After winning 22 games and achieving a perfect 16–0 in the Empire 8, the women’s basketball team put the program back in the national spotlight this season.

Though the Bombers lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the athletes know that Ithaca College is back in contention with its toughest Division III opponents.

“We are heading in a really positive direction by putting Ithaca back on the map nationally,” sophomore Riley Dunn said.  “We are one of the top teams in the nation again.”

The Bombers saw that national respect by the NCAA selection committee after a tough loss in the Empire 8 tournament final. Despite the loss, the Blue and Gold were given home-court advantage in addition to an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.

They earned it. After a 3–3 start, the Bombers followed with a 17-game winning streak in the middle of their conference season, giving the team something to smile about.

“We played really well in conference,” sophomore Jessica Farley said. “One of the best records in a long time. We have to look at how we played before our two losses.”

Ithaca did all of that with more than half the team being made up of freshmen. That experience will help the Bombers stay successful next season.

“The fact that we could do so well as a pretty young team will work to our advantage,” junior forward Elissa Klie said. “Especially that we experienced both the Empire 8 and the NCAA tournaments. We know what it is like to lose in those games now, so we know what we need to do to make it possible to win next year.”

Two tight games in the Empire 8 tournament and the loss to DeSales University in the NCAA Championships will serve as motivation and as learning experiences for next year’s squad.

But every season comes with a downside as the team must graduate its senior class. This year, the Blue and Gold will lose two starters and their two leading scorers, Katherine Bixby and Lindsay Brown. This season, they averaged 15.2 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.

“Playing against Lindsay and Kat in practice all season was important,” Klie said. “They are two girls you play against and really get better. Although they won’t be here, they will have an influence on our team next year.”

The youth will benefit the most from that example and will be expected to fill those vacated starting positions. Klie said the young players have already fit in the program nicely and will get the chance to show that next year.

Highlighting the list of returners is Klie, who averaged 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season. Juniors Jane DeBiasse and Jordan Confessore both saw significant playing time this season as well and will be expected to step up in their senior season.

The impact left by the two seniors reached far beyond the hardwood, though, as Brown and Bixby helped make this season enjoyable for the entire team.

“We’ll follow their lead and try to keep a close-knit family like this year,” Dunn said. “We are all going to make sure we have fun again.”