Westminster women complete turnaround

Weber State's men's basketball team isn't the only Cinderella story in local college hoops this season. For the first time in school history, the Westminster women's team will make an appearance at the NAIA National Tournament.

The Griffins received an at-large bid last week and will play Point Loma (California) in the first round of the 32-team tournament. Thursday'sgame is the last game of the opening round and the tip time is 8:45 p.m. MDT. If Westminster wins, it will play Friday night at the same time.

Getting into the field for the first time in school history is a major accomplishment for the NAIA school, which reinstituted women's basketball in 1999.

"It's absolutely a huge step we've made this year," said Westminster coach, JD Gustin. "We were picked last in our league ... For what these kids have accomplished, it's incredible. It really is a Cinderella story."

Lady Griffins' second team all-conference guard Elisa Leader played in three consecutive high school state championship games but she believes nothing can compare with the enormous stage of a national tournament. Leader is also extremely proud to be part of the team that established a school record.

"Our team is super, super excited. This has never happened in Westminster history. It's a fantastic opportunity," the sophomore guard from Winnemucca, Nevada said.

Perhaps even more pleased with opportunity to play in the postseason are the team's four seniors. Their last hurrah at "the Dance" makes their college career complete.

"We had our fingers crossed," says senior, Jordan Eckman. "It's the best way to end the season. It's the highest accomplishment. We're just so happy and grateful for all the hard work we put in."

Westminster went 21-11 on the season and finished 9-7 in Frontier Conference play. The Griffins also notched the program's first ever victory in the conference tourney but lost in the semifinals to Lewis-Clark State. Even though Westminster finished in fourth place in the final standings, the team feels it's been tested all year long. With three ranked teams in the conference, it's hard to argue with that.

Gustin took over the women's program in 2004 with 10 years of experience in the Frontier Conference as a player and coach. Initially, Westminster's women went through a rough 3-27 season, going 0-14 in conference. But, over the last two seasons, the Griffins have put together back-to-back winning seasons and a trip to the national tournament.

Long-time men's coach Tommy Connor was also pleased to see the women's team succeed. He's excited about the historical significance of the success and also, because the team is winning with a system his team's been using.

"I'm extremely proud of them and what they've been able to accomplish this year," Connor said. "They adopted what I was running (X's and O's) for years, so it's been fun to watch them."

Westminster's men's team also received an at-large bid to the men's NAIA National Tournament, which is being held this week in Kansas City, Missouri.

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E-mail: tpeterson@desnews.com