The Lady Griffins continue to receive notoriety following their record setting season, as they were presented with the Young Christian Women Association’s (YWCA) Outstanding Sportswomen Team of the Year Award for Westmoreland County on March 31.
By Sean Maiolo
Business/Ad Manager
The Lady Griffins continue to receive notoriety following their record setting season, as they were presented with the Young Christian Women Association’s (YWCA) Outstanding Sportswomen Team of the Year Award for Westmoreland County on March 31.
The 16th annual awards ceremony, held this year at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Greensburg, celebrates the individual and team accomplishments of sportswomen throughout the county.
“The YWCA creates opportunities for women and girls to lead purposeful lives and strives for a community that values diversity,” said board of directors’ treasurer Nancy Anderson.
It was the first time the Lady Griffins received the prestigious honor. Previous winners from Seton Hill include the 1996 and 1997 volleyball teams, and the 2005 women’s tennis team.
Several members of the Lady Griffins were on hand to accept the award including head coach Ferne Labati and first team all-WVIAC performers Katie Lintner and Jordan Burkes. Because the awards were held just prior to Easter break, not everyone on the team could attend.
“It was the best season in the program’s history,” said Labati of their record-setting 2009-10 season. “There will be teams better than this one at Seton Hill, but this one this one will always be remembered as the first team, the team that made history as the first squad ever to achieve national prominence on the academic level and on the NCAA Tournament level.”
Their achievements both on and off the court made the Lady Griffins an easy choice for the YWCA’s panel of judges.
“The Lady Griffins were chosen because of their outstanding premiere season in the Division II classification and stellar history,” said Joelyn Aukerman, communications director and health & wellness coordinator for the YWCA.
“The greatest weight is always given to the area of sports achievement, [but] demonstrated leadership qualities and community service activities will also be considered.”
Most of the YWCA’s funding comes from private individual donors with the remaining 10 percent coming from corporate funding.
On the court, the Lady Griffins finished the regular season 22-7 and were good enough to garner an at-large bid in the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament as the fifth seed in the very tough Atlantic Region. They won their first round game, the first NCAA Tournament win for basketball in school history, before bowing out to host and top seeded Gannon in the second round.
The regular season featured a win on the road at then 10th ranked California (Pa.) in January and a record 13 game winning streak that pushed the Lady Griffins into a tie for the regular season WVIAC title. Lintner’s selection to the first team was her second, while Burkes made her first appearance amongst the conference’s best players.
Off the court, the Lady Griffins continued to achieve nationally in academics, with all five seniors on pace to graduate in May. The team also takes part in Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s “Pink Zone,” a global effort aimed at raising breast cancer awareness.
“The work ethic was unbelievable,” reflected Labati. “If you want to be good at something, you got to work at it every day and you got to put yourself in a position for success and I think that’s what the kids did.”