The 2020-21 season marks the start of a new era for Hillsdale College women's basketball, as Charlie Averkamp takes over as head coach of the program.
In addition to Averkamp, the Chargers are also bringing in two talented new freshmen to join the roster for the upcoming campaign.
Olivia Patch (Fort Recovery, OH/Fort Recovery) and Dani Salenbien (Adrian, MI/Lenawee Christian) both come from strong basketball backgrounds and will add to Hillsdale's efforts to get back on track after a 6-21 campaign in 2019-20 ended a string of three straight winning seasons for the program.
Olivia Patch, a 6-foot-2 center, was a force in the post for a Fort Recovery squad that won four straight OHSAA Division 4 sectional titles during her career. She earned second-team All-Midwest Conference honors in 2018-19 after helping Fort Recovery to a OHSAA District runner-up finish, and helped keep the Indians competitive in one of the toughest small-school conferences for girls basketball in Ohio.
Also a volleyball standout at Fort Recovery, Patch helped the Indians win back-to-back sectional titles in that sport. She also was an excellent student, earning Academic All-Conference honors and membership in the National Honor Society, as well as a variety of awards, including the Fort Recovery Outstanding Scholar Award, the Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award. She also earned Commended status in the National Merit Scholarship Program, and was a Carson Scholar Candidate.
Dani Salenbien, a 5-foot-9 guard, comes to Hillsdale after one of the most successful small-school girls basketball runs in MHSAA history at Lenawee Christian School in Adrian, Michigan.
Teaming with her younger sister, Bree, a Gonzaga commit, the pair led the Cougars to back-to-back MHSAA state titles, first in Class D in 2018, and then, after the state switched to divisions, a Division 4 title in 2019. The Cougars were well on their way to a three-peat in 2020 when Covid-19 ended the girls basketball state tournament in Michigan prematurely.
A four-year starter at Lenawee Christian, Salenbien earned consensus All-State honors for three consecutive seasons, made the All-Adrian Daily Telegram team all four years of high school, and set careers records in points, assists and steals for the Cougars. She also earned three entries in the MHSAA record books, including most 3-pointers in a game, most assists in a game, and most career 3-pointers.
Salenbien played AAU basketball with the Michigan Mystics and also starred in volleyball and soccer for the Cougars. An outstanding student, Salenbien was a member of the National Honor Society, a Class Officer, and a recipient of a Visual and Performing Arts Scholarship, as well as an active volunteer with Red Cross blood drives, among other work.