Ohio Wesleyan University | Battling Bishop Athletics

2009 Season Preview

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[ Lilly Jianas ] After recording double-digit victories in 2007 and making their first appearance in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament in 2008, Ohio Wesleyan University head coach Marge Redmond and the Battling Bishop field hockey team look to continue that upward climb and win the NCAC championship for the first time since 1995.

"We have a talented group that practices hard," Redmond said. "They have tasted how it feels to be on top and riding high."

The Bishops return their top 2 scorers from last season in juniors Lilly Jianas (Shawnee Mission, Kan./Pembroke Hill) and Christa Cocumelli (Dublin/Bishop Watterson). Jianas racked up 8 goals and 2 assists to rank among the top 10 scorers in the conference and was a second-team all-league pick.

[ Christa Cocumelli ] Cocumelli contributed 5 goals and 6 assists on the way to garnering first-team all-conference honors for the second straight season. Both were all-region selections as well, with Cocumelli grabbing first-team honors and Jianas second-team laurels.

Sophomore Abby Walsh (Millville, Mass./Blackstone-Millville) ranked third on the team in scoring with 5 goals and 2 assists last year, including 2 game-winning goals; sophomore Mimi Anthony (Millbrook, N.Y./Millbrook School) collected 3 goals and 2 assists last season; and junior Caiti Goodman (Washington, D.C./Bethesda-Chevy Chase (Md.)) added a goal and 2 assists in 2008.

Sophomores Katie Carlin (Westwood, Mass.) and Lex Kondas (Powell/Olentangy Liberty) also return, and freshmen Calina Hilyard (Columbus/Upper Arlington) and Carly Shields (Weston, Conn./Wilton) look to contribute.

The Bishop midfield returns 3 all-conference performers in juniors Hannah Coughlin (Dublin/Scioto) and Jessica Wright (Lancaster) and sophomore Alyse Marotta (Dublin/Jerome).

[ Hannah Coughlin ] Coughlin ranked second on the team with 3 defensive saves and was a first-team all-conference choice last year, Wright is a 2-time all-conference honoree, and Marotta scored 4 goals and was a first-team All-NCAC selection as well as the NCAC Newcomer of the Year in 2008.

Sophomore Macie Miller (Kettering/Fairmont) is the top returning scorer in the midfield, having tallied 5 goals and an assist last season, while freshman Lauren Bailey (Toledo/Ottawa Hills) will help out on the defensive end.

Sophomore Jen Doud (Collingswood, N.J.), an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2008, will anchor the Bishop defense. Sophomore Kelsey Morrison (Hudson/Western Reserve) saw action in all 19 games last year, classmate Cara Ann Foley (Owings Mills, Md./Garrison Forest) also returns, and freshman Abbie Martin (Afton, N.Y./Central) will make an impact. Coughlin also could see time in the defensive end.

Senior Krista Murray (Rochester Hills, Mich./University Liggett) returns as the starting goalkeeper. She compiled 3 shutouts and a .750 saves percentage in 2008.

"We have the toughest schedule we've ever faced," Redmond said. "There are a lot of tough non-conference opponents, and our hope is that we will recover from those games physically and stay tough until the end of the season, when the tournaments start. We look at each game as an important stepping stone to the next one."

The Bishops open the season with a conference game at Earlham on Sept. 1 before a trip to Rochester (N.Y.) and Nazareth (N.Y.) that weekend. The non-conference portion of the schedule also includes games against Division II entity Lindenwood (Mo.), Washington & Jefferson, and Centre (Ky.). The NCAC schedule is at its toughest in mid-September, with a 4-game stretch against the cream of the NCAC, including road games at 2008 champion Wooster, Oberlin, and 2008 tournament runner-up Kenyon, along with a home contest against traditionally-tough Wittenberg. The Bishops close out the season with 7 of their last 8 games at home, including 5 of their last 6 conference contests.