Auburn, ME - It was another memorable season for the Mustangs. Although CM failed to reach the USCAA National Championship Game for the first time in 6 seasons, the Mustangs once again dominated the Yankee Conference. CM concluded the season 27-3 overall and a perfect 14-0 in the YSCC.
The 14-0 regular season conference mark was the first time the Mustangs finished undefeated in conference play since the 2018-19 season. It was also enough to earn them their 6th straight YSCC Regular Season Championship. The Mustangs also finished undefeated at home with a 16-0 mark. Highlighting the regular season were three wins over NCAA DIII schools including Northern Vermont-Lyndon (88-43), Plymouth State (58-45), and UMaine Farmington (76-51). It also included a revenge win (62-52) over NJCAA nationally-ranked, CCRI who beat the Mustangs earlier in the season (71-68).
Three Mustangs earned All-Conference honors. Kali Thompson and Luna Love were named to the All-Conference Second Team, while Emily Strachan was voted to the All-Conference First Team.
Entering the YSCC Tournament as the top seed, the Mustangs drew the 4th seed, Paul Smith's College in the semifinals. CM made quick work of the Bobcats, winning 91-39 to earn their spot in the YSCC Tournament Championship with an automatic bid to the USCAA National Tournament on the line. In the final, the Mustangs matched up with familiar foe, Southern Maine Community College. Having already beat the Seawolves by double figures in each of their two regular season match-ups, the Mustangs withstood an early SMCC run, and pulled away for 66-48 championship win. This was the sixth straight YSCC Tournament Championship for the Mustangs, and their eighth in the last 10 seasons. Fun fact, no other current YSCC member has won the tournament championship since 2011!
For their performance in the tournament, Jade Smedberg was named YSCC Tournament MVP, while Chantel Ouellette was named the YSCC Tournament Best Offensive Player.
Although the national tournament included a quarterfinal loss to Penn State Beaver (56-50), there were several important accomplishments. The trip was highlighted with a complete team-effort victory against Penn State Schuylkill (65-59) in the consolation game. The Mustangs were able to shake off the devastating loss from the night before and come together as a team, getting contributions from up and down the line-up. The win in the consolation game helped the Mustangs avoid back-to-back losses, something they have not done since January of 2016.
Also highlighting the trip to nationals were some amazing individual accomplishments. Luna Love won the 3-Point Competition at the USCAA National Tournament Skills Contest. Jade Smedberg, Winnie LaRochelle, and Rayna Duzant earned Academic All-American Honors for earning 24 or more credits with a 3.5+ GPA. For the second year in a row, Emily Strachan was named a USCAA 1st Team All-American.
In true CM fashion, balance was a pivotal part of the Mustang success throughout the season. Eleven players averaged at least 10-minutes per game, while 13 players rotated into the starting line-up at some point throughout the season. The team scored a season-high 105 points against NHTI (2/11/23), while also surpassing the century mark by scoring 101 against Great Bay (11/18/22).
Some program records were tied or broken this season as well. Kali Thompson tied Natalie Thurber and Jenn Schlim for charges in a single game (4). The team tied the 2016-17 squad for assists in a single game with 37 (12/7/22 vs. NHTI), and broke two other records. The Mustangs set the new program standard for FT's attempted and FT's made in a game when they went 37 for 53 in their 91-77 win over UMaine Fort Kent.
According to Head Women's Basketball Coach, Andrew Morong, "All of us learned a lot this season. It did not end how we envisioned it ending, but we did win our last game of the season. To have a soul-crushing defeat and to come back in less than twenty four hours and perservere speaks volumes about the kind of student-athletes we have in our program. As a coach, that was one of my proudest moments. This season, we could not quite figure things out - and it felt like we would take three steps forward and two steps back - or even four steps back. That is just how it goes sometimes. Even with ten returning players, people forget that we have freshman and sophomores playing against juniors and seniors on a nightly basis. We do not have the luxury of traditional upperclassmen, so even when we do have an experienced team, it is still not as experienced as most of the teams we play. That is not an excuse, that is our reality - one that we embrace as it provides an extra challenge. There are many players on this team who hold a incredibly special place in my heart, and my family's heart. It is sad that their playing days at CM are over, but we look forward to following their journey, staying in touch with them and their families, and continuing to build our relationships with them."
On the future of the program, Morong added, "Although have some incredibly talented and amazing people moving on from our program, we are incredibly excited about the future. With some bought-in and determined returners, we are adding a very large, very talented, and very diverse recruiting class. We have size, length, athleticism, and a lot of high-level high school and club experience represented in this class. We cannot wait to get them to campus in August!"
