For the first time in the four year history of Berkeley College’s Women’s Basketball program, the Knights have solidified their first-ever Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship. The team recorded a perfect 5-0 record in league play for the 2013-2014 season. Berkeley will head into this weekend’s HVIAC Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, and its opponent is to-be-determined.
“Accomplishing something like this is a testament to
the hard work and dedication put forth by these student-athletes,” Head Coach
Sharod Tomlinson said. “After falling in the semifinal game of the HVIAC
Tournament a season ago, I feel this team came into this season extremely
motivated, and that motivation has resulted in us playing terrific basketball.
Solidifying the program’s first ever HVIAC regular season crown is something
that we take a tremendous amount of pride in, and we’re looking forward to
playing to the best of our abilities in this year’s tournament, and hopefully
beyond.”
The progression of Berkeley’s Women’s Basketball
program has been encouraging. After putting together just a 2-17 record in
their inaugural campaign back in 2010-2011, the Knights have put together three
consecutive winning seasons (15-12 in 2011-2012, 14-10 in 2012-2013, and 13-5
thus far this year). Berkeley College has received two USCAA National
Tournament bids the past two seasons, and staked its claim as National
runners-up a season ago, falling in the championship game to Albany College of
Pharmacy.
The Knights have continued to build a successful
program, emerging in both the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and on the National platform. Berkeley has had
less than 10 players on its roster for four consecutive seasons, yet the team’s
collective vision and spirited play has allowed the Knights to consistently achieve success as a unit.
“We may not have a roster that runs 15 players deep,
but the players that are on this team give 110 percent night in and night out,
and that’s all you can ask for from student-athletes,” Tomlinson said. “Their will to win and positive attitude on the basketball court have
put us in an excellent position to succeed.”
Berkeley will now look to capture its first-ever Hudson
Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championship this weekend
at the Wellness Center at the College of New Rochelle. The Knights will play
their semifinal game this Saturday evening, either at 6:00pm or 8:00pm, against
an opponent to-be-determined.
