EUGENE, Ore.  – The Bushnell University women's basketball team comes into the year with a refocused mindset, knowing they have the talent to compete at a high level, while bringing in an intentional focus on building bonds as a team.
 
While the team returns nine players including four starters, a major presence will be gone in the form of Bushnell's all-time leading scorer Morgan McKinney. There will be a natural shift for a program that has had an All-American and CCC Player of the Year as it's centerpiece over the past five seasons.
 
Fifth-year Head Coach Chad Meadors said, "It's kind of a fresh start for this group. They have an opportunity to create their own identity. What I see is a team that is re-energized, refocused, and is working on relationships. Our two goals in the fall have been to get in the best shape of our lives and develop relationships through strengthening our bond as a group."
 
Meadors added, "We have high expectations. We were not satisfied with the results from last year. This is a new team and we've taken the approach that we just want to improve on a game-to-game basis and when we have had that mentality, we have been very successful."
 
Last season, the team finished 19-13 overall and 15-7 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference. The Beacons defeated Oregon Tech in an 83-77 overtime victory at home in the CCC Quarterfinals before falling at Lewis-Clark State in the Semifinals.
 
Bushnell is predicted to finish fourth in the 2022-23 CCC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll.
 
"We are not one of the favored teams and that is definitely providing internal motivation and has put a chip on our shoulder," said Meadors. "We want to have the success of competing for that conference championship and we want to return to nationals, but we know it requires focusing on improvement. The ceiling is super high for this group, and we haven't even begun to reach our potential or play to level we are capable of playing. It is truly a restart from previous years."
 
RETURNERS
 
The Beacons bring back nine returners, including three-time First-Team All-CCC recipient, Aspen Slifka. Slifka holds three of the top-10 seasons in scoring for Bushnell and is coming off a year in which she averaged 14.8 points per game. The junior is nearing the 1,000-point club with 981 in her career.
 
Meadors said, "We've got a lot of talent and it starts with Aspen. She has solidified herself as one of our go-to players. You can tell how much she's improved. The work that she's put into the offseason to strengthen her body showed itself on the first day and on the defensive end in particular. It's super exciting for her to have success from the very beginning."
 
Aly Mirabile returns after starting in all 29 games in her second season. "Aly has been the player that has had the opportunity to grow the most," said Meadors. "She was thrust into a tough spot last year, jumping into the deep end of the pool without a life jacket. You can see the experience from her showing forward right away. She is taking on more of a leadership role and showing the confidence that a year of experience has provided."
 
Mirabile averaged 7.6 points per game, while ranking among the top-10 in the conference in assists (2^nd - 120), steals (2^nd - 62) and three-point percentage (9^th - .345). Meadors said, "Talent has never been the issue; she just needed the experience playing at the tempo required. Now she knows what to do and how to do it. She can really be a disrupter and I'm super excited for what her season is going to look like."
 
Bella Pedrojetti, an NCAA Division I transfer, made a mark in her first season with the Beacons, averaging 10.4 points per game, while ranking second in the conference in three-point percentage (.415).
 
"Bella is really good," said Meadors. "She has evolved into a solid defensive player and has taken our talent level up. Every day in practice she sets the tone for us. She is here to improve, here to win and she just doesn't turn it off. That really adds to our team from a mentality standpoint, an attitude standpoint, and a competitive standpoint. Those are three things we need in our program and Bella is doing that for us."
 
Fifth-year senior Sarah Reinecker returns for her final year with Bushnell. Reinecker was a starter in 28 games last season, averaging five points and 2.6 rebound per contest. Meadors said, "The best thing about Sarah is that she is a self-made player. She started on the fringe of getting playing time her freshman year to now coming off back-to-back seasons as a starter. She is a self-starter and a tough-minded individual. I'm just proud of how she has made herself into the player she is."
 
Another talented returner that many have not yet had the chance to see play is Kaylen Kamelamela. "We are literally bringing an All-Conference player back into the fold with a group of players that are already coming off all-conference, and nobody in our league has seen her in two years," said Meadors.
 
She was named First-Team All-CCC in 2020-21, averaging 10.9 points per game, but saw time in just three games last season due to injury. Meadors said, "She has a calming influence on us and is going to have a major impact when she is back to full speed. She already impacts us in a positive way in the role she is in and when she gets back out on the floor to compete, she is going to elevate our entire team."
 
Kalina Rojas returns after making 22 starts in her second season with the Beacons. Rojas averaged 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. She shot .481 from the floor which ranked ninth in the conference last season.
 
"Kalina is poised to have an amazing senior year", said Meadors. "I just like how she has upped her level of sacrifice overall. She has always been skilled, she can shoot the ball, rebound the ball, and make plays.  She has elevated all areas of her game with the most important being her toughness."
 
Another returner that has persevered through injury challenges is Shawnie Spink, who transferred in after playing three years at Corban. Meadors said, "There's no question that this kid is a shooter. She's had a tough career from an injury standpoint. The second that she steps on the floor, she is a threat from distance. Shawnie is a polished shooter and an underrated playmaker. The kid has no fear."
 
Olivia Bailon brings back that positive, relationship-building mindset that the team has emphasized in the offseason. Bailon played in all 29 games last season as a sophomore. "The impact that Olivia has on our team from a personality standpoint permeates throughout the team," said Meadors. "She is using her energy to intentionally lift up and inspire our team. She just a has a good feel for what our team needs and does it in a way that's super positive and genuine. I don't know where we would be without her."
 
From a basketball standpoint, Meadors said, "She understands her role; she will shoot an open shot and attack the basket when she needs to but also knows when to move the ball to find our playmakers. She does all the dirty work; she gets in and gets the rebounds, defends the best player, does the block outs, dives on the floor, and takes charges. She is the tone setter for our program and her time is now."
 
The final returner for the Beacons is Libby Mathis. "Libby is going to be a problem," said Meadors. "Her size, her speed, her agility, her ability on the floor to post up back to the basket, to score with no dribble, to compress her post defender, and her defensive rebounding ability."
 
Mathis made her presence known at the end of the season as she finished the year averaging seven points and 5.9 rebounds per game. She ranked fourth in the CCC with a .503 field-goal percentage. Meadors said, "She is on the verge of some major breakthroughs, and she is going to be a major problem for teams to contend with in our conference. It's super exciting to see all the hard work that she has put in start to pay off in the form of a new level of confidence."
 
NEWCOMERS
 
Meadors brings in six new players to the 2022-23 roster: Ayden Krupke (Edwall, Wash.), Mandy Sisul (Oregon City, Ore.), Haley Hanson (Camas, Wash.), Ashley Lohman (Portland, Ore.), Taylor Reed (Monroe, Wash.) and Charlie Huelsman (Coos Bay, Ore).
 
Krupke is a freshman who earned First-Team All-League recognition and was a three-sport athlete during her time at Reardan HS. "Ayden is ultra-talented and fun to watch," said Meadors. "She is a blur out on the floor and raises a foot off the ground on every jump shot. She is going to contribute right away. I can't wait when the new year hits and she has four or five months under her belt."
 
Sisul played 18 games last season at Central Washington University. Meadors said, "Mandy is competitive and that's what I love most about her. She does all the little things that we need. She fights for every ball, goes after rebounds, dives on the floor and jumps to get the rebound again. We needed players that were going to elevate our competitiveness to go along with the skill and you can see the effort that Mandy provides. We feed off that and it helps everyone else do a little bit more."
 
Hanson, who played at Northwest Nazarene University and Colorado Christian College, brings in valuable experience. "You can't help but smile when you see Haley out there", said Meadors. "She plays with so much energy and it's infectious. She's got a little flare to her game, a little excitement out there and that is another thing that feeds into our team. The beauty of Haley is that she is genuine in who she is and has a positive aura about her. She is intense about playing, loves the game and is super talented.
 
Lohman, who also competes on the track & field team, is coming off a successful campaign at Faith Bible Christian School. She was named First-Team All-State as a senior and Defensive Player of the League. Meadors said, "Her athleticism is off the charts so if you combine that with her development of basketball skills, then she is going to compete for us here in the future."
 
Reed, a two-time All-League honoree out of Archbishop Murphy HS, will be sidelined for 4-8 weeks due to an injury at practice. "Taylor is tough, physical, and is a guard that can play forward," said Meadors." Her future is really bright here. She lends a level of toughness. She is going to help us on the boards and be a complimentary player for us."
 
Huelsman, who is also on the track & field team, was named First-Team All-League as a senior at Marshfield HS and earned All-State honorable mention recognition, averaging 15.3 points per game as a senior. "Charlie is a thousand miles an hour and she might be our strongest player," said Meadors. "She loves the game of basketball and is super competitive, super intense and at the same time is a really fun person to be around. She has all the skills and is unafraid. I'm excited to see what Charlie is going to do."
 
COMING UP
 
Bushnell got the season started with a 58-55 victory over NCAA Division II Saint Martin's University in an exhibition game last Friday (Oct. 28). The Beacons take on Westmont College, the No. 2-ranked team in the nation, on Wednesday, November 2. The team will then head to Rocklin, Calif. to battle Lincoln University (Nov. 4) and host William Jessup University (Nov. 5).
 
The home opener for the Beacons will be on November 12 as the team hosts Montana Western before taking on Lewis & Clark College (Nov. 16) in the Morse Center just a few days later. CCC action will begin the following week as Bushnell opens by hosting Corban on November 22.