As the 2024-2025 season soon begins to tip off, the NCC women’s basketball team is set for another exciting year of competition. Building on last year’s growth with a mix of returning players and fresh faces, the Cardinals are ready to take on their Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) opponents. With high expectations and a focus on strong team chemistry, NCC is set to make an impact on the court this season.
Entering her sixth year of coaching is head coach Maggie McCloskey-Bax. At the helm, McCloskey-Bax owns a record of 48-93 and led the team to a six-win improvement in 2023-24. This marks the first time in program history that the Cardinals hosted a CCIW game. When asked about last season and setting goals for this upcoming season, Coach Bax had this to say.
“I think last year was a year of growth for this program,” said Bax. “We were picked to finish last and ended up 4th in conference play behind 3 nationally ranked programs. The team really came together and helped set the tone for the program. We learned a lot from last year and know how much hard work it takes to compete in conference. We are hoping to build on the success of last year and compete at a high level.”
Fresh faces to the Cardinal program
The Cardinals bring in six freshmen in Cate Uhren, ‘28, Marlena Miloucheva, ‘28, Ameli Sanchez, ‘28, Kaitlin Park, ‘28, Tori Geriets, ‘28 and Mikayla Summey, ‘28.
“We are excited about our group of newcomers. The returners have done a great job of welcoming them to the program and setting the tone for the year with them. We have a great group of hard workers who spend a lot of time in the gym individually as well as a group. I’m excited for the group to push our returners to new levels and continue to bring new energy to the program each day,” said Coach Bax.
However, switching from high school to collegiate sports, freshman players frequently encounter difficulties. These include adjusting to increased competition and different team dynamics. Many of these incoming athletes were standouts in high school perceiving the intensity of collegiate sports to be significantly stronger. It becomes increasingly important to learn how to balance academics and athletics. Yet, upperclassmen’s advice makes the adjustment easier. Coaches’ attention to student well-being are crucial in assisting freshman in coping with the added stress.
Authors in the 2017 article Adjusting as a student-athlete stated that “It’s tough balancing athletics with academics, but it’s definitely doable. It’s a bit of a struggle, but I try to stay on top of it.” Incoming freshman to the program, Miloucheva, said this about her transition into the program.
“Because basketball is a winter sport, we didn’t have a ton of requirements in the beginning of the school year which made it easier. We’ve slowly gotten in the groove with open gyms, then adding lifts, and just now adding official practices. That has helped a lot since I needed some time to get used to a college schedule,” said Miloucheva.
Veteran and returner presence
Coming back for a fifth year is graduate student Megan McClure, ‘26. McClure was CCIW Respect Award winner last year. She averaged 11.9 points a game for the Cardinals. Other notable returners that are veterans in the program are Jocelyn Trotter, ‘27, Grace Kieffer, ‘26 and Megan Duffy, ‘25. Trotter averaged 13.2 points per game, Kieffer with 7.9 and Duffy with 5.7.
“I think all the veteran players have helped to create a fun atmosphere- a nice blend of working hard while enjoying being there. I think we all set an example of how to be part of the team,” said McClure.
The program also has one transfer coming into the program in Gianine Boado, ‘26. Boado averaged 5.7 points and 2.7 rebounds a game as a sophomore for the Morton College Panthers.
With a blend of experience, talent and the drive to compete, the Cardinals women’s basketball team is ready for their season. To tip off the season the Cardinals will travel to Notre Dame, Indiana to take on St. Mary’s College on Friday, November 8th with a 6:00pm (ET) start time.
