Season In Review: 2018-19 Athenas Basketball
Written by Mike Haas CMC '79
SCIAC Champs Again!
Sixth-consecutive title highlights another record setting season
24 wins ties record for best-ever
For only the second time in the history of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), a team has won six consecutive conference championships, and that team is the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas. In SCIAC play, the Athenas finished at 15-1 for the third time during its span of six-straight SCIAC titles. There also were years of 14-2, 13-3, and of course the perfect 16-0 season in which CMS became the only SCIAC team to go undefeated since the schedule had increased from 10 games.
Over these six seasons, CMS has gone 88-8 in SCIAC games, for a winning percentage of 92%. The team also won 24 games three times over the same six seasons, setting the CMS wins record in 2014 and then tying the wins record in 2015 and again in 2019. The overall winning percentage has been 82% over the same time. Expanding the scope of this history, the Athenas have won more games - conference and overall - since they joined the SCIAC in 1977 than any other SCIAC team. 2018-19 marked the 12th conference title for CMS which also is the highwater mark for the SCIAC over the past 35 years.
In winning 20 games for the sixth year in a row, the team secured its 31st winning season over the last 33 years. In addition to the 12 SCIAC titles, CMS has finished second fourteen times over those same 37 seasons.
This year's version of Athenas Basketball had three seniors, Corinne Bogle (Sr., CMC, San Juan Capistrano), Teeana Cotangco (Sr., CMC, La Cañada) and Ellery Koelker-Wolfe (Sr., CMC, Atlanta, GA), who led the team throughout the 2018-19 season. These are three players who forged their way through their careers from different roles to being starters this year.
There were five juniors, four sophomores, and five first-years who made up the remainder of the current team's roster. Together with the senior leadership, these players flourished in accomplishing this record-setting season.
Corinne Bogle (Sr., CMC, San Juan Capistrano) earned her fourth letter by playing her fifth year after missing her first season due to injury. She started for her second year at the wing position.
Ellery Koelker-Wolfe (Sr., CMC, Atlanta, GA) earned her first starting role this year and her fourth letter as a forward. She was a team leader on and off the court finishing her academic career as one of the school's valedictorians.
Teeana Cotangco (Sr., CMC, La Canada) the third senior and another four-year letter winner also gravitated to a starting spot at the point guard position. Her quickness allowed her to get to the basket and to defend the best player on the opposing teams.
Maya Love (Jr., CMC, Denver, CO) started for her third-straight year and led the team in scoring and rebounding, achieving nine double-doubles (points, rebounds) during the 14 conference games she played in. Gloria Bates (Jr., CMC, Anaheim) was one of the first players off the bench, and her quickness was in a class by itself as she would make her way to the basket. Lia Gagliuso (Jr., CMC, Hinesburg, VT) earned her third letter and saw her action at the post position.
Lindsey Cleary (Jr., CMC, Kirkland, WA) started for her second year while getting her third letter and earning a first-team all-conference selection. Lauren Longo (Jr., Scripps, Issaquah, WA) is the final of the five juniors and who also became a third-year letter winner. She earned more and more playing time as the season progressed at the wing spot with her ability to hit the long 3-pointer.
Maezelle Millan (So., CMC, Fontana) is a two-year letter-winner who shared the starting spot during the year as point guard. Kate Parrish (So., CMC, Seattle, WA) another two-year letter-winner saw her time as the back-up post player leading the team in blocked shots. Kelly Keene (So., CMC, Seattle, WA) showed her 3-point prowess as well while earning her second letter. Katelynn Nguyen (So., Scripps, San Marcos) continued her role as a back-up point guard and was another two-year letter winner.
Elizabeth Howell-Egan (Fr., Scripps, Braintree, MA) is the first of five first-years who left a positive impression on the team. Jane Baldwin (Fr., CMC, New York, NY) saw playing time as a small forward. Jocelyn Song (Fr., CMC, Monterey Park) showed promise as future wing player for the Athenas. Kellie Okamura (Fr., Scripps, Honolulu, HI) is another wing player who came off the bench to provide a spark to the CMS offense. Flora Durgerian (Fr., CMC, Brighton, England) played small forward and also is a 3-point threat for the Athenas.
The season opened in Oregon at the George Fox Invitational tournament with a win over Willamette 56-54. After two other games in Oregon, the team then went to its next tournament at the Wells Classic, the invitational tournament devised by former Stags basketball coach and CMS athletic director David Wells. This is a weekend of top Division III basketball where the best in academic institutions and basketball programs come to Claremont for a weekend of exciting basketball. The Athenas swept wins over University of Dallas and The College of New Jersey by scores of 58-24 and 87-52, respectively.
The following week saw the conference openers including the first of two wins over Pomona-Pitzer winning on the road 85-74.
The remainder of the first semester saw wins over UC Santa Cruz, La Sierra, Colby, and King's (PA), all at Roberts Pavilion.
When winter break came to an end, the SCIAC season picked up. There was an opening win at Redlands followed by home wins over Cal Lutheran and Occidental. The conference schedule then put CMS on the road for four straight games but the Athenas proved worthy of the challenge with wins at La Verne, Caltech, Whittier, and Chapman.
Then it was time for CMS to enjoy home cooking with wins over Pomona-Pitzer, Redlands, Whittier Caltech, and La Verne. The final conference games were road wins over Occidental and Cal Lutheran, which brought its SCIAC record to 15-1 and a sixth-straight conference title.
This championship earned the Athenas the number one seed in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. CMS faced Redlands in the semifinal game for the sixth-straight year and for the eighth time overall. Once again, the Athenas defeated the Bulldogs 72-49 to get to the tournament finals for the seventh time. Unfortunately, a furious late rally fell a basket short as CMS' season ended with a 60-57 loss to Pomona-Pitzer.
When the conference coaches met following the season, they chose the 2019 All-SCIAC teams. Maya Love and Lindsey Cleary both were selected first-team All-SCIAC.
At the team's annual banquet, the players chose their peers for the team awards. Corinne Bogle and Ellery Koelker-Wolfe were recognized as the team captains for 2018-19. Gloria Bates and Lindsey Cleary were honored as the Most Improved Players while Maya Love won accolades as the team's Most Valuable Player. The Athena Award – representing the coaches' award – was given to Lauren Longo.
And now it is time to look forward to 2019-20 for another year of exciting Athenas Basketball. The season opens with home games against Northwest Conference rivals University of Puget Sound and Willamette University, to go along with a first-ever game against Emory University from Atlanta and the University Athletic Association. Those will be followed by the annual Wells Classic with Nebraska Wesleyan and Gustavus Adolphus coming to Claremont and Roberts Pavilion.
A week later, CMS returns to Washington University St. Louis for the McWilliams Classic. The non-conference schedule ends with an invite to the prestigious Division III Las Vegas Classic and games versus St. Vincent and DeSales. And of course, the always exciting SCIAC season kicks off with games against Pomona-Pitzer and Chapman in December before the remaining 14 conference games start up at the beginning of the New Year.
As always, we thank you for your support of CMS Athenas Basketball and remind you that the latest news, statistics and schedule information can be found on the Athenas Basketball webpage. Fans can watch all home games and many of our away games live online via our webpage.