While fall term draws to a close, the women’s basketball team at Linn-Benton prepares to take the court.
Last year, the women’s basketball team finished with an overall record of 16-10 and a conference record of 8-8. Despite the winning season, the Roadrunners came up just short in their bid for a spot in the NWAC postseason tournament.
With a revamped roster that includes 12 first-year players and five returning sophomores, Linn-Benton looks to challenge for a playoff spot in the NWAC’s toughest division.
For the Roadrunners, earning a playoff spot won’t come easy. The South Region features both of last season’s NWAC championship finalists, Lane and Umpqua, as well as Clackamas and Portland squads that each went 21-7 last year. Linn-Benton will have their work cut out for them.
However, one of last season’s strengths was how well the Roadrunners played away from home. The team went a combined 9-5 in away matches and matches played at a neutral venue. A solid road record this season could provide Linn-Benton with a boost to their playoff aspirations.
During the offseason, Head Coach Leslie Reinecker and her staff worked hard to assemble a group of players that could handle the challenges of being in such a competitive division. The result was a roster of 17 players from across the entire state and even parts of Washington.
The team has a solid foundation to build off of for the next two years with their incoming first-year class. The new players to the team are guards Kylee Baumgartner, Ashlyn Flores, Brooklyn Garber, Lidia Jacobsen, Maya Wilson, Avonly Wolf, and Kaylie Woolley, forwards Rhian Hollister and Macy Wilson, and centers Addison Dunlap, Kaydence Hendrickson, and Isabella Loitz. Even though the team will have a lot of new faces to implement, Reinecker and her staff will be able to retain a high number of players for next season.
With a squad consisting primarily of freshmen, the team will expect their five returning sophomores to step up into leadership roles. The players returning for a second season are guards Hannah Berschauer, Avery Spikerman, and Katelynn Weaver, forward Natalia McBride, and center Molly Goeckner.
The players will also have an experienced mentor to look up to, with Reinecker taking charge of her second season as head coach of the Roadrunners. Reinecker served as an assistant coach for Linn-Benton for four years before being promoted to head coach in the summer of 2023. Reinecker is more than familiar with college basketball; she played at Southwestern University in Texas and has over 14 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level.
Reinecker has enjoyed meeting some of her new players during the offseason and is excited about what the season has in store.
“This is a great group of people,” Reinecker said. “They are so willing to help each other and come in with good attitudes. With such a new group, it’s been fun finding out how they each fit and what they bring to the team.”
Reinecker and her team have been hard at work in the months leading up to the start of the season. The team puts on occasional scrimmages and has started practicing regularly with the season approaching. During practice, Reinecker has emphasized the importance of efficiency, composure, and discipline.
While Reinecker hopes the Roadrunners can nail down these traits, she still looks forward to working with her team to solve potential problems whenever they arise.
“I’m most excited about working on things in practice with this group,” said Reinecker. “I enjoy building things and it’s always exciting to work on different pieces of the game with the players and then put it all together.”
The women’s basketball team began their season with a 3-2 record, with wins against Centralia and Pierce at the Lane Titan Classic and a dominant 70-45 win over Whatcom to close out the Roadrunner Classic on Nov. 23.
The Beaks get a bit of a break before their next stretch of games. Next up is a Dec. 6 matchup against Treasure Valley in Albany at 6 p.m.
