![Heffernan and McBrien to Captain Women's Basketball in 2011-12](/sports/wbkb/2011-12/releases/WBB_1017112812.html_o3ixb.jpeg?max_width=450)
BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott women’s
basketball head coach Brittany Hutchinson announced today that
senior Nikki Heffernan (Londonderry, N.H.) and junior Jen McBrien
(Medfield, Mass.) will captain the Gulls women’s basketball
team in the 2011-12 season.
Endicott is coming off a 17-10 record last season, including a
10-3 mark in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC). For the
second year in a row, however, they were upset at home in the first
round of the CCC tournament by Regis College. The Gulls will look
to their veteran captains for leadership as they attempt to win
their first conference title.
“I am very excited about the leadership we have chosen for
the upcoming 2011-2012 season,” said Hutchinson.
“ Though Nikki and Jen will be guiding a young team this
year, they are up for the challenge and I foresee them learning a
lot about themselves in the process as well.”
Nikki Heffernan, Sr., Guard, Advertising
Heffernan has played in 61 games in her career, starting in 27 of
them and has averaged 14 minutes of playing time. She is a career
.381 shooter from behind the three-point arc and a .374 shooter
from the field. She has 104 career assists and 35 steals while
scoring 121 points in three years. Last season Heffernan started
every game for the Gulls, averaging 3.5 points a game and leading
the squad with 77 assists.
Coach Hutchinson says, “Nikki brings a veteran
perspective and has already done a great job stepping up. I
will be looking to her a lot as our lone senior.”
Jen McBrien, Jr., Guard, Biotechnology
McBrien has played in 54 games for the Gulls in two seasons and
has averaged over three points and two rebounds a game. She has
shot .400 from the field (80-200) and has scored 178 points in her
career. Last season she started eight games, averaging fifteen
minutes of playing time while dishing out 44 of her 64 career
assists. McBrien also has nineteen steals in each of the past two
seasons.
Coach Hutchinson says, “Jen is in a perfect position to
be the medium between team and coach. Her work ethic and
competitive edge are infectious and she has been a vocal leader
since her freshman year.”
The Gulls will begin their 2011 campaign on November
19th and 20th when they battle the hosts and
other regional competition at the Brandeis Invitational.