Schedule
Hillsdale (3-3, 0-0 G-MAC) at Cedarville (1-3, 0-0 GLIAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Dec. 1 | Callan Athletic Center | Cedarville, OH
Trevecca Nazarene (3-3, 0-0 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (3-3, 0-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 3 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Cedarville Roster | Trevecca Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Cedarville Stats | Trevecca Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (6 ppg, 2.8 apg, 1 spg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (13.3 ppg, 12 rpg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (14 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.2 apg); #31 Ashley Konkle, Jr., C, Aurora, IL/Benet Academy/Western Michigan (6.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (5.5 ppg)
Cedarville: #3 Anne Wheeler, Jr., G, Cincinnati, OH/Homeschool (6.8 ppg, 3.3 apg, 1 spg); #4 Paige Garr, Sr., G, Goshen, OH/Goshen (13.8 ppg); #5 Taylor Strock, So., Napoleon, OH/Napoleon (8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.2 spg); #13 Makenna Fee, Sr., F, Seymour, IN/Seymour (4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1 bpg); #23 Lydia Sweeney, Jr., G, Grand Island, NY/Grand Island Senior (14.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 1 spg)
Trevecca: #2 Lili Wilken, Fr., G, Franklin, TN/Page (9.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 spg); #10 Faith Wilken, Jr., G, Nolensville, TN/Page (5.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg); #20 Mattie Buck, rFr., G, Crossville, TN/Stone Memorial (3.8 ppg); #23 Bayleigh Carmichael, Sr., G, Jonesborough, TN/Daniel Boone (8 ppg, 3.5 rpg); #24 Keeley Carter, Jr., G, Lafayette, TN/Macon County (17.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.8 spg)
Scouting the Opposition
Cedarville: The Yellow Jackets are a team in transition after graduating three starters, including first team All-G-MAC guard Emily Chapman, last year
Despite significant holes to fill, Cedarville also returns some key pieces, including starting guards Lydia Sweeney and Paige Garr, both of whom are averaging double-figures early in the season. The Yellow Jackets also get back two players who were slated to play a big role in 2021-22 but suffered season-ending injuries in Anne Wheeler and Makenna Fee, both of whom are in the starting lineup.
Although the Yellow Jackets are getting production from their returners, Cedarville needs more scoring, as its 68.2 points per game so far would be its worst mark since the 2016-17 season if it held up over an entire campaign. Two sophomores who are seeing their first season of significant playing time – guards Kat Weakley and Taylor Strock – have been productive so far and hold the potential of giving the Yellow Jackets an offensive boost as they continue to develop.
At 1-3, Cedarville is currently in the cellar of the G-MAC, but all three of its losses have come to quality teams – nationally-ranked Drury, undefeated Ferris State, and GLVC title contender Truman State – so don't expect the Yellow Jackets to stay there for long.
Cedarville is coached by Jason Smith, entering his second season after leading the Yellow Jackets to a 17-12 record and a G-MAC Tournament berth last year. Smith came to Cedarville off an impressive run at Bryan College in Tennessee, where he led the Lions to five Appalachian Athletic Conference titles and six appearances in the NAIA Division II National Tournament.
Trevecca: With a solid start under a new coach so far in 2022-23, the Trojans are aiming to climb out of the G-MAC basement and back to the conference tournament after a year's absence.
The Trojans can lead on a bona fide star in Keeley Carter, a junior guard who earned second team All-G-MAC honors last season and is averaging 17.5 points per game so far.
Bench depth has helped Trevecca surprise so far – 6-2 forward Emma Palmer doesn't start, but is averaging 10.7 points per game in just 17 minutes per outing in six contests so far, while freshmen guards Jayda Woods and Lili Wilken have impressed with solid scoring output in starter's minutes so far.
Key to Trevecca's hopes of building on its decent start and making a run in conference play is getting more out of the elder Wilken, Faith, who was a double-digit scorer two years ago. If the junior guard can get back to her high scoring ways, it would push the Trevecca offense to another level.
The new leader at Trevecca Nazarene is Karen Booker, an All-American at NCAA DI Vanderbilt in 1987 who played in the WNBA. As a coach, Booker has 15 years of experience at all levels of professional and collegiate basketball, including two seasons as head coach at NCAA DI Cal Poly and two seasons in charge at NCAA DIII Sewanee.
Scouting Hillsdale
The Chargers made huge strides in the 2021-22 season, improving by nine wins from the previous year and finishing just one win away from a winning season and a berth in the G-MAC Tournament.
With turnover at other programs across the G-MAC, the expectation is for the Chargers to push even higher this year, with an impressive amount of talent returning from last year's squad.
All five starters return from the 2021-22 team, including All-G-MAC players Grace Touchette and Sydney Mills, and G-MAC Freshman of the Year Peighton Nelson. Those three stars, along with defensive menace Arianna Sysum and versatile guard Dani Salenbien, give Hillsdale a great nucleus to build around.
While Nelson is the headliner, Hillsdale is expecting great things from all the members of this year's sophomore class. Second-year players Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain played well off the bench for the Chargers last year and should be ready for bigger roles this season, while Kendall McCormick could make an impact after a year of adjusting to the college game as well.
In the post, Hillsdale returns another solid reserve in senior Maverick Delp, and adds a potential game-changer in Western Michigan transfer Ashley Konkle. The 6-2 center got playing time for the Broncos and could make a huge impact for the Chargers in 2022-23 after sitting out last season while recovering from an injury.
Hillsdale is coached by Charlie Averkamp, who returns for his third season with the Chargers this year, along with second-year assistants Brianna Brennan and Brooke Bailey.
Other Notes
- The Chargers were picked to finish 6th in the 2022-23 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll in line with their 7th place finish in 2021-22. Defending champion Ashland was picked to repeat as title-winners, while Kentucky Wesleyan was picked second and Walsh third.
- Cedarville holds a 7-3 edge over Hillsdale in a series that began in 2017. The two teams split last year's meetings, with the Chargers winning 80-74 on the road, and Cedarville taking a 71-65 win at Hillsdale. The Chargers hold the edge in the series with Trevecca, 6-3, and are on a four-game winning streak against the Trojans, including 77-56 and 75-55 victories last season.
- A first-team All-G-MAC player last season, senior Grace Touchette is making her way onto several all-time lists in Hillsdale College women's basketball history. Touchette is now 10th in career points with 1,309, surpassing Nikki Wustman (2003-07) on Sunday, and needs just 17 points to move into ninth. At 303 career assists, Touchette is just one behind 10th place Kelly Spielhaupter (1995-99) and her career total of 304. Touchette is already sixth all-time at Hillsdale in career 3-pointers made with 182, and matching last season's numbers should move her into third all-time in that stat.
- Junior Sydney Mills is a repeat second-team All-G-MAC honoree, and has averaged a double-double in each of the past two seasons. She's picked up right where she left off last year with four double-doubles and five double-digit rebound games to start the 2022-23 season, including a 27 point, 15 rebound performance at Lake Superior State on Tuesday. Mills is currently sixth all-time in career rebounds with 754 and another season of eligibility after this one. A strong, healthy finish to Mills' career should see her become just the third player in program history with 1,000 rebounds in her career, and potentially threaten Sandy Skaisgir's career record of 1,146 rebounds.
- While many of Hillsdale's starters are upperclassmen, a quartet of impressive sophomores is already making a big impact for the Chargers and showcasing a bright future for the program. Peighton Nelson, the 2022 G-MAC Freshman of the Year, is the team's starting point guard and leads the squad in assists, while Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain are playing starter's minutes off the bench and averaging a combined 21.2 points per game between them through two contests. The fourth sophomore of the group, Kendall McCormick, is working her way into the lineup as well after spending her freshman season adjusting to the college game. All four players will be crucial to Hillsdale's success moving forward.
Photo by McKenna Eichholz