By GABRIELLA DELEO
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
[email protected]
The University of New Haven’s Women’s Basketball team advances to the Elite Eight after clinching the East Regional Championship with a win over the Stonehill Skyhawks on Mar. 16.
The next opponent for the Chargers is the Lancers of California Baptist University. The quarter final matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. eastern standard time on Tuesday, Mar. 24, and is to be played in the Sanford Pentagon.
In order to show the support for the Women’s Basketball team, UNH will host a viewing party in Bartels Dining Hall. Students are encouraged to attend and cheer on their fellow classmates and friends as they compete to advance to the Final Four.
Whether or not the Chargers come out on top in Tuesday night’s contest, they deserve to be recognized for their achievements this season. The large amount of success that the team achieved can be attributed to the collective efforts of the entire team; however, the five seniors are especially noteworthy.
These five players, Liz Cruso, Aquillin Hayes, Ashley Le Blanc, Bria Moore and Rykema Stone, have helped transform the women’s basketball program since the beginning of their careers as freshmen.
This team is responsible for gaining recognition for the program from not only the NE-10 Conference, but, as of recently, the entire Division II community.
Aside from the success the team reached as a whole, the individual contributions of senior Aquillin Hayes should not be overlooked. She has received several honors this year, including, but not limited to, Daktronics/Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-America Second Team, Daktronics East Region Player of the Year, and is one of four finalists for the 2015 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Player of the Year award.
Congratulations are in order for Hayes, as well as the rest of the members of the 2015 East Regional Championship team.
It is also important to mention the addition of Head Coach Ty Grace to the women’s basketball staff. This is Grace’s second season with the Chargers. An alum herself, Grace played on New Haven’s Women’s Basketball team, and was a decorated student athlete. During her career she recorded 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, making her one of two Chargers to ever do so. Grace was inducted into the New Haven Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. She has served as a beacon of hope for her players, as well as the New Haven Athletic community.
