For the Hillsdale College women's basketball team, the 2023-24 season was a story of resiliency and continuous growth, one that sets up the Chargers well for the future.
Hillsdale came off the 2022-23 campaign with high hopes for the next season, but almost immediately were forced to deal with a series of challenges. A coaching change led to a new face at the top of the program in first-time head coach Brianna Brennan, and on top of graduating two starters from 2022-23, including one of the top scorers in program history in Grace Touchette, Hillsdale also entered the 2023-24 campaign missing two more starters from the previous year due to injuries and other factors.
As the season got underway, Brennan and the Chargers also were forced to battle the injury bug throughout, with both star forward Sydney Mills and wing Dani Hohlbein missing games, and with the team rarely being able to settle on a consistent starting lineup as multiple players worked to get back to health after injuries and illnesses.
Despite those challenges that could have derailed a promising season, the 2023-24 campaign was a triumphant one for the Chargers. After a slow start that saw the Chargers sitting at 6-8 at the midway point of the season, Hillsdale closed the regular season on an 11-3 tear that saw them play their way off the bubble of the G-MAC Tournament and secure the team's best conference finish since the program's last conference title in 2008-09. A home sweep of the final weekend of the season with dominant wins over Findlay and Lake Erie secured a 13-7 conference record and a tie for fourth place in the league. Along the way, the Chargers snapped two lengthy losing streaks to G-MAC foes, ending a nine-game skid against Walsh with a 51-49 win on the road in February and stopping Kentucky Wesleyan's 10-game winning streak with a 73-68 home victory in January. It was the first time Hillsdale had beaten either program since the Chargers' first season in the G-MAC in 2017-18.
During Hillsdale's strong close to the season, Hillsdale developed a knack for clutch play. Junior guard Lauren McDonald had not one but two critical shots in the final seconds of games, hitting a jumper with no time left on the clock to force overtime in a 71-61 win over Malone on January 17, and also hitting the game winner in OT in a 64-63 win at Ohio Dominican on Feb. 22. Mills also had a heroic moment with a game-winning layup as time expired against Walsh on Feb. 8 to help end the Chargers' losing streak to the Cavaliers.
Strong individual performances helped the Chargers to an impressive season. Mills wrapped up a storied five-year career at Hillsdale with first team All-G-MAC honors, her fourth-straight All-G-MAC nod. The senior from DeWitt, Michigan became the Chargers' all-time leading rebounder in program history on Feb. 24 at Findlay and finishes her career not only with the rebounding record (1,181) but also eighth all-time in career points (1,440), sixth in blocked shots (83), 10th in field goals made (501), and seventh in 3-pointers made (182). McDonald also had a breakout year in her first full season with the program, earning second-team All-G-MAC honors while leading the Chargers in scoring and assists. The Chargers also got important contributions from veterans Caitlin Splain, who posted another top 10 season in 3-pointers made in program history, and Kendall McCormick, who finished top five in the G-MAC in steals as well, while new faces to the rotation, including Annalise Pietrzyk, Sydney Pnacek and Savannah Smith, also made their marks.
Perhaps most important to the team's 2023-24 success was a massive collective improvement defensively, orchestrated by Brennan in her first season leading the program. The 61.9 points per game conceded by the Chargers to opponents in 2023-24 is the lowest mark in 16 seasons, surpassed only by the 59.1 points the Chargers gave up in 2007-08. That stingy defense was key to Hillsdale's late-season push as the Chargers' offense picked up steam.
Hillsdale's season came to an end in the first round of the G-MAC Tournament in a road loss to Thomas More, but the future looks bright for the Chargers program. Although Hillsdale loses Mills, Hohlbein and Olivia Patch to graduation, five players with 10 or more games of starting experience are slated to return for the Chargers in 2024-25, along with the addition of a strong freshman class.
Photo by Reva Ludwig