High expectations are never easy to live up to. However, for Indiana Northwest Women’s Basketball, they wouldn’t want it any other way. The 2015-16 RedHawks are hoping to improve on last season’s 18-13 record and run to the A.I.I. Conference Semifinals as they return several key players and welcome a cast of talented newcomers. Head coach Ryan Shelton, entering his ninth season, hopes that the integration of new talent and depth will position the team well to continue the level of success they’ve achieved. The program has reached the A.I.I. Conference Tournament semifinals six times in the past seven seasons with six winning campaigns in the past seven seasons in which they have won at least 18 games.
Returners
The RedHawks are led by 2015 A.I.I. Player of the Year and NAIA All-American Nicki Monahan (Portage, IN) who paced IU Northwest last season as a sophomore with 18.4 ppg. Along with Monahan, rising star and backcourt mate Grayce Roach (Hobart, IN) (11.4 ppg and 44% 3 pt.) gives the RedHawks one of the nation’s most potent backcourts. Through two seasons, Monahan accumulated a 43 game double digit scoring streak and has already surpassed 1,000 points for her career, placing her third on the school’s all-time scoring lists. Roach placed second on the team in scoring in her first college season, shooting 46% from the floor and 42% (7th nationally) from three-point range.
The RedHawks return six lettermen and four starters from a season ago that includes key contributors in Kayce Nagel (Peotone, IL), Bernadette Grabowski (Munster, IN) and Brooke Gardner (Chesterton, IN). Nagel is expected to anchor the post, as the 6’1” senior forward averaged 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 49% from the floor last season as a junior. Versatile, 5’10” swingman, Bernadette Grabowski (8.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and junior point guard Brooke Gardner (5.8 ppg 4.0 rpg) will also be counted on for experience and leadership. Senior sharpshooter Katie McGann gave the RedHawks solid minutes off the bench last season, connecting on 39 three-point field goals in 30 games while averaging 5.6 points. Monahan, Roach and Grabowski were named team captains for the coming 2015-16 season.
"We began last season short on experience and banged up due to injuries. The heavy minutes to our starters took its toll throughout the season and cost us in several tight games, including the postseason,” said Shelton. Nicki (Monahan) is the key cog to the engine that makes us go, and a great recruiting class this spring added more talent, size and speed. It’s tough to do all of that with one class, and we’re excited about the depth and overall talent we now have that will allow us to preserve some people and be more aggressive on both ends of the floor.”
Newcomers
Several new additions to the RedHawks’ roster provides the teamwith more depth and speed than in recent years, as the 2015 recruiting class netted All-Area and Indiana All-State honorable mention players in Gina Rubino and Tara Zlotkowski from Lake Central, who were the heart and soul for one of the state’s best high school teams last year. Speedster Maggie Yandel (Moraine Valley CC), Hattie Andrews 6-3 C (Vincennes) and Jaylyne Alexander (Southeastern Illinois CC) are transfers that add more experience to the RedHawks roster. Yandel averaged 15.2 points per game in her last full season at Moraine Valley, while Andrews provides great interior size.
Freshmen Kelsey Gushrowski (LaPorte), Samantha Roach (Lowell) and Jordan Wadding (Chesterton) join Rubino and Zlotkowski as other new additions to the team. The RedHawks will look to offset the loss and graduation of two-time A.I.I. All-Conference Defensive Player of the Year Danielle Zandstra, who is the only departing player who saw significant playing time in 2015-16. The RedHawks also a feature a change on the coaching staff as Ken Markful replaces former RedHawks All-American Megan Holland on the bench as the team’s top assistant. Markful brings 17 years of coaching experience at the high school level, 14 as a head coach (Andrean), with key responsibilities including individual skill-development, scouting and coordination of the defense. “Yandel is instant offense and gives up another playmaker on the defensive end, while Rubino, Zlotkowski and Gushrowski all have terrific summers for us,” added Shelton.
Schedule/Opponents
The RedHawks will face a difficult and challenging schedule that features half of their games versus teams that won at least 17 games in power conferences a season ago, including nine games versus teams that advanced to the 2015 NAIA National Tournament. These opponents include national-powers Saint Xavier, Davenport, Shawnee State and College of the Ozarks. Those teams along with Ashford, Robert Morris, Asbury, and Marian all advanced to the NAIA National Tournament and won at least 21 games.
“The program’s success has forced us to again add several strong opponents, thus making for a very challenging schedule again this season,” said Shelton “We see it as a great opportunity to beat some of the nation’s best teams.”
IU Northwest will square off with D-I opponents University of Illinois-Chicago (Nov. 9) and Valparaiso (Dec. 12). The team will travel to a pair of weekend classics at Viterbo University (Lacrosse, WI) Nov. 13-14, and later to Asbury (Asbury, KY) on Dec. 4-5. The RedHawks will host a pair of second half classics (Jan. 15-16 / Jan. 29-30) that will feature several A.I.I. opponents squaring off in a Friday-Saturday classic format.
Season Outlook
Another successful season and qualification for the conference tournament will rest in large part on the integration of new talent and the contributions of young players to a strong group of returners possessing post-season experience. The RedHawks, again, project near the top of the A.I.I. pre-season ratings in a conference will be the largest in the nation for the 2015-16 season, featuring 15 teams from coast to coast. Eight teams will qualify for the 2016 A.I.I. Tournament Feb. 26-28 in Cedar Rapids, IA where the top three finishers will receive automatic bids to the 2016 NAIA National Tournament in Sioux City, IA. “We have a very talented team and our goals remain the same as they are each year, win the conference championship and advance to the national tournament,” Shelton, concluded.
The RedHawks tip-off their season at home on Oct. 28 when they welcome the Judson Eagles to the Savannah Center. For more team information and the season schedule, visit: www.iunredhawathletics.com.
2015-16 Indiana University Northwest Varsity Women’s Basketball Roster
00 - Kayce Nagel - SR - F/C - 6-1 - Mokena, IL
2 - Bernadette Grabowski - JR - G/F - 5-10 - Munster, IN
5 - Gina Rubino - FR - G - 5-5 - Crown Point, IN
10 - Maggie Yandel - SR - G/F - 5-9 - Palos Heights, IL
11 - Tara Zlotkowski - FR - G - 5-7 - Crown Point, IN
12 - Brooke Gardner - JR - G - 5-10 - Chesterton, IN
20 - Jordan Wadding - FR - G - 5-8 - Porter, IN
21 - Katie McGann - SR - G/F - 5-10 - Palos Heights, IL
22 - Nicki Monahan - JR - G - 5-9 - Portage, IN
24 - Samantha Roach - FR - F - 6-0 - Lowell, IN
32 - Jaylyne Alexander - SO - G/F - 5-9 - Indianapolis, IN
34 - Grayce Roach - SO - G - 5-8 - Hobart, IN
35 - Hattie Andrews - JR - C - 6-3 - Hammond, IN
44 - Kelsey Gushrowski - FR - F - 6-1 - LaPorte, IN
http://www.iunredhawkathletics.com/roster/0/2.php
2015-16 Indiana Northwest Varsity Women’s Basketball Schedule