Season previews often speak of fresh starts and new beginnings to put the upcoming campaign in a positive light.  For the Fairfield University women's basketball program, the 2007-08 year will in fact be a new beginning, and provide a fresh start.

Joe Frager begins his tenure at the helm of the Stags, having been named the fifth head coach in the program's history in April.  Just the second head coach of the Stags at the Division I level, Frager brings with him a wealth of experience, including a Division II National Championship and a 9-3 record in NCAA Tournament play.

“Winning the National Title is what you work for,” said Frager. “This season we are looking to improve upon last year's record.  We would like to be playing our best basketball over the final third of the season.  Ultimately, we want to be a program that competes in the upper tier of the MAAC and competes for championships.”

With a new coaching staff in place, the Stags' 10 veterans will also have a clean sheet as the season begins.  Frager has back three seniors, four juniors and a trio of sophomores, as well as welcoming five freshmen to the fold.

“In the early part of the season we are going to rely on the veterans who have been through a collegiate season,” Frager said.  “As we progress through the season we will integrate in the players who are adjusting to the level of play, as well as our system, and use the mix to our advantage.”

Frager brings a style of play, on both ends of the floor, which has been successful for him at every stop on his coaching resume.  Defense is the key to the effort, and the Stags will concentrate on playing solid team man-to-man defense, on a nightly basis.  The Stags will be opportunistic on the offensive side of things, pushing the tempo when the opportunity arises.

“In our half court offense,” said Frager, “we want the players to know what their roles are.  It is imperative that we play to our strengths and away from our weaknesses.”

GUARDS
Frager has a proven backcourt to work with during his inaugural season, anchored by MAAC First Team selection Sabra Wrice.  Two other veterans will also play a key role in the backcourt as Meka Werts returns for her senior year and Megan Caskin, back for her third season.  Frager will also have two newcomers, Niya Santiago and Kelly Romano, in the mix.

Wrice (pictured right) has established herself as one of the premier players in the league, and will finish her career ranked among the all-time best scorers in program history.  The 21st player to score more than 1,000 career points as a Stag, she begins her senior campaign with 1,076, the 18th highest total in the program's history.  She went over the millennium mark in dramatic fashion, scoring a record 36 points in a home win over Siena.  Entering the season, she is the second active scoring leader in the conference, trailing only Laura Menty of Siena.

An all-around presence on the floor, Wrice has been among the team leaders in nearly every category during her career.  She dished out 61 assists as a junior, that, when combined with her point total, gave her a role in over 31 percent of the teams offense.  She has also become one of the top defensive players in the league, ranking among the top five in steals in each of the last two campaigns.  Wrice has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, hauling in 4.5 rebounds per contest a season ago.  

Werts (pictured below) enjoyed arguably the best season of her collegiate career as a junior, and will see time at both the point and two guard slots this season.  She scored 264 points, nearly doubling her offensive output from her first two seasons combined.  She twice put up 23 points on the year, a career-high, scoring in double-digits 11 times.  She led the team with 61 steals, while also dishing out 60 assists on the year.

Caskin enters the season with a full year as the Stags starting point guard under her belt, after taking over the role as a freshman in the MAAC Tournament.  She dished out 97 assists as a sophomore, and boasted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for the campaign.  Caskin tallied 88 points on the year, doubling her output as a rookie. She saw her free throw shooting improve down the stretch as well, finishing the year 14-14 at the stripe, after starting 12-24.

Santiago will give Frager a third option at the point during the campaign.  Her quick first step makes her dangerous in the open floor, and she should shine during up-tempo portions of the game.

Also in the mix is newcomer Kelly Romano who earned a spot on the team in September.  A team player, Romano brings a dose of energy to the program and she will challenge the veteran guards on a daily basis.

SMALL FORWARD
Junior Lauren Groom is the veteran of the trio of players that will compete for playing time at small forward.  Joining her will be a pair of newcomers, Aryiell Robinson and Joelle Nawrocki.

With the graduation of Cara Murphy, the Stags top downtown threat, Groom will be counted on to become the team's sharpshooter.  She shot 38.2 percent from the field, despite struggling in the final games of the year from the floor.  Groom stepped up her downtown effort, hitting 15-39, including hitting 4-8 in the final four games.  As a sophomore she scored 10 or more five times on the year.  She  finished the year averaging 4.6 points, in just 18 minutes a game.

Newcomer  Joelle Nawrocki is an athletic player who has the potential to become a contributor this season.  With an aggressive style of play, Frager expects her to use her leaping ability to help the Stags on the offensive boards.

Also in the mix will be newcomer Aryiell Robinson.  A physically strong player, Robinson is a dangerous, slashing offensive weapon.  A coachable player she will benefit from playing alongside the veteran players.   

POSTS
For Joe Frager power forwards and centers are interchangeable, giving him a versatile group to battle for time in the post.  It is a talented group of seven that will complete for the time up front, and includes six players who have seen collegiate playing time.

Stephanie Cziria  (pictured below) has played 75 games during her first three years and is the team's active leader with 42 blocked shots.  Entering the final campaign of her collegiate career, Cziria has proven to be a threat from the field, never shooting less than 37 percent from the floor in a season, including hitting 40.4 percent of her field goal attempts as a rookie.  She has scored 246 career points and has 168 career rebounds.

Baendu Lowenthal made an immediate impact for the Stags as a rookie two seasons ago and, simply put, built on that last season.  An All-MAAC Second Team selection a year ago she was among the league leaders in double-doubles, with six to her credit.  She was second on the team at 11.4 points per game, and averaged 6.1 boards as well.  An athletic player, she dished out 38 assists and recorded 33 steals to add to her presence on the floor.  Lowenthal has scored 579 points in her first 58 games, averaging 10.0 per game as she enters her junior season.

Shireyll Moore also returns for her third season with the Stags, and is primed to jump into a leading role.  A versatile, athletic player, Moore can play a variety of positions, but will see most of her time in the post.  She shot an impressive 41.5 percent from the floor as a sophomore, tallying 75 points.   

Sophomores Stephanie Geehan and Tara Flaherty saw significant time a year ago and adjusted well to the collegiate game.  A key to the Stags' success this year will be for the duo to continue that development and become impact players game-in and game-out.

Geehan was named to the All-MAAC Rookie Team after a season that saw her average 6.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, among the league leaders in the category.  Her rebounding average is tops among active MAAC players who have played in 18 or more games.  The rookie was also among the conference best in field goal percentage, hitting at a 43.6 percent clip.  A force on the defensive end as well, Geehan swatted 41 shots during her first season, the best single-season effort since 2002-03 by a Stag.

Flaherty started the Stags first 14 games and continued to play a strong role in the final 16 contests as a reserve.  She scored 106 points on the year, shooting an impressive 50.6 percent from the field.  She also pulled in 114 rebounds during the year and blocked 10 shots.

An additional option for Frager is sophomore Kendra Hussey, who saw action in four games during her rookie season.  She recorded a steal in her first collegiate action, a win over Harvard.  A presence on the floor, the Stags will look for Hussey to continue to improve and contribute more as her career goes on.

Freshman Mesha Joseph is very agile, with good hands, for a player with her size, and she will provide a match-up problem for opponents.  She begins at Fairfield with a strong work ethic and one of her greatest strengths is her solid footwork in the low post, and will compete for playing time this season.

SCHEDULE
Frager will face a challenging schedule during his first campaign at the helm of the Stags, with foes from the ACC, Big East, Atlantic-10 and Summit League dotting the non-conference slate.

“We have a nice balance in our schedule this year, with some very challenging opponents,” said Frager.  “While our goal is to be playing our best basketball the final third of the season, we obviously are looking to compete in these early season games and pick up as many victories as possible.”

The Stags will play a 29-game regular season schedule, with 18 games against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponents, in the traditional home-and-home format.  The Stags begin the season at Atlantic-10 member Richmond, before returning home for Frager's first home game, against Sacred Heart, at the Arena at Harbor Yard.  Fairfield will also play Boston College at the Arena, Dec. 11.

Thanksgiving Week will find the Stags at Harvard on Tuesday, and playing Cal-Poly and North Dakota State in the Cal-Poly Tournament that weekend.  The Stags return to the East Coast, traveling to Big East foe Villanova on Nov. 28.  Fairfield comes home again on Dec. 2, to host Maine, of the America East, before starting MAAC play at Saint Peter's on Dec. 7.  The Stags play their conference home opener against Marist at Alumni Hall on Dec. 9.

Fairfield finishes up the pre-Christmas schedule hosting St. Francis (NY) at Alumni Hall, and wrap-up the non-conference portion of the slate at the Fordham Tournament, Dec. 29-30.  The Stags open against Sun Belt Conference member Troy, and will meet either the host Rams, or Mount St. Mary's in the championship or consolation.

The 2008 MAAC Women's Basketball Championship will be held March 6-9 at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.  The top six teams in the regular season earn a bye into the quarterfinals, and the tournament champion earns the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.