GRAPHIC: STEPHANIE SAVELA ’25/THE HAWK
The 2024-25 season marked the end of an era for the St. Joe’s women’s basketball team, and a successful one at that. The Hawks finished with a 24-10 record, placed second in the Atlantic 10 Tournament and reached the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament. Unfortunately, with that success came significant loss.
The team graduates a core class of seniors and fifth-years in Talya Brugler, Mackenzie Smith, Kaylie Griffin, Julia Nyström, Emma Boslet and Paula Maurina. In addition, star junior forward Laura Ziegler and sophomore Lizzy Gruber have entered the transfer portal. After losing no players to the portal last year, the Hawks are losing more than half of this year’s roster and will look extremely different next year.
Despite losing three of the top ten scorers in program history, the Hawks should still have hope. A strong young core and esteemed head coach Cindy Griffin ’91, MBA ’93, will look to keep the program in contention in the A-10.
One of the most important returning players is rising junior guard Gabby Casey, the only consistent starter from last season left on next year’s roster. She averaged 7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting over 40% from the field and over 35% from 3-point range. With an increased role, her numbers are bound to rise, and her high school résumé shows she’s up to the task.
As a senior at Lansdale Catholic High School, Casey averaged 21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 4.1 steals per game, leading her team to a 29-2 record and a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A Championship. She earned many honors, including her second Catholic League MVP, MaxPreps Pennsylvania High School Basketball Player of the Year and Gatorade Pennsylvania Girls Player of the Year. Casey also broke her school’s all-time scoring record for both boys and girls. With the potential to become the primary scoring option next year, Casey is poised to be a leader in the next chapter of Hawks basketball.
Another key rising junior is guard Aleah Snead, who will most likely step into a starting role after serving as the first off the bench this past season. Snead was named the A-10 Sixth Woman of the Year this season. She averaged 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting over 50% from the field. Most impressive, Snead tied with Ziegler for the second-most offensive rebounds on the team (56), despite having over 200 fewer total rebounds, which is a true testament to her hustle and desire to win.
Another notable returner includes Griffin, the program’s longtime head coach who has led the Hawks to 422 wins, an A-10 title and multiple NCAA appearances. Next season will be her 25th season at the helm for the Hawks. Rising sophomore Rhian Stokes looks to build on her 5.7 points per game from her first season, and rounding out next year’s core are junior Emi Devenie (returning from a knee injury), rising sophomores Meja Jägerskog and Lauren Greer, four incoming first-years and Penn State rising sophomore transfer Jill Jekot, whose sister Katie Jekot ’21, MBA ’22, had a 1,000-plus points career for the Hawks and is eighth in program history in assists.
Though the program is saying goodbye to some all-time greats, the future is now and is ready to continue the winning tradition on Hawk Hill.