Nov. 18, 2004
By Dan Tomlin
Sports Editor

A different year, and a different strategy is what St. Ambrose University coach Ted Eskildsen brought to the 2004-2005 women’s basketball team.

After graduating Kellie Metz and Angie Shinstock, both of whom scored over 1,000 points in their career’s as Queen Bees, the Queen Bees would have to look to their outside game to make up for the loss of size underneath the basket.

Sophomore guard Jennifer Goetz is one of the players Eskildsen believes will elevate the women to a top tier team in the NAIA. In the summer Goetz played in a league with many of the top women in the Midwest.

“The ball has gotta go through Goetz,” Eskildsen said. “She is by far the smartest player I’ve ever coached, and the most fundamentally sound. She could play, and be good at any level.”
While Goetz is just a sophomore she has already assumed the role of team leader, and from her point of view she’s okay with that.

“I feel like a leader, I just need to step up my game,” Goetz said. “This year we’re more versatile and deeper. We can do a lot more things.”

Joining Goetz in the backcourt will be returning starter Cathy Mangun, another sophomore, and Jodi Wulff. Wulff returns to St. Ambrose after transferring to Southern Illinois following her freshman year. The return of Wulff strengthens a backcourt that was already deep in experience.

“ I thought when Jodi left she was one of the top five players in the conference,” Eskildsen said of his prodigal daughter. “She can do a lot of things most women can’t do on the basketball court.”

The lone seniors on the team are Kerri Alvine and Michelle Kurth. Kurth started off the season in remarkable fashion for the Queen Bees as she captured the first conference player of the week honors for the first week. During this time, Kurth helped lead the Queen Bees to a 3-0 record while scoring an average of 16.3 points a game and pulled down just under seven rebounds.

The Queen Bees traveled to Omaha, Neb. to put their undefeated record to the test, and fell for the first time to St. Mary’s College 72-61. Normally an 11-point loss would seem like a lot, but the Bees were trailing by 26 at halftime.

In the game Goetz recorded 18 points and parlayed her 12 rebounds into her third triple double in four games. Kurth was one rebound shy of a double-double while scoring 13 points.

As the season goes on and the conference season approaches on the horizon the Queen Bees are looking forward to a promising season.

“I think our chemistry is better this year because we have a common goal and we all have experience,” Goetz said. “Everyone’s goal is to win conference back-to-back.”
Before the conference season gets underway the Queen Bees have a tough road.

Along with three tournaments, the Queen Bees face tough opponents in University of Wisconsin- Plattville, Olivet Nazarene, and Augustana College.

The Bees will take on the Vikings of Augustana College on Nov. 30 in Rock Island, Ill.

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