The 38th annual Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, Nov. 12. Eight individuals and two teams will be honored, bringing the total number of inductees to 253. Every day leading up to the induction, a different member of the Class of 2016 will be profiled on GoJaspers.com.
1995-96 Women's Basketball Team
Sponsored by Peter Sweeney '64
In 1995, the Manhattan College women's basketball team reached the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament as the No. 7 seed. That proved to be just a glimpse of what was to come the following season. Led by MAAC Player of the Year Gina Somma, the Jaspers went 19-11, won the third MAAC title in program history and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
The Jaspers averaged a school-record 78.5 points per game and broke the 100-point barrier three times, including a 115-point effort in a win over Canisius. Manhattan also established a program record with seven consecutive wins from Jan. 28-Feb. 18.
Individually, Somma put together one of the greatest seasons in program history. She was named honorable mention All-America scoring 768 points, a program record, and ranking third nationally in scoring average (25.6 ppg). Wanda Camps, Amy Gottschalk and Tonya Obey were all Second Team All-MAAC selections, while Kirsten Roberts earned a place on the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
After going 11-3 in conference play, the Jaspers opened the MAAC Tournament with a 93-76 victory over Siena. Manhattan then knocked off defending champion Loyola 63-56 in the semifinals to set up a matchup with Fairfield in the title game. The Jaspers, who had put up 105 points on Fairfield in the last game of the regular season, routed the Stags 92-66 to win the third MAAC title in program history, and the first since 1990. Camps had 28 points in the championship game and was named MAAC Tournament MVP.
Manhattan received a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament and was sent to Charlottesville, Va., where the season came to an end against the University of Virginia. The Jaspers' 19 victories were one shy of the then-program record.
Somma has already been recognized for her outstanding career with induction into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame. She is now joined by her teammates on the Jaspers' 1995-96 MAAC championship squad: Wanda Camps, Alison Cropley, Amy Gottschalk, Sally Lavender, Robyn McCrimmon, Laura McGlynn, Kyra Morrell, Tonya Obey, Kirsten Roberts, Nikki Sanders, Tracie Sims, Tamara Williams, Assistant Coach Brenton Birmingham, Assistant Coach Jody Powell, and Head Coach Michele Sharp.
