By Aaron Rodenhausen
Sports Editor
The Shorewomen returned to the court for the 2026 portion of their season on Jan. 7 and have since faced a quartet of Centennial Conference adversaries.
“Break was long this year, so I was very excited to get back out there and start the new year!” senior center Kaitlyn Boggs said.
For their first game back, the WC team traveled to Gettysburg, Pa. to take on the formidable Bullets of Gettysburg College.
The Shorewomen had a slow start, scoring only five points to the Bullets’ 22 in the first quarter, but they maintained a narrower deficit in the second. Freshman guard Amaya Cash made a steal for WC, after which freshman guard Ellie Carter-Soriano passed to Boggs. Boggs sank the ball and made the next four baskets for the Shorewomen as well.
Senior guard Abby Meredith tallied the last basket of the half, which ended 42-17.
WC began the second half on an 8-0 run started by senior forward Emma Robinson but remained solidly behind the Bullets by the close of the third quarter, 20-15. Both teams scored less points overall in the fourth, but Gettysburg still hung onto a five-point lead, 17-12.
The final score for the game was 79-44, and the Bullets advanced to 9-4 on the season and 2-0 in the Centennial Conference. The Shorewomen sank to 6-7 and 1-2, respectively.
“Gettysburg is a great team that moves very quickly and is always working their hardest,” Boggs said. “It is really hard to match that intensity in practice and prepare to see that in the game.”
Jan. 10 saw the Shorewomen come back to Chestertown for their first home game of the year: a match against the Bears of Ursinus College.
WC led the visiting team 6-0, but the Bears went on a 12-0 run into the second quarter.
The advantage changed hands again as the Shorewomen took 11 of the next 14 points and went into halftime 17-15.
A three-pointer from Meredith left the teams tied 28-28 in the third quarter, but the Bears initiated an 8-3 run that would prove decisive. Despite coming within four points on five different occasions during the last quarter, the Shorewomen failed to close the gap once more.
With the 53-48 victory, Ursinus moved up to 9-5 on the season and 3-1 in the Centennial, as WC fell to 6-8 and 1-3, respectively.
Next, the Shorewomen went on the road to Bryn Mawr, Pa. to compete with the Owls of Bryn Mawr College on Jan. 14.
WC maintained a narrow lead against their hosts for the first three quarters: 11-9, 17-11, and then 18-15. Yet, the tide turned in the fourth, when the Owls surged ahead to a score of 24-12, tying the game 58-58 and forcing their guests into a five-minute overtime.
The balance continued to shift during those pivotal extra minutes, as the Owls gained the upper hand for the first time and eventually claimed victory by five points, 73-68.
With that, Bryn Mawr climbed to 5-10 on the season and 1-4 in the Centennial, while WC plunged to 6-9 and 1-4, respectively.
Their hunger for a win still growing, the Shorewomen made their way to Allentown, Pa. to play the Mules of Muhlenberg College on Jan. 17.
The WC team took the first quarter 15-8 without ever losing the lead. Junior guard Peyton Berger scored the final points with eight seconds to go. However, the Mules rallied in the second quarter, securing a 27-23 advantage by halftime.
Boggs managed to tie the game 29-29 just a couple of minutes into the second half, but the Mules narrowly retook the lead, 42-39.
Trailing 50-43 with 3:08 remaining in the final quarter, the Shorewomen began their comeback with a layup from sophomore forward Maggie Lawrence. Then, WC took their first lead since the second quarter in the final 53 seconds on a pull-up jumper by Meredith. Ten seconds later, Boggs upped the lead to 53-50, and the final points of the game came from Berger with 23 seconds remaining.
With a final score of 59-53, the competition was WC’s first win of 2026. The Shorewomen rose to 7-9 on the season and 2-4 in the Centennial, while the Mules slipped to 7-8 and 2-3, respectively.
The WC team will return to the court on Jan. 24 at Haverford College.
Photo Caption: Senior guard Abby Meredith reclaimed the lead against Muhlenberg College with a pull-up jumper.
Photo courtesy of WC Athletics