2022 updated women's hoops roster photo

Women's Basketball Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Wright to Rely on Experienced Squad as 2022-23 Campaign Tips Off

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon women's basketball team opens the 2022-23 campaign on Saturday, November 12 hosting the Atlantic Region Challenge. The Golden Knights host Notre Dame (Ohio) at the Highmark Events Center on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., then follow that with a game against Salem on Sunday tipping off at 5:00 p.m.
 
Head coach Cleve Wright guides a veteran team that has enjoyed plenty of success and looks to make another run at the PSAC championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
 
"We are excited for the season to start and have the opportunity to compete against our opponents," related Wright. "The Atlantic Region Challenge gives us games against quality opponents in Notre Dame College and Salem University. Our players have worked hard in the preseason in preparation and now it is time to take the next step and see where we are in our process."
 
The Golden Knights start the season with a four-game homestand before finally heading out on the road for a pair of games in Puerto Rico over Thanksgiving. Notre Dame (Ohio) comes off a 15-14 finish a year ago and was picked to finish seventh in the Mountain East Conference preseason poll. Salem was 6-13 last season and looks to turn things around behind a new coach.
 
Gannon was 24-7 a year ago and returns four starters and several other key performers from that edition. Sydney Mitchell and Tori Obenrader, who combined for 2,125 points and 1,095 rebounds in their careers, will be difficult to replace. But the Golden Knights welcome back Boston McKinney (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley), who missed the final 21 games with an injury, in addition to adding Holy Cross transfer Madison Demski (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria) and freshman guard Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster).
 
They join a core led by Sam Pirosko, who earned honorable mention WBCA All-American accolades, along with PSAC MVP Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda). Pirosko, a 5'10" senior, led Gannon in scoring (16.2 ppg.) and rebounding (6.4 rpg.) despite missing several games with injuries. Wright is a multi-talented player who combines great defensive play with a strong all-around offensive game. A 5'11" graduate student, Wright averaged 11.2 ppg. and 4.8 rpg. while leading the team with 48 3-pointers. She is the daughter of head coach Cleve Wright.
 
Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) and Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) were the only players to start all 31 games and provide the Golden Knights with more experience in the frontcourt and backcourt, respectively.  
 
Gannon made it back-to-back PSAC championships last year with a 59-47 win over California (Pa.) in the title. The Golden Knights now look to become the first team to win three straight conference crowns since Indiana (Pa.) from 2007-09. The Golden Knights were picked second in the PSAC West in the recent PSAC Coaches Preseason Poll. Cal is the preseason favorite.

Head Coach:
Success and Cleve Wright go hand-in-hand. The veteran coach is in his 15th season as Gannon's head coach and his 19th overall. He has a 330-201 career record and is 295-114 at Gannon. Wright is actually in his second stint at Gannon. He served as head coach from 2002 to 2013, then returned to Gannon in 2019 after four years as head coach at Miami (Ohio) and two seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois. It's like he never left, as the success just continues. The Golden Knights have won back-to-back PSAC Championships. A year ago Gannon was 24-7, finishing second in the PSAC West then handing Western Division champion a 59-47 defeat in the PSAC Championship Game. The Golden Knights made their seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Wright, suffering a 93-89 loss to Shepherd in the Atlantic Region quarterfinals. Wright led Gannon to a 37-1 record in 2009-10, reaching NCAA semifinals. His 2012-13 edition was 31-5 and made the Elite Eight. All told Gannon has had seven 20-win seasons with Wright at the helm.




Breaking Down the Golden Knights:
Frontcourt – Sam Pirosko and Delaney Dogan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) return to lead the frontcourt, and Wright can call on McKel Nation (Lebanon, Ohio/Springboro) and Madison Demski (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria) for depth. Pirosko earned honorable mention WBCA All-American accolades and was a first-team All-PSAC West selection. A 5'10" fifth-year senior, she led Gannon in scoring (16.2 ppg.) and rebounding (6.4 rpg.) despite missing several games with injuries. She led the conference and ranked 13th in Division II in free throw percentage at 87.7 pct. (93-of-106) and shot 53.4 percent from the floor, good for fourth in the PSAC. Pirosko has 848 career points. Dogan is a 6'0" graduate student who was one of two players to start all 31 games. She averaged 8.1 ppg. and 6.1 rpg. while shooting 51.9 pct. from the floor and leading the team with 25 blocks. Nation is 6'2" junior who averaged 3.1 ppg. and 2.0 rpg. Demski is also 6'2" and joins the Golden Knights as a graduate student after playing at Division I Holy Cross. She averaged 5.5 ppg. last year for the Crusaders. Freshman Andrea Maibach (Creston, Ohio/Norwayne) (6'2") adds even more depth up front.

Backcourt – Emma Wright (Fairview, Pa./Talawanda) and Emily Poling (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance) return to lead the backcourt, and the unit could receive a real boost if Boston McKinney (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) and Maddy Wheatley (Canberra, Australia/UCSSC Lake Ginninderra) are healthy and freshman Bri Claxon (South Webster, Ohio/South Webster) is as good as Wright believes she can be. Wright does a lot of everything well. The 5'11" guard was named the MVP of the PSAC Tournament and was also the PSAC Champion Scholar. She was second on the team in scoring at 11.2 ppg., adding 4.8 rpg. Wright led Gannon with 48 3-pointers in 133 attempts, adding 71 assists, 31 steals and 23 blocked shots. Poling, a 5'9" redshirt senior, was forced to move from the wing to point guard when McKinney went down. The only other player to start all 31 games along with Dogan, Poling averaged 6.5 ppg. with 31 3-pointers and led Gannon with 105 assists and 57 steals. McKinney played 10 games before sitting out the rest of the year. The 5'4" graduate student averaged 5.4 ppg. and 3.6 apg. Consider that in 2019-20, the last time she was fully healthy, she averaged 6.0 ppg. with 138 assists. Wheatley provides Gannon with more size (5'11") and shooting at guard. The junior missed the 2021-22 season due to an injury. Senior Faith Williams (Grafton, Ohio/Elyria Catholic) is the top reserve at point guard with seniors Ali Benim (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) and Margo Loutzenhiser (Russell, Pa./Warren Area) providing more depth on the wing. Then there's Claxon who was a three-time All-Ohio selection at South Webster High School, averaging 26.6 ppg. as a senior.
 
Scouting the Atlantic Region Challenge:
Notre Dame (Ohio) finished with a 15-14 record in 2021-22 and was the number five seed in the Mountain East Conference Tournament after finishing with a 13-9 league record. The Falcons defeated No. 4 Concord in the MEC Quarterfinals to reach the MEC Tournament Semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years. The Falcons would suffer an 85-69 loss to eventual national champion Glenville State. They were recently picked to finish seventh in the MEC Preseason Poll. Imani Gordon begins her second season at the helm of the NDC women's basketball program. NDC returns leading scorer Alana Ellis, a 5'11" redshirt sophomore guard, Ellis started all 29 games, averaging 14.9 ppg. to rank 10th in the MEC. She was an honorable mention All-MEC selection. Sophomore Lilee Carlson, a 5'9" guard, added 11.0 ppg. while leading the team with 74 assists and 37 steals. Notre Dame plays at Edinboro on Friday before facing the Golden Knights.  Salem opens its season on Saturday night at Edinboro before playing at Gannon on Sunday. The Tigers are an independent and finished with a 6-13 record a year ago. Jessica Peatross was named head coach at Salem on May 24, 2022 after spending the last three years at Delta College. Salem returns two players from last year's squad, but they are the top two scorers on the team. Daniela Quesada averaged a team-leading 14.6 ppg. while Nerea Arambarri Fernandez added 12.2 ppg. and 4.8 rpg., both second on the team. She made 31-of-1-1 3-pointers.

Season & Home Opener:
Saturday, November 12: vs. Notre Dame (Ohio), 7:30 p.m.
 
Preseason Polls:
Gannon is second in the PSAC West Coaches Preseason Poll
The Golden Knights are among others receiving votes in the WBCA Division II Top 25 and the D2SIDA Division II Poll
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Ali Benim

#10 Ali Benim

G
5' 8"
Senior
Delaney Dogan

#54 Delaney Dogan

F
6' 0"
Graduate Student
Margo Loutzenhiser

#5 Margo Loutzenhiser

G
5' 8"
Senior
Boston McKinney

#15 Boston McKinney

PG
5' 4"
Graduate Student
McKel Nation

#50 McKel Nation

F
6' 2"
Junior
Emily Poling

#20 Emily Poling

G
5' 9"
Fifth Year
Maddy Wheatley

#4 Maddy Wheatley

G
5' 11"
Junior
Undeclared
Faith Williams

#3 Faith Williams

PG
5' 6"
Senior
Emma Wright

#13 Emma Wright

G
5' 11"
Graduate Student
Bri Claxon

#12 Bri Claxon

G
5' 7"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ali Benim

#10 Ali Benim

5' 8"
Senior
G
Delaney Dogan

#54 Delaney Dogan

6' 0"
Graduate Student
F
Margo Loutzenhiser

#5 Margo Loutzenhiser

5' 8"
Senior
G
Boston McKinney

#15 Boston McKinney

5' 4"
Graduate Student
PG
McKel Nation

#50 McKel Nation

6' 2"
Junior
F
Emily Poling

#20 Emily Poling

5' 9"
Fifth Year
G
Maddy Wheatley

#4 Maddy Wheatley

5' 11"
Junior
Undeclared
G
Faith Williams

#3 Faith Williams

5' 6"
Senior
PG
Emma Wright

#13 Emma Wright

5' 11"
Graduate Student
G
Bri Claxon

#12 Bri Claxon

5' 7"
Freshman
G