Duane Cochrane
FSU’s Vavrek garners preseason All-America honors
FAIRMONT — Women’s Division II Bulletin magazine has selected Fairmont State University’s Ashley Vavrek and West Liberty University’s Tori Hansen as preseason honorable mention All-Americans.
Vavrek, a 5-8 senior guard from Bellaire, Ohio, ranked among the national leaders with 91 made 3-pointers in 2008-09 and her 44.6 percent accuracy from long distance topped the West Virginia Conference and was 10th in the nation. She averaged 17.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per outing as the Falcons finished 18-11 last year.
“It’s nice to be recognized now, but right now it doesn’t really mean anything because it’s the preseason and I feel like both myself and our team has a lot to prove,” said Vavrek. “Our team needs to come together, but we’ll see what happens at the end of the year. That’s when I’d really like like to be recognized.”
Hansen, a native of McKean, Pa., led the Hilltoppers to a 24-7 campaign last season by averaging 18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game. The 5-8 junior guard earned WVC Player of the Year accolades after helping to lead West Liberty to WVC runner-up regular season and tournament finishes.
Women’s Division II Bulletin picks West Liberty and Fairmont State to finish atop this season’s West Virginia Conference standings. Seton Hill, which returns five starters from an 18-11 squad, and defending league champion Charleston are slotted third and fourth.
FSU lost three starters from last season and may have as many as four new starters when its begins play this fall.
“I’m very excited to get the season started,” said Vavrek. “As a team we’re looking okay, but we’ve still got lot of stuff to do. There’s times when I think we look pretty good, but I know we’re young. Still, I think we are pretty talented. I think it’s going to be important for us to get a couple of wins early. That’ll help our confidence and help us come together as a team.”
The league’s women’s basketball regular season tips off on Sunday, Nov. 15 as eight of the conference’s 16 squads are in action. The league’s annual coaches’ poll will be released next week.
Vavrek and the Fairmont State’s Lady Falcons will open play Sunday, Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. against Bluefield (Va.) College in the annual Concord University Lady Lions’ Tip-Off Classic. FSU will then face Milligan (TN.) College Monday, Nov. 16 in the classic at 4 p.m.
- Duane Cochrane
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IUP fortunate to survive against FSU
The consensus opinion coming out of second-ranked and top-seeded Indiana (Pa.) University’s locker room following the Crimson Hawks’ nail-biting 71-67 victory over eighth-seeded Fairmont State here Saturday evening at Memorial Field House in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Men’s Atlantic Regional was that the host team survived despite a sub-par performance.
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Fantastic finish
Ashley Vavrek may have saved her best for last.
Fairmont State’s standout senior guard turned in a memorable performance in her final game in a Lady Falcon uniform last Friday night here at the Hammermill Center.
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IUP, Gannon pose big challenges for FSU
The tasks will be tall for Fairmont State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams who both qualified together for the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament for the first time in school history.
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Deserving honor
Ashley Vavrek’s Most Valuable Player-winning performance in the recent West Virginia Conference Tournament helped Fairmont State claim its second league tournament title in three years and earn its third NCAA Division II Tournament berth in the last six seasons.
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FSU men, women earn D-II Tourney berths
Fairmont State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams learned Sunday they both earned berths in the annual NCAA Division II Tournament which will begin at campus sites this weekend.
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Thrilling victory
Incredible!
That’s about the only way to describe what took place Monday evening at the Joe Retton Arena.
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Custis heads four Falcons on All-WVC team
Sophomore Steve Custis and true freshman Isaac Thornton lead a group of four Fairmont State University players who received honors on the annual All-West Virginia Conference Men’s Basketball Team which was selected by the league’s 16 coaches and announced today by the conference.
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FSU hosts Concord in West Virginia Conference tourney opener
The regular season certainly didn’t end like Fairmont State’s men’s basketball team wanted it to.
Two losses during the final week of the season and a total of three losses in nine days have left the Falcons in a situation where their performance in the annual West Virginia Conference Tournament will be of the utmost importance if they have any hopes of playing past this week.
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The first step
It’s tournament time tonight at the Joe Retton Arena.
Fairmont State’s Lady Falcons open West Virginia Conference Tournament play this evening at 7:30 p.m. when they host West Virginia State University in a first-round game.
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Vavrek repeat member of All-WVC team
Fairmont State’s Ashley Vavrek headlines a trio of Lady Falcons who garnered honors on the annual All-West Virginia Conference Women’s Basketball Team, which was selected by the league’s 16 head coaches and announced Sunday by the conference
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IUP fortunate to survive against FSU
