KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- In conjunction with the Mid-American Conference, the Western Michigan University women's basketball team released its upcoming MAC schedule for the 2024-25 campaign Wednesday. This season, the Brown and Gold will play 17 conference games, including nine located at University Arena.
"This time of year never gets old to me. We are winding down our summer session with a group that has put in an incredible effort. With the announcement of our schedule, you know the basketball season is just around the corner. We are still putting the finishing touches on our non-conference schedule, but with the conference schedule now out, it allows us to set our vision for that." said women's basketball head coach Shane Clipfell.
The Broncos return an experienced roster to the hardwood this season, including the graduate student duo of Hannah Spitzley and Megan Wagner, senior Lauren Audino, junior Alli Carlson, and the redshirt junior trio of Maggie Stutelberg, Artemis Kouki, and De'Ahna Richardson.
"After earning our way back to Cleveland for the conference tournament last season this group, even though with some fresh faces will know what's at stake every time we take the floor. This team has size, shooters, drivers, good leadership, and a strong sense of unity. This conference will be as rugged as ever, and we will rely heavily on our upperclassmen to get our freshman and transfers up to speed quickly." said Clipfell.
Among the returners, Spitzley and Stutelberg paced the Broncos with a combined average of 9.3 points per game. Last season, Spitzley sank 1.3 three-pointers per game after a career year beyond the arch. In 29 appearances (21 starts), the guard from Westphalia, Michigan, recorded a personal and team-best 39 three-pointers after shooting a career-high 31.71% clip from distance. Her 39 treys on the year helped the then-senior jump to 20th all-time in program history in career three-pointers made. Defensively, Spitzley led the Brown and Gold with 12 blocks. For Stutelberg, in 12 games played (10 starts), the guard was lethal from deep and made 35 treys on a stellar 43.3% clip, both career highs for the incoming redshirt junior.
Similar to last season, in addition to the MAC slate, the women's basketball team will take part in the MAC-Sun Belt Conference Challenge. This year, the Brown and Gold will host Arkansas State on November 4, at University Arena.
The Brown and Gold will open conference play in Ypsilanti, Michigan, against cross-state rival Eastern Michigan University on Wednesday, January 1. Following the contest in Ypsilanti, WMU will return to University Arena on Saturday, January 4, to host Miami University (Ohio).
After the conclusion of the regular season, the 2024-25 MAC Conference Championship will be held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, located in Cleveland, Ohio.
The women's basketball non-conference schedule will be announced at a later date.
For all things WMU women's basketball, follow the team's socials @wmu_wbb and visit wmubroncos.com.
