FIGHTING TIGER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL RANKED 9TH IN NJCAA POLL

The SUNY Cobleskill women’s basketball program will open the 2006 portion of their season sporting the program’s first national ranking since the 1997 season as the Fighting Tigers are currently ranked in the ninth position in the latest NJCAA Division III National Poll with a 12-1 overall record on the season to date. It is the program’s first appearance in the association’s national rankings under current Fighting Tiger Head Coach Josh Suttles under whose direction the program has amassed a 47-20 overall record.

“Obviously we are excited about this from a recruiting standpoint and from the perspective of how we’ve grown as a program over the last three years but we have to be realistic and understand that this could all end with one poor game,” said coach Suttles. “The ultimate goal is to be number one at the end of the season when it really counts and not let this go to our heads. But we are very proud of this ranking given where we’ve come from to where we are at this point today.”

Leading the way for Cobleskill is NJCAA senior All-American forward Dee Dee Smith, Monticello, NY, Redemption Christian Academy, who averages 15.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 1.6 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per contest and senior center Crystal Ferrer, Bronx, NY, Redemption Christian Academy, who is averaging 9.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots per game. The Fighting Tigers have also received solid contributions from the freshman trio of guard Erinn O’Rourke, South Glens Falls, NY, South Glens Falls High School, with 6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.8 steals per contest, forward Kim McMillen, Greenville, NY, Greenville High School, 6.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game and guard/forward Kim Stahl, Scotia, NY, Scotia-Glenville High School, who averages 4.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.

The Fighting Tigers will open the second semester on Monday January 16th when they travel to Utica, NY to meet the nation’s number three ranked team the Hawks of Mohawk Valley Community College with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 PM. The Hawks enter the contest with a perfect 14-0 record on the season.

NJCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL POLL AS OF 1/11/06