Last season, the women’s basketball team was nothing short of spectacular.
For the last decade, they have been one of the conferences top contenders, with two consecutive conference titles in their last three seasons alone.
In the past 11 years, the team has had seven seasons where they have won 20 or more games; an average win percentage of 74 percent.
In the first round of the 2018-2019 NCAA National tournament, the team was defeated by Wisconsin Luthern, ending with an overall record of 23-5.
This season, the quest for national supremacy continues. On Friday, the team will travel to Charleston, ILL. for a preseason competition against Division I opponent Eastern Illinois (EIU).
The women’s schedule for the 2019-2020 season will be filled with tough competition, including three nationally ranked opponents.
The Titans, ranked No. 17 in the nation, outrank their conference opponents, No. 22 Washington University (St. Louis) and No. 21 Wheaton College.
In their third game this season, the team will play nationally ranked University of Chicago, a foe that handed them their third consecutive loss in their first three games of last season.
With over two decades of head coaching experience, Mia Smith has shown she is more than capable of leading her team to victory.
Her triumphs include 10 NCAA playoff appearances, one ending in a National Championship, and the other a third place finish.
In total, Smith has won 412 games in her career as head coach.
The team will heavily rely on a experienced upperclassmen talent.
Last season, junior Kendall Sosa was instrumental in the success of the Titans, the guard averaging 9.1 points per game, the second highest on her team.
Equally as impressive was the season performance from senior Sydney Shanks. Shanks, a forward, played in all 28 games.
In those games she averaged 11.8 points per-game and 4.0 rebounds, her efforts earning her CCIW all-star squad honors.