The Tiffin University Women’s Basketball team enters their first season of exclusive NCAA Division II membership with a new head coach and a new attitude. Head Coach Pam Oswald takes over the reigns for the Lady Dragons and brings along her successful Division II experience from Wheeling Jesuit, where she served as an assistant coach for the past three seasons. "It is an exciting time to be at Tiffin University," said Coach Oswald, "and I want to help take this program to the next level."

The Lady Dragons are coming off a 14-15 season that saw the team reach the AMC Semifinals before falling to conference runner-up Geneva. The Dragons have narrowly missed the .500 mark the past two seasons, combining over that stretch for a 27-30 record. This season will be the first season of full-fledged NCAA Division II membership for the program, and the team will compete as an independent before entering the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the 2008-09 season.

A solid returning group of players will make the transition for the program to Division II easier. Junior point guard Kylene Spiegel was the team’s leading scorer (12.1 ppg), in addition to leading the way in assists (4.7 apg) and steals (1.9). Fellow junior Leanne Lucius will join Spiegel for her third year as a Dragon starter after both earned All-ICAA selections last season. Lucius finished second on the team with 11.4 points and led the team with 7.0 rebounds per game. Junior Fallon Sanborn (6.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg) will also start for the Dragons, with sophomore Emily Woodruff playing a key role off the bench (1.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg). Junior transfer Megan Fletcher (Florence, KY) will join Spiegel in the starting backcourt after transferring from Kentucky Wesleyan where she led the team with 13.4 ppg. Freshman Lindsey McCabe (Cincinnati, OH) will work the paint with Woodruff after completing a solid high school career at Archbishop McNicholas.

The Lady Dragon bench will be combination of experience and youth, with junior guard Megan Jesulaitis (5.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg) leading the charge. Jesulaitis and Fallon Sanborn combined for 65 of the team’s three-point field goals last season, finishing second and third, respectively, behind Spiegel. Sophomore Alexis Karel will help control the paint for Tiffin after finishing third on the team last year with 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Newcomers Elyse Schlump (6-1, FR, C), Melissa Tejkl (6-1, FR, C), and Jackie Allen (6-0, FR, F) will be competing for time at the post positions and providing the team with quality size off the bench. Freshman Holly Focke (Cincinnati, OH) will provide the team with additional depth at the guard positions, while Mallory Yajko (Calcutta, OH) will look for playing time at the forward position.

Coach Oswald looks for her young team to mesh well early to compete against a GLIAC-heavy schedule. "We need to work hard night in and night out with an all-out team effort to be successful," said Oswald. "We’ve preached a team focus in practice and getting everyone on the same page for the beginning of our season."