L-R: Lillian McCabe, Hannah Early, Shannon Eriksson and Melissa Giegerich
Women's Basketball Class of 2015 Has Strong Senior Prep Seasons
5/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Gavin McFarlin -- Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Class of 2015 for the Davidson women's basketball program wrapped up successful senior prep careers as Shannon Eriksson, Hannah Early, Melissa Giegerich, Lillian McCabe and Mason Jeffries all finished their final senior years this past winter and will gear up for their first season with the Wildcats during the 2011-12 season.
Eriksson, a 5-foot-7 guard from Fairfax, Va., wrapped up her senior campaign by being named district player of the year and was a nominee for McDonald's All-American. She was on the district all-defensive team and a first-team all-region pick. The guard averaged 17 points in her final prep season and was the number one selection for the NVWBCA senior all-star game from the liberty district. Academically, Eriksson was in National Honor Society and according to US News and World Report, her high school, Thomas Jefferson Science Tech, was ranked No. 1 in the country. She also received an award for AP Scholar with Distinction.
Just down the road from Davidson, Early had an outstanding senior prep season. After leading the Hopewell volleyball team to a 27-4 record and earning 2010 I-MECK 4A Conference Player of the Year, Early was just as dominate in basketball. She led Hopewell to a second straight conference title and was named the I-MECK Player of the Year. She also earned a spot on the I-MECK 4A all-conference first team.
Early, who also was named to the All-Charlotte Observer First Team, averaged 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest in 2010-11. She led Hopewell to a North Carolina 4A Western Regional appearance this season.
McCabe, a Rye, N.Y. native, finished her prep career with over 1,000 points – the fourth time in school history a player eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier. She led Rye High to the sectional semifinals and a 17-4 overall record. She was nominated for the McDonald's All-American Team, while receiving all-sectional, league MVP and all-state honors. McCabe, who is the first female athlete at Rye to earn a full scholarship for basketball, was also on the all-academic team for the section. During her senior prep season, the Journal News named McCabe Con Edison Athlete of the Week.
The Wildcats final signed incoming freshman, Giegerich, had a solid finish to her career at Tabor Academy in Massachusetts. The 6-foot-5 center finished with averages of 10.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest. She was a force in the paint on defense, blocking five shots a game and coming up with close to three steals a contest. In addition to those numbers, Giegerich set a single-season record for blocks with 112 in her senior prep campaign.
Upon Giegerich's arrive at Tabor Academy, the Wildcat recruit led her team to back-to-back Class A New England Prep School Athetic Conference Championships.
Jeffries, who is walking on at Davidson after turning down both Division I and II scholarships, was a three-year starter for Myers Park in Charlotte, N.C. She averaged 10 points during her final prep season and led the team in made three-pointers as she was an all-conference pick.
Davidson finished the 2010-11 season 14-17 overall and 8-12 in the Southern Conference under first-year head coach Michele Savage. The 'Cats scored their first league tournament win since 2007 when they defeated College of Charleston in the first round. Savage also nearly led them to an upset of No. 1-seeded Appalachian State in the quarterfinals, before falling 73-63.
In addition to the four incoming freshmen, Davidson welcomes back eight letterwinners, including its top two-scorers in All-SoCon First Team member Sophia Aleksandravicius and SoCon Freshman of the Year Laura Murray.
Eriksson, a 5-foot-7 guard from Fairfax, Va., wrapped up her senior campaign by being named district player of the year and was a nominee for McDonald's All-American. She was on the district all-defensive team and a first-team all-region pick. The guard averaged 17 points in her final prep season and was the number one selection for the NVWBCA senior all-star game from the liberty district. Academically, Eriksson was in National Honor Society and according to US News and World Report, her high school, Thomas Jefferson Science Tech, was ranked No. 1 in the country. She also received an award for AP Scholar with Distinction.
Just down the road from Davidson, Early had an outstanding senior prep season. After leading the Hopewell volleyball team to a 27-4 record and earning 2010 I-MECK 4A Conference Player of the Year, Early was just as dominate in basketball. She led Hopewell to a second straight conference title and was named the I-MECK Player of the Year. She also earned a spot on the I-MECK 4A all-conference first team.
Early, who also was named to the All-Charlotte Observer First Team, averaged 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest in 2010-11. She led Hopewell to a North Carolina 4A Western Regional appearance this season.
McCabe, a Rye, N.Y. native, finished her prep career with over 1,000 points – the fourth time in school history a player eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier. She led Rye High to the sectional semifinals and a 17-4 overall record. She was nominated for the McDonald's All-American Team, while receiving all-sectional, league MVP and all-state honors. McCabe, who is the first female athlete at Rye to earn a full scholarship for basketball, was also on the all-academic team for the section. During her senior prep season, the Journal News named McCabe Con Edison Athlete of the Week.
The Wildcats final signed incoming freshman, Giegerich, had a solid finish to her career at Tabor Academy in Massachusetts. The 6-foot-5 center finished with averages of 10.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest. She was a force in the paint on defense, blocking five shots a game and coming up with close to three steals a contest. In addition to those numbers, Giegerich set a single-season record for blocks with 112 in her senior prep campaign.
Upon Giegerich's arrive at Tabor Academy, the Wildcat recruit led her team to back-to-back Class A New England Prep School Athetic Conference Championships.
Jeffries, who is walking on at Davidson after turning down both Division I and II scholarships, was a three-year starter for Myers Park in Charlotte, N.C. She averaged 10 points during her final prep season and led the team in made three-pointers as she was an all-conference pick.
Davidson finished the 2010-11 season 14-17 overall and 8-12 in the Southern Conference under first-year head coach Michele Savage. The 'Cats scored their first league tournament win since 2007 when they defeated College of Charleston in the first round. Savage also nearly led them to an upset of No. 1-seeded Appalachian State in the quarterfinals, before falling 73-63.
In addition to the four incoming freshmen, Davidson welcomes back eight letterwinners, including its top two-scorers in All-SoCon First Team member Sophia Aleksandravicius and SoCon Freshman of the Year Laura Murray.
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