The women’s basketball team is looking
to continue the successes of last season at
the start of this year.
Head coach Tara Macciocco is entering
her fifth season at the helm of the program
and is excited to build off of what last
season brought to the program.
“Last season, we reached the playoffs
for the first time in 20 plus years,” said
Macciocco. “We are really excited to build
off that momentum with our returning
group and exciting newcomers.”
In the 2021-22 season, the team placed
the highest in the standings since 1996-
1997 and finished Middle Atlantic
Conference (MAC) Freedom play with
a 7-9 record. This was the Colonels first

appearance in the tournament in 25 years
and only the fifth time the team reached
the tournament in the program’s 62-year
history.
“Reaching the MAC Freedom
tournament was a pretty cool experience
for the team last year,” said junior guard
Julia Marino. “I believe being able to
play in the tournament prepared us for
big conference games that we’ll have
throughout this season. Come tournament
time this year, the returners will know
what to expect and the first years will be
more than prepared for it.”
Wilkes is welcoming back graduate
student Kendra Smith as well as seniors
Ariel Reed, Brenna Babcock and Brianna
Horton.
Three juniors return including Marino,
Erin Shober and Tess Edwards in addition

to three sophomores Emma Stout, Jordyn
Jennings and Julianna Askins.
The Colonels add six first-year players:
Victoria Crooker, Nadia Evanosky, Reagan
Holden, Yamirelis Matos, Madison Robel,
and Brandy Varner.
Wilkes sits at 1-0 after opening with a
76-52 win over Keystone College. Matos
led the Colonels with 23-points coming off
of the bench and collected six rebounds.
Babcock tied Matos with six rebounds.
“It feels like the beginning of a dream
come true,” said Matos. “It’s exciting to
finally see the results of the hard work and
time I put in. The season opener was very
emotional for me and my parents, who
attended from MA, because both my mom
and my dad sacrificed a lot for me to be in
college and on the basketball court.”
Macciocco is excited for what the

entirety of the team will bring to the table
this season.
“We have a lot of experience from the
upperclassmen that played significant
minutes last year,” said Macciocco. “We
have a great group of leaders to help the
newcomers become familiar with the
college game and team. For the past
four years we have been preaching to get
better little by little and last season was a
huge accomplishment, but we have some
unfinished business. Especially with this
being our last season in the MAC, we want
to leave our mark.”
The Colonels return to action on Nov. 17
when they face Gwynedd Mercy University
at the Marts Center.
Editor’s Note: Baylee Guedes is a former
women’s basketball player.