CWRU over my other university choices because it was the best for my intended major and also because I have the opportunity to play basketball.

This summer I have been incredibly busy with many different things. As soon as graduation was over, I was busy planning a baby shower with my sister. Shortly after, I left for a ten day mission trip to Kentucky where I helped an underprivileged community. We stayed in a run down church and tents, and lived the simple life. I did tasks such as paint tin roofs, weed in an overgrown garden, direct a leadership day for kids age six to ten, and plan/execute an outreach day for mentally underdeveloped adults. It was very rewarding to be there with just twenty-two others who were dedicated to serving the community. (Oh, and I became quite the champ at corn hole in our downtime ha-ha.)

As soon as I got back, I had my graduation party to prepare for in just one short week—if it were up to just my mom, we would be manicuring the lawn by hand, and if it were up to just my dad, we would be moving small boulders out of the walkway using only our muscle. Needless to say, it was a week of pure torture. However, it all worked out because everyone had a great time and I made a killing for college supplies and summer fun.

The next week was dedicated to the preparation of a retreat I worked for my younger sister the next weekend, as well as cleaning up from the party. Since then, I have had miscellaneous things every day. I work at Red Lobster as a hostess, went to the Vans Warped Tour as a birthday present to my little sister, played in a 6v6 soccer league, worked a day with Habitat for Humanity, went to countless graduation parties, and tried to make time to hang out with my friends. Oh and how could I forget the wonderful three day Case orientation!

In the weeks to come, I will be going to more graduation parties, shopping for college, and most exciting, going to West Virginia with my family for a three day trip to whitewater raft, hike and camp out. Those activities will lead me up to the week before coming to campus where I will finally be meeting all of you!

I am excited to be playing basketball this year because I cannot remember the last time I was not involved in sports in some way. After my successful season last year, I am looking forward to get back into the swing of things, and working toward another great season. Well, that is my summer in a nutshell—it has been crazy as usual!

Welcome!

2009-08-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for visiting the Case Western Reserve University Women's Basketball blog! As we look forward to the start of the 2009-2010 school year we are excited about the season ahead. We have a solid nucleus of players returning to the team and welcome a group of first-year players who will add to the depth and talent of our squad.

We hope you will visit this blog on a regular basis to meet our team, follow our success and enjoy learning more about Spartan Basketball! Stay tuned and GO CASE!