THE FIRST TITLE 2003-04: Red Foxes Win First MAAC Regular-Season Title
To understand where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been.
In Brian Giorgis’ first season with the Red Foxes in 2002-03, Marist went 13-16. It was the program’s highest win total in seven years. It was also the last time the Red Foxes would finish under .500 for another 14 years. Although optimism was abundant within the program, it was not as apparent to the rest of the conference in the fall of 2003. Marist was picked to finish seventh in the MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Red Foxes’ roster featured a five-member senior class of Stephanie Del Preore, Maureen Magarity, Kerry Sullivan, Nina Vecchio, and Vicki Wancel, with Del Preore, Magarity, and Vecchio in the starting lineup. There were some bright spots early in the 2003-04 season. A 2-0 MAAC start brought optimism. There was a home win against Atlantic 10 foe St. Bonaventure. A 14-point road win at Tulane in its holiday tournament was impressive. The Red Foxes stood at 6-6 overall and 2-1 in the MAAC on the morning of Jan. 11, 2004. That afternoon, freshman point guard Alisa Kresge made her first career start in a home game against Rider. Kresge had two points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals, and no turnovers in the Red Foxes’ 21-point win. This game started a stretch in which Marist won 10 out of 13 and rose to the top of the MAAC standings. To this point, Marist had never finished in the top half of the MAAC standings in its five previous years in the conference. The Red Foxes sat in first place entering the final week of the regular season, but fell into a three-way tie for first with a home loss to Siena on Senior Night. Although the Red Foxes lost control of their own destiny for the #1 seed on the night of Feb. 26, a tangible goal remained in place heading into the regular-season finale.
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MARIST ATHLETICS
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