When the preseason polls came in for women’s basketball, it wasn’t a surprise that Fairfield was ranked sixth in the MAAC. Last year, the Stags were picked to finish second behind Marist and were a team with a good shot at a MAAC championship. Although they lost in the MAAC semifinals, the season was filled with great victories, including the defeat of powerhouse Marist.
Once the season ended, head coach Joe Frager knew his work had just begun. The plan to win a MAAC championship was just a bit out of reach, but losing four starters hurt even more. Baendu Lowenthal, Shiryell Moore, Lauren Groom and Megan Caskin all graduated, leaving several gaps to fill on this year’s roster.
Now the Stags welcome in Katelyn Linney, Laura Vetra, Brittany MacFarlane and Kara Fillion. They may not be familiar faces to Stags fans, but by the end of the season all four could be major contributors, especially Linney.
Katelyn Linney is a 5-8 guard from Freehold, New Jersey. The freshman attended St. John Vianney High School and left with quite a legacy. In her senior season, she led her team to the Tournament of Champions title in New Jersey, also being named MVP. Linney finished her high school career with over 1,300 points. At Fairfield, she will look to step in immediately at the shooting guard position. Frager thinks Linney has the skills and mentality to be a real threat right away.
“Katelyn’s got a real scorer’s mentality. She comes in with a chance to get some good playing time right away,” Frager said.
Losing Lowenthal profoundly hurt the Stags frontcourt, but Laura Vetra should fill in nicely.
The 6-2 forward played her high school ball in Texas, but is a native of Latvia. Vetra averaged over 14 points and seven rebounds in her senior year. Frager said he likes her strength and ability to be light on her feet. He added that she is continuing to work on her low post presence. Basketball runs in the family for Vetra. Her father spent some time playing for the Timberwolves in the NBA.
Brittany MacFarlane is another inside player that will add some depth. The Canadian forward led her team to two city titles in Ontario and was named MVP in 2008. Frager believes she has some some skills that reminds him of another Fairfield player, senior Stephanie Geehan.
“Brittany has an excellent shooting touch, much like Steph. She is able to stretch defenses out which could be big for us,” said Frager.
Kara Fillion rounds out the this year’s class. She’s 5-10 guard and a good scorer which makes her an instant threat. Fillion averaged over 21 points her senior season, and was named to the All State team twice. She’s a versatile player who can play the two or the three on offense and should be another nice weapon off the bench.
These freshmen have a lot of talent and will get a chance to prove it early on. Give the lack of returning players, this team is still unfamiliar, but dangerous nonetheless.
Frager knows there will be growing pains but his team is already taking the right steps.
“You love a team that wants to be coached,” Frager said.
This Stags will make their mistakes early on but will always have a chance to win. As for those preseason polls, you might want to leave them at home when you come out to a game according to Frager.
“It’s always fun to look and is a good conversation starter but after that, you put it under your coffee cup. I don’t blame anybody for picking us sixth. The polls don’t take into account the hard work our team puts in, along with our newcomers,” Frager said.
We know this team will work hard but if they can play together, it seems they have to the talent to go on another dangerous run.
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