ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Eckerd College women's basketball program will wrap up the regular season on Saturday afternoon in the McArthur Center, while paying tribute to a trio of seniors,
Linsey Niles,
Kati Rausberg and
Taylor Young, for Senior Day.
The Tritons are coming off a gritty double-overtime victory on the road against Saint Leo University and remain hungry to avenge an overtime defeat in Boca Raton against the Fighting Knights.
Following the adrenaline-rushing win earlier this week, EC will be looking to transition into the postseason and next week's Sunshine State Conference Tournament with even more momentum on its side.
EckerdTritons.com recently caught up to all three seniors and reflected back on some of their favorite recollections.
Linsey Niles – Senior – Forward – Lorraine, N.Y. (South Jefferson/St. Bonaventure University)
In eighth grade, the dream for
Linsey Niles had just begun.
After witnessing a girl from her own South Jefferson High School make the leap to the NCAA Div. I level in basketball, Niles had her heart set on the same feat while also juggling soccer and lacrosse.
Pretty soon, the dream turned into reality as the first collegiate interest letter trickled in. Then came another. And another.
“I can just remember it being an awesome feeling, but I needed to sort out what I wanted to do,” she reminisced.
After reviewing a handful of offers, it turned out the best competition along with proximity was offered in the form of St. Bonaventure University.
One season removed, Niles transferred to Eckerd and found a comfortable niche as a member of the Tritons' squad.
“I really liked the team, the weather and how well we all meshed together,” she said.
Niles' role has gradually increased as she gained more experience in EC Head Coach
Paul Honsinger's system. Serving as the first or second person off the bench for most of her junior campaign, she answered the call when
Krystal Charles went down late with a season-ending injury.
In Charles' absence, Niles filled in admirably down the stretch.
“I was trying to go hard, rebound and it was just important to me that I was consistent,” she said.
Fast forward to her final season and Niles has been a fixture in the starting lineup while putting up balanced numbers across the board. Coming into Saturday, she's averaging 9.5 points per game with a pair of double-doubles and has been one rebound away from multiple others.
Niles has shown the ability the score inside and stretch out the defense around the perimeter while not being afraid to mix it up on the glass. She has scored in double-digits for 15 games this season and her 6.5 rebounds per contest is tops on the team.
The SSC also recognized her as the league's player of the week in mid-December after a 14-point, 15-rebound effort against Nova Southeastern University.
Niles has hopes of staying within Florida after her career and has her sights set on enrolling in graduate school for Physical Therapy or working her way to be a physician's assistant.
Taylor Young – Senior – Guard – Galesburg, Ill. (Galesburg/Carl Sandburg College)
The competitiveness in
Taylor Young is exposed after only a minor interrogation.
For example, as part of a team bonding exercise, there is a twinkle in her eyes when she talks about building the best sand castle on the beach -- a prize that won her exemption from sprints at the next practice.
As part of the team's diverse international culture, Young took it upon herself to sing the Serbian National Anthem, which turned out be a daunting task after memorizing a few lines.
And with six different countries represented on the current roster, she proudly considers herself bilingual with all of the various words she's picked up over the years.
“During practice we can cover a lot of different languages,” she said with a laugh.
Young carries that competitive edge to the court where she's emerged as one of the league's most accomplished pickpockets and a deadly long-range threat all while running the point as the team's floor general.
Her talents have been showcased in a strong senior campaign that includes averaging over 10 points per game and eye-popping shooting numbers at 46 percent from the field. She has earned SSC Player of the Week accolades, capping a torrid two-game stretch when she was 15-of-18 from the field against Saint Leo and Barry.
And from the guard position, Young rebounds with the best of them, pulling in over five boards per contest. She has hounded the opposition into 53 steals, including six in just 23 minutes vs. Nova Southeastern.
While stopping time to pause in the middle of her thoughts, it's clear Young doesn't want the ride to end anytime soon.
“It's a very bittersweet feeling,” she said. “I'm excited for Senior Day and it will be a little emotional. After high school, you are looking forward to college. Well, after college, it kind ends there.”
Young, a Communications major, has contemplated exploring the possibility of playing overseas to extend her career if 'her body doesn't want to retire.' She also has a future goal of being a sideline reporter for a network station down the road.
Kati Rausberg – Senior – Guard – Tallinn, Estonia (Audentes Private School)
Regardless of sport, not many can say they've represented their country on a national team.
For Eckerd's
Kati Rausberg, she marked that off the checklist at the age of just 15 years old by making the Estonian National Team.
When Rausberg was one year younger, she had already earned a roster spot in the Estonian Women's League. Now, she continues to represent Estonia at the point guard position with national pride by competing in the scheduled European Championships later this summer.
With no organized high school sports in Estonia, Rausberg had the luxury of playing at a high level at an early age with many players who have gone abroad and moved on.
At Eckerd, Rausberg has carved out a record-breaking role with her long-range proficiency, becoming the program's all-time career leader in three-point field goals by her junior season. She also became just the eighth player in Eckerd history to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone in her career this season against Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Rausberg has made many memorable shots spanning her four-year career, maybe none better than a buzzer-beating longball to sink Nova Southeastern (2/12/11).
Rausberg's voice rises with excitement as she remembers the sequence just like it was yesterday.
“With 11 seconds left to play, Ashley (Lutz) dribbled up and passed to me,” she said. “Then with five seconds left, I passed to Krystal (Charles) and she dumped it into Tijana (Brdar) and kicked it back out to me.”
Rausberg said the moment was a blur while releasing the ball before the horn sounded, but it's a point in time that goes down in history that won't be forgotten in the minds of her teammates. The team still watches replays and picks out random people in the crowd to view the different reactions.
Rausberg came to Eckerd and made quick adjustments with the culture, the speed of the game and even the speed of the language. She learned a lot in a small amount time, but still says everyone 'talked too fast.'
“In 11th grade, I really had thought about it,” said Rausberg referencing her collegiate chances. “I had played at all times of the year and I wanted to get an education while playing basketball.”
Phonetically, her first name is pronounced (Kaat-tee) and as the team has tried to pick up a few words in Estonian, Rausberg just smiles as she remembers the effort.
“It's been a comedy show for me,” she joked.
Rausberg's considerable international exposure has set the stage for a very intriguing overseas career.
“I'd just love to stay in the sport,” she said. “I haven't looked into anything specific, but there are number of connections I would like to explore.”
