Going by the numbers, the UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team had one of its most memorable seasons in recent memory in 2016-2017. The Warhawks finished with an overall record of 22-6, had two players named to the first team all-conference squad and won one WIAC tournament trophy.

Even with all the success, there’s one number from last season that will motivate the Warhawks above all else in their 2017-2018 campaign, their 0-1 NCAA tournament record.
“Our seniors have had the opportunity to go to the tournament two years now,” head coach Keri Carollo said. “Both years we exited earlier than we had wanted to. It really gives them more of a drive to want to go a little bit further.”
UW-W’s seniors include guards Malia Smith and Brooke Trewyn, and forward Andrea Meinert.

Meinert started the first 13 games for UW-W in 2016-2017, but went down with an injury mid-season and missed the rest of the season. She averaged 9.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in her limited time.
Smith was vital to UW-W’s WIAC-leading 9.54 steals per game last season, leading the conference in steals with 2.71 a game. She also averaged 12.5 points per game.
Smith’s efforts earned her a spot on the WIAC All-Defensive Team and the First Team All-WIAC squad.
Trewyn, a Whitewater native, should be at the forefront of the Warhawks offensive this season. She averaged a team-high 15.2 points last year, which led the conference.
Trewyn won’t be asked to just get buckets though, as a senior she has newfound responsibilities.
“Once you become a senior you just kind of get that put on your back,” Trewyn said. “You have to lead your teammates into whatever you need to do. This is our last swing at things, so we’re putting everything into this year, leaving with no regrets.”

Trewyn also made her mark on the defensive side. She was second and third in the conference in defensive rebounds (6.0) and steals (1.81) per game, respectively. She also added 0.6 blocks per game.
Even with the impressive defensive stats, Trewyn said one of her main focuses in the offseason was her quickness on defense.

Sophomore guards Camri Conley and Becky Raeder both played significant minutes for the Warhawks last year as freshman.
Raeder averaged 4.7 points per game last year and shot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. She started in 22 of the Warhawks’ games.
Conley appeared in all 28 games and chipped in 2.5 points per contest.  
“Our freshman class last year played a lot, so they got a lot of game experience,” Carollo said. “For them now to have that under their belt and to know what to expect, it’s definitely going to help them this year.”

As for the incoming freshman class, Carollo said she expects true freshman guard Rebekah Schumacher to see the floor. Junior forward Sarah Schumacher, Rebekah Schumacher’s sister, is also expected to contribute in the upcoming season after she transferred to UW-W.
A couple other junior forwards expected to make an impact are Olivia Freckmann and Becky Deichl. Freckmann started 17 games last year and posted per game averages of 5.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals. Deichl averaged 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while adding 0.6 blocks a game.

From top to bottom, Carollo described her team as a group of players that truly care about one another.
“From what I’ve seen so far, I feel like this group really works hard, that will be a strength of ours,” Carollo said. “They’re very productive and selfless. They overall have really good character about them.”
The Warhawks will get their first taste of the new season Nov. 15 in a non-conference road match against Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois.