June 26, 2006

PHILADELPHIA - What a difference a year makes. Fueled by a collection of newcomers and the development of a core group of upperclassmen - the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team returned to national prominence in 2005-06. The Crimson and Gray engineered the nation's best turnaround, won 20 games and returned to the postseason for the fourth time in five years.

Led by Tri-Captains Faith Schutte, Ayahna Cornish and Maura McBryan, the Hawks bolted out to a 7-0 start, including eye-opening victories over nationally-ranked North Carolina State and Kansas State. The impressive start earned Saint Joseph's an appearance in the national polls for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

Picked to finish eighth in the A-10, the Hawks proved voters wrong, going 10-6 and securing the fifth seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Along the way, Saint Joseph's earned a last-second victory over nationally ranked Temple.

Using their home court advantage, the Hawks advanced to the semi-finals of the A-10 Championship before falling to the top-seeded George Washington Colonials in the final seconds. Despite falling short the Hawks did earn a berth in the WNIT.

Individually, several Hawks earned distinctions throughout the season.A tireless worker, the 6-1 Schutte maximized her final collegiate season posting career-highs in nearly every statistical category. At her best in the team's biggest wins, she was named to the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team as well as earning Academic All-Atlantic 10 and All-District honors.

An explosive scorer and lock-down defender, Cornish finally gained recognition for her all-around play. Despite suffering a knee injury that forced her to miss the team's final nine games, The junior captured second team All-Atlantic 10 and Big 5 honors after leading the Hawks in scoring and steals, while finishing third in both assists and rebounds. She was tabbed as MVP at the Wildcat Classic after helping SJU upend Kansas State for the tournament title.

Numbers did not necessarily quantify the contributions of McBryan. The team's vocal and spiritual leader, she sacrificed her own personal statistics for the good of the team. A two-time Academic All-District choice, the four-year starter still managed to post career-highs in assists and three-point field goal percentage, but was even more valuable with her innate ability to motivate her teammates with her boundless energy and relentless work ethic.

Named both Atlantic 10 and Big 5 Rookie of the Year, Hillary Klimowicz turned in the most impressive season by an SJU freshman since current Hawk assistant Susan Moran staked a claim to similar honors in 1999. Ranking among the national freshman leaders in numerous categories, The seven-time A-10 Rookie of the Week led the team in both rebounding and blocked shots, while finishing third in scoring. An A-10 All-Rookie team choice, her 60 blocks were the second highest single season total in program history and already place her ninth on SJU's career list.

Joining Klimowicz on the A-10 All-Rookie team was sharp-shooting Jen Oyler. It marked the first time that SJU had placed a pair of players on the All-Freshman squad. A 6-1 guard, oyler created significant matchup problems with her size and ability to shoot from long range. She led the team and ranked among the conference leaders with 55 three-point field goals, the second most by a Hawk freshman.

Facing a schedule that included 13 games against teams that reached the postseason, the Hawks notched 20 victories, knocked off two ranked teams and returned to the postseason in 2005-06. More importantly, Cindy Griffin fused an impressive collection of freshmen with a talented nucleus of upperclassmen as Saint Joseph's reasserted itself among the nation's elite programs.