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AU Women’s Basketball Chosen Sixth in Patriot League
Eagles aim to contend for title in second season in league

August 30, 2002

Katryn Costenbader looks to lead the Eagles to the Patriot League title in 2002-03.

WASHINGTON — Entering its second season in the Patriot League, American University’s women’s basketball team was picked sixth in the preseason poll as voted upon by the league’s coaches and sports information directors.

Holy Cross was selected as the preseason favorite. AU finished fourth last year in the league after posting one of the best turnarounds in school history. The Eagles were 12-14 overall and 7-7 in Patriot League play.

Senior guard/forward Katryn Costenbader (Silver Spring, Md./Einstein/St. Mary’s) returns as the leading scorer for AU. A Patriot League Second-Team selection last year, Costenbader averaged 13.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Also returning for American is senior guard Chanel Spriggs (Sunderland, Md./North Oakland Catholic/St. Mary’s) who set the school record in steals last year while finishing third in the NCAA in the category. Spriggs also averaged 10.4 points per game last year.

Senior Maria Werries (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) and junior Kaitlin Schuyler (Baltimore, Md./Mercy) will also be counted on in the backcourt this season. Werries is a versatile combo guard who averaged 9.9 points and 3.3 boards per contest last season. Schuyler scored 9.7 points per game last year and dished out 3.5 assists.

In the frontcourt, sophomore Chanel Hunt (Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft) returns following a freshman campaign where she earned a spot on the Patriot League All-Rookie Team. Hunt is the top returning rebounder on the squad (5.9 rpg) and she averaged 8.6 points per game.

AU’s season begins on the road November 22 as the Eagles play in the Marshall University Tip-Off.

American University is beginning its second year of membership in the Patriot League. In its inaugural year it captured league championships in men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis, and regular-season titles in men’s basketball and women’s lacrosse. The University fields a 19-sport NCAA Division I athletics program, featuring 10 women’s sports and nine for men.

American became a full member of the Patriot League on July 1, 2001. Chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893, the University features students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 160 nations worldwide.

2002 Patriot League Women's Basketball Preseason Poll