Jill Townsend ended her sophomore season with a major leg injury in the WCC semi-finals. Nobody knew if she would be able to compete by the start of the new campaign in October. Not only was she ready, but she ended her junior season as the West Coast Conference Player of the Year.
After thriving in a sixth-man role last year (9.4 points, 4.7 rebounds), Townsend stepped into the starting spot left by Chandler Smith this year. Much like Killian Tillie was dubbed Mark Few’s “problem solver,” Townsend was that reliable force for Lisa Fortier. She started all 31 games, averaged a team-best 12.