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HUNTINGDON -- Juniata College is looking for light at the end of the tunnel as their girls basketball team is hunting its first winning season since 2017-18 when they went 23-6.
Juniata head coach Danny Young-Uhrich said that her squad has more depth to give their club a boost in 2023.
"We only had 11 on our roster last year. Adding eight new faces to our roster provides much needed depth, daily competition in practice and options for games. We also added much needed size," Young-Uhrich highlighted.
The Eagles coach noted that her sophomores will be key to elevating the up-and-coming program.
"Our sophomore class, Bri Bodtorf, Emily McCann, Emma Coolidge & Olivia Berg, is very solid. They stepped up as first years so my hope is they continue making an impact. Bri was a starter for us last year. She was the team's leading rebounder, led the team in assists and second leading scorer. Olivia will be sharing point guard responsibilities for us as she has some tremendous court vision with Emma and Emily providing lots of energy," Young-Uhrich said.
"We have two freshmen I'm hoping to step up this season. Center Laney Gerdich is a six foot, rebounding machine with Deja Gillo getting some reps as point guard. She is another with great court vision along with a very smooth shot."
Juniata has several leaders to rely on during the basketball season.
"Our team captains/leaders are our lone senior Kynnedy Miller, and juniors Sarah Betts & Haily Sherman. Kynnedy is our glue, Sarah is the keeper of team culture and Haily is a go-to player. As for underclassmen emerging as leaders, our sophomore crew is solid. They go to work daily. First-year player Laney Gerdich is another workhorse," Young-Uhrich explained.
After going 7-18 last year, Young-Uhrich believes her Eagles can take the next step and crack the Landmark's postseason tournament.
"We have everyone back, while adding eight solid first years, so of course we have high yet realistic expectations. The Landmark Conference is tough. With that said, I do think we should be a playoff contender this year," the Juniata coach said.
The Landmark Conference has tough competition once again this season and the Eagles will certainly look towards overcoming those tests.
"The top teams in the conference are Scranton and Etown (Elizabethtown). They are preseason ranked No. 6 and No. 18 in DIII. Behind them we have Catholic, Susquehanna, Moravian and Drew. The Landmark is loaded as usual," Young-Uhrich uttered.
Juniata will look to keep gaining experience with their abundance of depth on the roster.
"Strengths: we have depth in all positions, which is nice for a change. From positions one through five we can go three to four deep. We also have some size... three centers. Weaknesses: we're still fairly young," Young-Uhrich said.
Juniata had the right pep in their step during offseason practices, which stood out to Young-Uhrich.
"Our energy. We're ready to turn the corner. There is a ton of motivation and excitement. It's fun and refreshing," Juniata's coach added. Young-Uhrich is in her 21st season as the Eagles head coach.
Juniata is 1-2 so far in 2023. The Eagles beat Lancaster Bible and lost to Grove City and York. Next, the Eagles play Lynchburg at 4 p.m. on Saturday in the Washington and Lee Invitational (at Washington and Lee University).