Franklin Pierce Set 
for NCAA Tournament Run
Ravens picked fifth
in NE-10 preseason coaches’ poll 

The Franklin Pierce University women's basketball team, picked fifth in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason coaches’ poll, and Head Coach Mark Swasey (sixth season) returns nine letter winners and three starters from last year’s squad which posted a 17-11 record overall and finished eighth in the NE-10 with a 13-9 mark. The Ravens 17 wins were the most by the program since an NCAA Tournament campaign in 1998-99.

           The NCAA Tournament is exactly where Franklin Pierce would like to be come March and the goal is a realistic one. Sophomore Johannah Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy), the first All-American in program history, returns after a record-breaking rookie campaign in which she broke no less than 19 program records. She led the NE-10 scoring, averaging 23.1 points (3^rd in Division II), to go with a Conference-best 4.0 steals (3^rd nationally), 7.9 rebounds (5^th NE-10), 3.3 assists (13^th) and 1.0 blocks (6^th) per game. She ranks sixth in the NE-10 in three-point field goal percentage (.390) and free-throw percentage (.813) and eighth in field goal percentage (.490). In 20 NE-10 games played, Leedham averaged 23.6 points (1^st), 7.9 rebounds (5^th), 3.5 assists (12^th), 3.9 steals (1^st) and 1.1 blocks (5^th).           

Leedham scored 20-plus points in all but nine games played last winter, reaching 30 points seven times, and recording ten double-doubles. She led the Ravens in scoring in 19 of their 28 games and rebounding 18 times. She earned Daktronics third team All-American and Kodak/WBCA All-District honors, also collecting Daktronics All-Northeast Region first team, Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Year, first team All-Conference and NE-10 All-Rookie team honors.

           Leedham shined for Great Britain this summer at the FIBA U-20 European Championship, leading her country to a bronze medal. Leedham led GBR in most statistical categories, averaging 22.1 points (3^rd overall among Championship leaders), 8.6 rebounds (6^th), 3.0 assists (6^th) and 2.9 steals (4^th) per contest. She is shot 48.7-percent (56-of-115) from the field (5^th), including 14-for-30 (46.7%) from three-point range (2^nd). Leedham scored 20-plus points in all but two contests, posting a pair of double-doubles.

           Her sister, junior Jennifer Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Academy) also returns for Franklin Pierce and is one of two returnees to start all 28 games last winter. She averaged 12.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.6 steals in 32.8 minutes per game. Joining Leedham as captain this season is senior Josie Lidke (Chaska, Minn./Chaska), who also started all 28 games last winter. She averaged 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 24.7 minutes per game.           

Rounding out the projected starting five for Franklin Pierce are junior point guard Toby Martin (Wayne, Maine/Maranacook) and sophomore Jess McPherson (Croydon, Australia). Martin averaged 3.7 points to go with 36 rebounds, 15 assists and 24 steals in 12.9 minutes per game last year, while McPherson joined the team in midseason and averaged 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game over 13 contests.

           Junior Vanessa Power (Mildura, Australia) returns to provide a spark off the bench after averaging 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and shooting 33.1-percent (45-136) from three-point range and converting 84% (21-25) of her free-throw attempts in 15.9 minutes per game over 28 games (three starts). Also returning are senior forward Angelica Benjamin (Fremont, Calif./James Logan), junior guard Melissa Kapela (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) and sophomore Rachel Kimball (Schenectady, N.Y./Monohasen).          

Key additions to this year’s roster are sophomore Alexis Auffray (Cornwall, N.Y./Cornwall Central), a transfer from Clemson University, and freshman Tori Ahrens (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich), both are expected to be impact players for the Ravens, but will come off the bench in the early going. Auffray averaged five minutes in 12 games off the bench at Clemson last year after a standout high school career. Ahrens was three-time All-State performer at East Greenwich reaching the State Championship game as sophomore.

           Freshmen Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, R.I./LaSalle Academy), an All-State guard in high school, and Ashley Robinson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Nova), an honorable mention All-State selection, will also compete for minutes in their first collegiate seasons.

           Franklin Pierce opens Saturday against Mercy College at 5 p.m., before rounding out the weekend against Saint Thomas Aquinas on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Ravens open their home and NE-10 schedule on Tuesday, November 20, against Assumption College, in a rematch of their NE-10 Tournament first round match up, at 5:30 p.m.

           All of Franklin Pierce’s home and Conference road games are available on a pay-per-view basis via www.ne10.tv – including this weekend’s games at Saint Michael’s. Games are also broadcast by WFPU-LP 105.3 FM with the audio simulcast free of charge via the athletics website at www.franklinpierce.edu/athletics.