On a March night in 2008, the women’s basketball team stood alone atop the Ivy League, celebrating its first-ever championship by cutting down the nets in Newman Arena. After a somewhat disappointing campaign in 2008-09, the Red enters this season with new hopes of reaching the top once again.

If Cornell is to win another Ivy League championship this season, though, it will need to do so with a roster filled with new faces. Just four players remain from the 2007-08 championship team, and the Red is welcoming six new freshmen in 2009-10. In addition, Julious Coleman will be joining the team as an assistant coach this season.

Regardless of all the roster changes, head coach Dayna Smith feels that this year’s squad has already begun to show signs to be optimistic about.

Senior captain Virginia McMunigal has noticed the difference as well.

“I think the biggest difference [between this year and last year] is that we have come together as a team sooner this year,” McMunigal said. “The freshmen have done a great job of learning the offenses and making themselves a part of our team.”

Clare Fitzpatrick, a 6-1 forward from Southbury, Conn., will be just one of the team’s newcomers to keep an eye on throughout the season.

“[Fitzpatrick] has been very impressive with her approach. When we have to teach her something new she seems to pick it up quickly and go in and execute,” Smith said.

The freshman class obviously represents the future for the Red, but it is the leadership of the team’s three senior captains that may ultimately determine Cornell’s success this season. The Red lost two great leaders in Shanna Scarselletta ’09 and Lacey Workman ’09 to graduation this past off-season, and it will be up to its three captains –– Lauren Benson, Allie Fedorowicz and McMunigal –– to fill the void.

According to Smith, the three captains are ready to accept the responsibility.

“Our three seniors understand the role of leadership, and understand how important their actions, their words and their play will be this year,” Smith said.

If Cornell continues to progress as a team throughout the season, the Red may surprise some people and climb the ranks of the Ivy League once again (the preseason media poll predicted the Red to finish fifth in the conference).

One way in which Cornell thinks it can prepare itself for a title run is by playing a tough non-conference schedule. A brief look down Cornell’s list of opponents will show that this season will be nowhere close to a cakewalk. The Red has games scheduled against an AP top-20 team in DePaul and a good ACC squad in Miami, along with a potential matchup against No. 12 Virginia.

“To play against tough competition is a great way for us to prepare for our season as a whole,” McMunigal said. “We try to use our non-league competition to prepare us for the Ivy League.”