CEDAR CITY, Utah – The Southern Utah University women's basketball team have been preparing for the 2017-18 season. The Lady T-Birds are set to begin with an exhibition game on October 30 against Northern New Mexico College in the America First Event Center.
The SUU women have been hard at work preparing for a challenging preseason schedule.
Head coach Chris Boettcher said he is excited about the upcoming season.
"Right now were are trying to figure out what kind of team we will be," Boettcher said. "We have girls fighting for spots and playing time, I love how competitive they are, the potential is exciting," Boettcher said.
2016-17 Recap
Last season the Lady T-Birds finished 12th in the Big Sky Conference with a 2-16 record and an overall record of 7-23. Former Thunderbird Jessica Richardson led the team in points, scoring an average of 12.8 per game and earned All-Conference Honorable Mention. Darri Frandsen was the second leading scorer with 12.5 points per game and earned the title of Top Reserve for her play.
New to The Lady T-Birds
The Thunderbirds added numerous talented women to their roster for the 2017-18 season.
Natalie Sanchez is a freshman from El Paso, Texas. Sanchez was named 1-5A District MVP following her senior season and earned TGCA (Texas Girls Coaches Association) All-Region, All-state and All-Star honors throughout her career.
Peyton Torgerson is a freshman from Salina, Utah and was named to the USA Today All-Utah team, was a McDonald's All-American nominee, as well as the Governor State of Sport High School Athlete of the Year. Torgerson was also named the 2A District MVP twice in her career and led North Sevier to a state championship in 2016-17.
Carlie Jones is a freshman from Forney, Texas and earned First Team All-District honors in her junior and senior seasons and was a McDonald's All-American nominee. Jones won two state championships at Dallas Christian.
Sophomore Jessica Chatman is from Ridgefield, Washington and is a transfer from Brigham Young University. Chatman appeared in 19 games as a freshman and averaged 3.3 minutes a game. Chatman will have to sit out for the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but will be available for the 2018-19 season.
The Thunderbirds also welcomed three walk-ons.
Chloe Bradford is a sophomore from Heyburn, Idaho. The Lady T-Birds also added sophomore Mo Tapasa from Monmouth, Oregon and freshman Sariah Swallow from Flowell, Utah.
This Season For The Thunderbirds
The 2017-18 season will begin Monday October 30 for the Thunderbirds. They will open at home with an exhibition game against Northern New Mexico College. The women will play another exhibition game that same week on November 3 against Concordia University in the America First Event Center.Friday's game will be a doubleheader with the men's team also playing Concordia.
Boettcher said he is ready for the season to start.
"We have a really good and challenging preseason schedule that will help tell us what kind of team we are going to be this season," Boettcher said.
The Lady T-Birds' regular schedule will begin November 10 at Brigham Young University in Provo. The Thunderbirds will play 11 non-conference games. Opponents will include Brigham Young University, Utah State University, the University of Arizona and the University of Oregon who made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Big Sky Conference play will open up against Montana State University on December 28 in Bozeman, Montana, followed by another away game against Montana. The Lady T-Birds will play their first conference game at home on January 4 against Idaho State. The women will play every team in the Big Sky twice except North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Portland State and Sacramento State.
Northern New Mexico College Preview
The Lady T-Birds will start the 2017-18 season with an exhibition game on October 30 at 6:30 p.m. MT against Northern New Mexico College in the America First Event Center.
Boettcher said the women and the coaches are excited for the first real showcase of the season.
"The women have an opportunity to show what they can do and this is an chance for us to try different lineups," Boettcher said.
Northern New Mexico College finished the 2016-17 season with an overall record of 13-17.
Follow Us
To stay up to date during the games and throughout the 2017-18 season follow @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and like the SUU Women's Basketball page on Facebook.
