Yellow Jackets Faced Tough Schedule
The women played one of the toughest schedules in the Old Dominion Athletic
Conference (ODAC) this year and, for the most part, came out about as
expected. The season began with the team hosting the Randolph-Macon College
Women's Basketball Tip-Off Classic on November 19-20. The Yellow Jackets
welcomed very good and competitive teams to Ashland in the likes of Marietta
College (Ohio), Salisbury State University (Md.) and conference-rival
Roanoke College.
Following their own Tournament, the women would head to Washington, D.C.
for the Gallaudet Holiday Invitational at Gallaudet University. In the
opening game of the Tournament, Randolph-Macon would be paired with the
second-ranked team in the nation in Division III in the Crusaders of Capital
University. The Crusaders were voted as the Team of the Decade by Division
III News as Capital boasted the best record of any women's Division III
program in the country during the 1990's.
The women entered the Gallaudet Tournament with a record of 0-2 with
losses to Marietta and Salisbury State. Facing a team in Capital that
played in four Division III Championships in the decade, resulting in
two national titles (1994, 1995), a second-place finish in 1993 and a
third in 1997, things did not get any better. After falling to Capital
74-49, Randolph-Macon would earn its first win of the season in the Consolation
game against SUNY-Potsdam in dramatic fashion, 80-48.
As the Yellow Jackets began their season 1-3, they looked to keep things
rolling heading into their first conference game against Virginia Wesleyan
College on November 30. Randolph-Macon would notch its first conference
win and its second-consecutive win, 94-88. These two wins would start
R-MC on the right track as the women would win eight of its next 12 to
head into the month of February with a record of 10-7 overall and 9-4
in the ODAC.
However, the team's momentum would hit some rough spots in the road
heading into the last month of the season. Randolph-Macon would win just
half of its remaining games, four of eight, en route to being ousted in
the first round of the ODAC Tournament by Emory & Henry, 63-47. The month
ended just as it began for the Yellow Jackets, with a loss to E&H.
Despite some of the late turbulence, the whole team learned a lot about
each other and about the rigors of competition. As the season concluded,
so did the careers of three talented seniors. Bren Elliot, Ren�e Zando
and Beth Richard ended a four-year journey with their loss to E&H, but
had much to reflect on.
Since their freshman year in 1996-97, these three women helped the women's
basketball program amass a total overall record of 73-32 (.695) in 105
career games. As members of the program, the team went 63-17 (.788) in
80 career ODAC games to go along with four ODAC Tournament appearances
(1997-2000) and one ODAC Championship game appearance (1999).
Under their leadership, the team has also made two NCAA Tournament appearances
(1998, 1999). In four years, these three seniors have scored 37-percent
of the team's points while grabbing nearly 41-percent of the team's rebounds.
Ren�e Zando, a two-time ODAC Player of the Year nominee, led Randolph-Macon
in scoring this season at 16.1 points per game, started in 24 of 25 games
played and amassed 14 double-doubles on the season in points and rebounds.
Zando led the Yellow Jackets in scoring in 15 games and in rebounding
in 16 games while scoring in double-figures in 20 out of 25 games and
reaching double-figures in rebounding in 15 out of 25 games.
In the final ODAC Report, Zando ranked sixth in the ODAC in scoring,
second in rebounding, first in field goal percentage, third in blocked
shots, first in offensive rebounds and fifth in defensive rebounds. She
was named Regional and National Player of the Week by Columbus Multimedia
on December 7, 1999 and was named to the ODAC Honor Roll once this season.
She was also honored with a Second-Team All-ODAC selection this year,
her third conference accolade.
Over Randolph-Macon's last six games, senior forward Bren Elliot led
R-MC in scoring in five games, averaging 15.4 points per game and 8.4
rebounds per game as her points were tops on the team and her rebounds
second while she led the team in field goal percentage, shooting 57.7
percent (30-of-52).
While Elliot often played the role of unsung hero in coming off of the
bench for Randolph-Macon, she was second on the team in scoring, averaging
9.6 points per game and second in rebounding at 8.7 rebounds per game.
The senior forward led R-MC in scoring six times this season and in rebounding
eight times with two double-doubles in points and rebounds.
Elliot was named to the All-Tournament team in the Randolph-Macon College
Women's Basketball Tip-Off Classic and was chosen as a nominee for GTE/CoSIDA
Academic All-American as she is on track to graduate cum laude, currently
sporting a 3.4 GPA.
Senior guard Beth Richard scored a career-high 24 points against Virginia
Wesleyan College on November 30, 1999 and proved to be a consistent scorer
down the stretch, netting double-figures in eight of the team's final
14 games. She also led the way on the defensive end as she often drew
the assignment of guarding the team's top opposing player.
As these three players head into graduation, head coach Carroll LaHaye
will rely on the members of next year's junior and sophomore classes to
provide the backbone of next year's team. The 2000-2001 season will see
a lot of talent return, but will lack the immediate presence of a leader
as there are no current members of next year's senior class represented
on the Yellow Jackets' roster.