Hall of Fame
The 2007-08 women’s basketball team becomes the 10th team to be recognized by the DeSales University Hall of Fame Committee.
The Bulldogs finished the 2007-08 season with a 26-4 overall record and an 11-1 mark in the MAC Freedom. The 26 wins continues to rank as the third most in team history. DSU won its third MAC Freedom Championship that season starting a string of four straight MAC Freedom titles. The Bulldogs won two games in the NCAA Tournament, and for the first time since the NCAA Division III Tournament bracket expanded to 64 teams, advanced to the NCAA “Sweet 16”.
The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 22-3 record earning the #1 seed in the MAC Freedom postseason tournament. DSU defeated Delaware Valley College, 78-72, in the MAC Freedom semifinals before defeating FDU-Florham, 75-60, in the championship game. Juniors LeighAnn Burke and Kim Rarick combined for 45 points with Burke MAC Freedom Tournament MVP Honors scoring 26 points in the title game and Rarick going a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line for 19 points.
The Bulldogs were sent on the road to nearby Allentown, PA for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament where they defeated host Muhlenberg College, 56-48, avenging an earlier season loss to the Mules. Rarick was outstanding in that one, scoring a career-high 24 points, while sophomore Caitlin Miller registered a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
DeSales won its 15th straight game the next night taking down Salem State College, 74-55, to advance to the “Sweet 16”. Burke finished with a game-high 26 points, 19 in the second half, to lead the way. Rarick also was in double digits with 18 points and senior Amanda Kuperavage had 16 points and eight rebounds in the win.
DSU traveled out to Brownwood, TX for the “Sweet 16” to take on the #2 ranked team in the country, Howard Payne University, who entered the game with a perfect 29-0 record. The other two teams in that four-team “Sweet 16” pod were George Fox University and the #1 team in the country, Hope College (29-0).
The Bulldogs battled HPU in the first-half trailing by just 10 points (23-13) after Howard Payne finished the half on a 13-3 run. Back-to-back 3’s from Burke to start the second-half got DSU within single digits a few times, but a 22-3 run by the hosts put the game out of reach as the magical season came to end and the Yellow Jackets eventually went on to win the NCAA Division III National Championship with an undefeated season. Burke (14) and Rarick (9) led the scoring attack in the “Sweet 16” loss.
That season Burke and Rarick were each named All-MAC Freedom First-Team and Miller was named All-MAC Freedom Second-Team. Head coach Fred Richter was named the MAC Freedom Coach of the Year. Burke earned MAC Freedom Player of the Year honors and was a Jostens Trophy Finalist as well as named the D3hoops.com Mid-Atlantic Regional Player of the Year and a D3hoops.com Second-Team All-American. Rarick finished the season leading the country in free throw shooting percentage converting an incredible 93.0 percent (146-157), which at the time was the fourth highest percentage in a single-season in NCAA Division III women’s basketball history.
Members of the team included: Leah Beynon, LeighAnn Burke, Megan Costello, Shaina Dymond, Emily Hoffman, Rose Katz, Amanda Kuperavage, Elyse Kutsop, Kelly Magrann, Caitlin Miller, Megan Montchyk, Kim Rarick, Erica Sovak, Jenna Stampf, and Kaila Wiand. Coaches were: Fred Richter, Sheri Melady, and Megan Dellegrotti.
