UTICA, NY- The Utica College women's basketball team opens up its season Wednesday as it hosts SUNY Potsdam.  The game will also serve as the team's annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation night.  The opening tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
FACULTY/STAFF APPRECIATION: Each student-athlete on the team had a chance to nominate one professor to be honored at halftime for their contributions to the student-athlete experience... The professors will gather on the court at halftime and their names will be announced, alongside a brief paragraph about why the student-athlete submitted the nomination.
 
MEET THE COACHING STAFF: Head Coach Michele Davis is returning to Utica for her 18th season as head coach of the women's basketball program… Coach Davis, who is the program's all-time leader in career victories, holds an overall record of 227-213…  Davis has made eight conference tournament appearances while averaging nearly 14 wins per season in the last 17 years…  Throughout her tenure at UC, she has led Utica to two NCAA Tournament appearances, two Empire 8 Conference championships and four ECAC Tournament appearances… Joining Davis on the sidelines for her first year will be Assistant Coach Kelli Ludwig, who was hired in the Summer of 2017…  Ludwig will assist head coach Michele Davis with all aspects of the program including scouting, recruiting, game and practice preparation, and day-to-day operations… Ludwig was a four-year starter and a three-year captain for the Judson University women's basketball team...   She finished with 1,337 points and dished out 190 assists in her career.
 
LEADING THE WAY: The Pioneers return all five starters from last year, including seniors Ashley Mayo (Bronx, NY/Nanuet), Ashelyne Babb (Lynn, MA/Winthrop), and Alaina Tripp (Clyde, NY/Clyde-Savannah), as well as junior Rachel Hunter (West Islip, NY/West Islip), and sophomore Nicolette Conkin (Los Altos, CA/Homestead)… Mayo, who was named second team All-Conference last year, averaged a team-high 14.5 points per game as she finished the regular season ranked fifth in the Empire 8 in scoring… Babb averaged 12.6 points per game and led the Pioneers in rebounds (137), assists (97) and steals (70) last season… Tripp led the squad with 10 blocks last year, and she collected 113 rebounds and averaged 5.6 points per game… Hunter finished third on the team in scoring with 8.4 points per game, while Conkin averaged 4.5 points and finished second on the squad with 20 3-pointers.
 
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST: Seniors Maggie Tabone (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili) and Emily Pinckney (Canton, NY/Hugh C. Williams) will also provide veteran leadership and look to end their careers on a high note… Tabone finished fourth on the team with 112 rebounds, including 87 off the defensive glass… Pinckney saw action in 17 games and totaled 14 points and 12 rebounds.
 
SUPPORTING CAST: Marissa Woods (Westampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley), Coralynn Maxwell (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley), Sam Cichon (Clinton, NY/New Hartford), and Alayna Cormier (Williamsburg, VA/Warhill) will look for extended playing time this season… Woods registered 32 points and 19 rebounds in 24 games played last year, while Maxwell had 19 steals and 15 dishes in 22 games… Cichon and Cormier will also provide depth as they have 37 games played between the two of them.    
 
NEWCOMERS: The Pioneers welcome seven new faces to the team this year including juniors Cortlynn Jepsen (Hudson, NY/Hudson), Nicole Herringshaw (Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), and Briannah Florian (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain), as well as freshmen Brigid Johndrow (Bristol, CT/St. Paul Catholic), Emilee Finley (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), Kimberly Soriano (Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancey Memorial), and Jeslyn Files (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport). 
 
A LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE: The Pioneers' 2017-18 schedule features 13 home games at the friendly confines of the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium, eight of which are against Empire 8 Conference opponents… UC remains home on Saturday as it hosts Wells College (2 p.m.) before hitting the road for the next three games… Utica opens conference play at home on Jan. 2 against St. John Fisher College.