Albany, NY – The Sage Colleges' women's basketball team has selected the squad's captains for the upcoming season. Named tri-captains for the Gators this year are senior Chelsea Martin (Davenport, NY/Jefferson Central) and juniors Amie Jefferson (Albany, NY/Colonie Central) and Megan Bowman (Dannemora, NY/Saranac). The Gators open the season on November 16 and 17 competing at the Regis College Tip-off Tournament. Sage faces Regis College on November 16 at noon in the season opener. The Gators will host Southern Vermont College on Wednesday, November 20 at 7 p.m. in the Kahl Gym in the squad's home opener.
Head Coach Jackie Craft said of the selections, "I am excited about our leadership this year, the three of them bring unique leadership styles on and off the floor, but with one agenda and one goal." Craft added, "It is very evident in practice these three keep our players on track. These three could potentially lead us to our best year as we have more depth and talent than ever in the years I have been here at Sage."
A three-year letterwinner in basketball at Sage, Chelsea Martin has excelled as a student-athlete at Sage. She has also played soccer and lacrosse for the Gators, but will concentrate solely on basketball in this her final season at Sage. Last year, she was a 24-game starter and finished the season with 155 points and 109 rebounds, good enough for a 6.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg average. She shot an impressive 85.0% from the free throw line (17-20), while adding 24 three-points as a junior. She had a season-best 19 points against St. Joseph's College (LI), while adding a double-double in the same game with 12 rebounds. She was ranked No.3 in the Skyline Conference with her 31.2% 3-Point FG% (24-77).
As a sophomore, she averaged 6.4 ppg, while hauling down 6.4 rpg. She added 22 blocks and 23 treys on the year as well as starting every game. A three-year starter, she has started 72 consecutive games as Sage and now has 576 points, 427 rebounds, 51 blocks and 76 3-point baskets as a Gator. She was the high scorer three times last year, while leading the squad on the boards four times. Over the course of her career, she has been the high scorer now 15 times, while leading the Gators on the boards in 19 contests.
At Sage, she has been very busy as well and was the basketball team's 2010-2011 recipient of the Gator Award as the team's MVP. She is a Dean's List student and has achieved high honors. She is the president of Sage's SAAC group after serving two years as the vice president. She and is a business administration major at Sage and is a three-time Sage Scholar-Athlete Honoree as well as a Skyline Conference Scholar-Athlete selection.
Craft noted, "Chelsea has been in a leadership role for us since her junior year and she brings a ton of experience both in being a leader and time spent on the floor." She continued, "Chelsea was instrumental in getting our players ready for the start of our season as she put a lot of work both on and off the floor making sure that everyone remained on track. She is poised to lead our team through what we hope will be a memorable season."
As a Gator newcomer, Amie Jefferson certainly announced her presence on the Sage hardwood!
She vaulted to the top of the single-season block record book, while standing second on the career-list with her 52 blocks. She added a team-best 184 rebounds as well with a 4.6 ppg average in 24 games played with 14 starts.
She was named the recipient of Sage's Aggie Stillman Perseverance Award in 2012. The award is given to a person affiliated with Sage's Athletic program that best exemplifies those traits which made Aggie so special.
She capped her record-setting season at Sage with a pair of records for most blocks in a game and a season. Jefferson ranked 50th nationally in blocks per game with 2.17 effort after she recorded a school-record 52 blocks on the season. She also broke her own school record for most blocks in a game with 10 blocks, bettering her own record from earlier in the year with seven. The Gators combined for 13 blocked shots in a single-game, also bettering Sage's single-game record of 11, which had been done previously in 2003, twice.
She added a team-best 184 rebounds as well with a 4.6 ppg average in 24 games played with 14 starts. Twice on the season she also selected as the Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Rookie of the Week as well.
In her freshman season final game, she broke her own school record for most blocks in a game with 10 blocks, bettering her own record from earlier in the previous season with 7. The Gators combined for 13 blocked shots, also bettering Sage's single-game record of 11, which had been done previously in 2003, twice. She capped her rookie season with a personal-best 16 rebounds as well in the season finale.
As a sophomore, she broke the Gators career blocked shot record and continues to add to her active record with her 99 blocks. She started 22 of 23 games played last year, while averaging 6.3 ppg. She led the team with her 175 rebounds and a 7.3 rpg average, while adding a team-best 47 blocked shots.
She finished the season ranked No. 69 nationally in Division III with her 1.96 blocks per game average, while also ranking No. 9 in the Skyline Conference in rebounding and No. 2 in the league in blocked shots per game average.
Craft added of Jefferson, "This is Amie's second season in a leadership position and she continues to be that player that leads by example both on and off the floor." Craft continued, "She refuses to be out worked, which elevates everyone's efforts around her. Amie's athleticism and hard work, coupled with her determination, makes her an obvious choice among teammates to be elected into a leadership role."
As a rookie guard Megan Bowman averaged 7.7 ppg in 18 starts, but missed the last two weeks of the season with illness. She led the team with 80 assists and 38 steals and was cited three times as the Skyline Rookie of the Week. By season's end, she was named the team's Rookie of the Year.
As a sophomore, Bowman paced the team with her 9.7 ppg average and led the team in scoring with her 222 points. Named the Gator of the Year at year's end, she had a team-best 97 assists with 71 steals and averaged 29.9 minutes a game in 23 contests played with 22 starts. She continues her climb on the Gator record book as well as she ranks No. 8 in career assists (177), and could make a run at a shot in the Top 15 in career steals as she brings 109 into the 2013-14 campaign.
As a sophomore, she was the Gators' high scorer nine times and has been the high scorer 12 times during her career as well in 42 games played. She was ranked among the Skyline Conference leaders last year standing No. 2 in assists per game (4.22), No. 4 in steals (3.09 p/g), and No. 3 in assist to turnover ratio (0.97).
Craft stated, "Megan being elected to a leadership position is attributed to her hard work both on and off the floor." Craft continued, "Megan has emerged into one of our most vocal players, both in practice and in our scrimmages to date. Her maturity and composure are things we need in the point guard position. We are hopeful that this will be her best season yet."
