UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Amari Carter, Leah Knizner, Sarah McMurtry, Teniya Page and Kayleigh Semion are the five seniors that make up almost half of the Penn State Lady Lion 12-player roster.
This group has accomplished many milestones on the court together, and has become close friends off the hardwood. What makes them unique to many teammates and coaches is just how different in personality they all are.
"That they are all different is the biggest thing I think about them," junior guard Jaida Travascio-Green said. "They are a lot of fun. I'm a junior, so I've been here for three years and I don't know playing here without them so it will definitely be an adjustment for me next year on and off the court. They've been people who have really helped me my first couple years get acclimated with Penn State, especially my freshman year. Them being gone will be weird but they've been a lot of fun to play with."
It is no coincidence that after some thought about what stuck out this group the most, head coach Coquese Washington had an almost identical breakdown.
"They are really different personalities and that's what has been fun about this class is watching their growth and their development as young women," Washington said.
It was even hard for Washington to point exactly why that is what stood out about them. From multiple WNIT runs, to almost a handful of honors on postseason Big Ten teams, what stands out is the unique mix of personalities within the group.
How those personalities have meshed, molded and created a senior class that makes up such a large amount of this team's roster would be an interesting case study. Washington just sees a great group of friends.
"The thing that connects this senior class is the fact that they are all different," Washington said. "They have different personalities, on and off the court, but they have developed a very strong bond with each other. They're a close knit class. I think that's pretty cool that they are all kind of different but they have this bind that they've created over their time here and I think that bind will stick with them once they leave Penn State. They will be friends for a long, long time."
In both personalities and Penn State basketball experience the group could not differ more as well. Page and Carter were both heralded recruits out of high school who knew each other from USA basketball tryouts in their sophomore and junior year of high school. Knizner, McMurtry and Semion all joined the team as walk-ons and have impacted the team in many different ways.
McMurtry is a two-time captain as a sophomore and junior and was awarded the team's sportsmanship award in 2016 and 2017. Semion was a member of the club basketball team and a manager for the Lady Lions prior to earning a roster spot her junior year. McMurtry and Knizner both tried out for the team as freshman following the club basketball tryouts and made the team. Both had fathers who played Penn State sports and were able to represent Penn State as athletes as well.
"Just such an unexpected blessing and just an unbelievable amount of positives that come out of playing at a University like this with its legacy and its greatness," McMurtry said on what playing for the Lady Lions has meant to her. "Growing up as a fan and knowing all that and now being able to be such a big part of it has been awesome. I really can't put it into words because it's just such a blessing on my life."
Whether former walk-on or heralded recruit, this group has grown together and become a unit that Washington is proud of.
"That's what you want as a college coach," Washington said. "We're not coaching pros. We're not expecting them to come in and perform a job and if they do it well great. The biggest part of coaching for me is that growth. It's helping them transition from teenage girls into young women. From the 17-22 years old they are going to grow tremendously and helping to navigate them through that, is the part of coaching that I love and enjoy the most."
With the season winding down the Lady Lions are trying to send the senior class off the right way. And, despite the potential of postseason play, the seniors can feel their Penn State careers turning to the home stretch.
"I think any time you're in something for a certain amount of time the people that you started with and see it coming to an end it's sad," Carter said. "It's been a long journey but it's been fun, there's been some ups and downs but I'm glad that we were able to get as close as we did off the court."
