A PROGRAM FIRST 2006-2007: Red Foxes Earn First NCAA Tournament Win By the time the Marist women’s basketball team reached the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Brian Giorgis’ first recruiting class was only a couple months away from graduation. Alisa Kresge, Shannon Minter, Kristin Hein, and Mary Alice Duff were freshmen in the 2003-04 season, when the “Why Not Us?” Red Foxes won their first MAAC championship. “Why Not Us?” was about to be taken to a whole new level. Expectations are a byproduct of success. The 2007 MAAC championship was Marist’s third in four years. The Red Foxes were no longer just happy to be in the NCAA Tournament. They wanted more and were in search of a signature victory against a power conference foe. There had been several good moments in recent years, just not wins. Marist had a season-low seven turnovers in a home game against Auburn in 2003. The Red Foxes threw a late scare into Oklahoma in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Marist led Georgia late in the first half at the McCann Center in 2004. The Red Foxes trailed by just one early in the second half at UConn in the 2005-06 season opener. A home-and-home with Villanova produced a four-point home loss and overtime road loss. Anticipation was abundant as the Red Foxes gathered at Shadows on the Hudson in Poughkeepsie for their NCAA selection show party on March 12, 2007. They were excited by the results of the evening for a few reasons: • Seed: At #13, it topped the #14 of the Red Foxes’ two prior NCAA appearances. • Draw: Fourth-seeded Ohio State brought smiles to the faces of Ohio natives Rachele Fitz, Lynzee Johnson, Courtney Kolesar, and Sarah Smrdel. The Red Foxes were in the Dayton Regional, so if they could reach the Sweet Sixteen, party at Lynzee’s! • Location: Stanford. This program always appreciated a plane ride and warm-weather site in March. The Buckeyes were ranked #5 in the Associated Press poll, and #7 in the USA Today/ Coaches’ Poll, and featured 6-foot-5 Jessica Davenport, the three-time Big 10 Player
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MARIST ATHLETICS
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