Aug. 20, 2003

Lafayette women's basketball head coach Tammy Smith is bringing a talented group of five freshmen as well as one junior transfer to the court for the 2003-04 season. The lineup includes three guards and two forwards, and addresses needs at both ends of the court for the Leopards.

"They are all from winning programs, so they know the commitment and sacrifices that need to be made for us to be successful," said Smith. "They all want to be a part of turning this program around."

The only recruit hailing from Pennsylvania is 5-7 guard Kara Stetler (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity). Stetler was a four-year starter for Trinity High School, leading the team to the PIAA District III Championship as a senior, scoring 801 points in her career. She was named to the Associate Press All-State Team in 2003, as well being named to the District III All-Tournament Team three times (01-03), the Harrisburg Patriot News Big 15 All-Star Team twice (02-03), and the Mid-Penn Commonwealth All-Star Team three times (01-03). Stetler also holds the Trinity High School record for assists with 515.

Amanda Jones (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson), a 5-11 guard, was a four-year letter winner at Gov. Thomas Johnson High School, scoring over 1,200 career points. As a senior, Jones was named to the First Team All-CMC and First Team All-Area by the Frederick Gazette and Second Team All-Area by the Frederick News Post. Averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds her final year, Jones was named WFMD Broadcasting Player of the Year.

Coming to College Hill from Virginia is 5-8 guard Meghan Austin (Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass). Austin was a four-year starter and two year captain at E.C. Glass High School. Named Western Valley District Co-Player of the Year in 2003 and All-Region Player of the Year in 2002 and 2003, Austin holds her high school record for 82 straight starts. Scoring over 800 points and pulling down over 700 rebounds in her high school career, Austin also held the team's highest GPA for four years and was team MVP in 2002-03. She led the district in scoring and rebounding her senior year and was named to the First Team All District as a senior.

Forward Michelle Hunter (Burlington, Ontario/Hillfield Strathallan College) was a four-year MVP for Hillfield Strathallan, taking the team to the first ever Ontario Finals while winning the silver medal. The 6-0 Hunter was named Halton region All-Star two years in a row and was ranked in the top three in the Hamilton Public League. As a senior starter, Hunter averaged 17.8 points per game and hit 34 three-pointers in 26 games.

Adding some height to the backcourt is 6-3 forward Joanna Pekonen (Viantan, Finland/Makelamromma lukid). After sustaining an ACL injury at the beginning of the 2001-2002 season, Pekonen played in a women's basketball league in Vantaa, Finland in 2002-2003, where she averaged 12.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. In 2000-2001, Pekonen was honored as the Best Female Player in Southeastern Finland after averaging 21 points and 17 rebounds for a women's league team in her hometown of Lappeenranta, Finland.

Also coming to College Hill this season is 6-4 junior transfer Naida Dupovac (Sarajevo, Bosnia). Dupovac transferred to Lafayette from Mineral Area Junior College in Missouri.

"Overall, the incoming class is very athletic and competitive. All seem to fit our style of play, which is very uptempo, and that will be an asset to our whole program," Smith said. "We are excited about what each of them will bring to the program."