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Microgrants

[MICRO]GRANTS: Women's Basketball

The University of Scranton women’s basketball team is one of the most successful programs in all of NCAA Division III. Head coach Mike Strong entered the 2012-13 season with 770 victories, the most all-time in NCAA Division III. The Lady Royals have posted winning seasons in 37 of their 38 seasons, including a 31-1 mark and a national title in 1985.

Success on the court remains the hallmark of women’s basketball at Scranton. The program averages 23.1 victories per season and has 17 seasons of 25-or-more victories while making eight Final Four appearances. Eighteen different players have earned All-American honors, including Kelly Halpin (’00) and Taryn Mellody (’07), who were both three-time All-Americans.

The program’s success isn’t limited to on the court. Four Lady Royals earned Academic All-American honors, including Jennifer Nish (’97), who earned the honor three times. Mellody and Una Espenkotter (’87) are two of 15 University of Scranton student-athletes to earn prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.

Scranton annually plays some of the top NCAA Division III programs in the Northeast, including a highly competitive 14-game schedule in the Landmark Conference. The Lady Royals also take a semi-annual trip during the holidays to play competition from around the country, most recently traveling to Thousand Oaks, Calif. in December 2012.

Gifts help fund uniform purchases, travel and meal expenses, recruiting budgets, training upgrades and the semi-annual holiday trip, all while helping the Lady Royals remain one of the premiere teams in the country.

“As my past players will remember, I have always wanted to give my team a second pair of basketball shoes for later in the season for our conference championship and run in the NCAAs. That's still one of my dreams,” said Strong. “Secondly, we are at that stage where we need to replace our uniforms. We also need all the financial help that we can get for our ‘sunshine’ trip next year, which, as I'm sure you realize, is becoming more and more expensive. In any case, we really need your help. Please consider making a contribution.”

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