Norwin grad hits ground running with Chatham women's basketball team

Aside from simply knowing where she was going to college, Alyssa Laukus was surrounded by unknowns when she arrived at Chatham.

How would she adapt to her class schedule and student life?

She was even more inquisitive as far as basketball went.

“I didn’t quite know what to expect coming into this season,” said Laukus, a first-year player from Norwin. “I was a freshman again and wasn’t sure I was even going to play. I thought even if I did play, I would be coming off the bench.”

She did come off the bench — for the starting five introductions.

Laukus found a critical role as the Cougars made a push for a conference title.

Question marks became exclamation points for Laukus in a bountiful rookie season.

”The results of this season were so much better than I could have ever hoped,” Laukus said. “I found my place on the team quickly and found myself getting a lot of playing time.”

After leading all freshmen in the Presidents Athletic Conference in scoring, Laukus was tabbed the PAC Newcomer of the Year.

Laukus averaged 11.4 points and ranked second in the conference with 35 blocks, while also averaging 5.9 rebounds.

“I was never a big scorer in high school, but at Chatham, I have found myself being one of the go-to scorers, which is something I never expected,” she said.

Laukus shot 52% from the field to lead the team and also was an All-PAC honorable mention pick.

Chatham finished 19-8 after reaching the conference championship and falling to Saint Vincent, 68-52.

That game followed an impressive upset of No. 1 Washington Jefferson in the semifinals.

Laukus had 12 points, four rebounds and three blocks in the upset win and added 15 points and four rebounds in 37 minutes at Saint Vincent.

Laukus scored in double figures 16 times, including a 20-point game against Grove City.

Against Allegheny, she had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“I would say the highlight of the season would be beating W&J in the semifinals,” Laukus said. “It was a really strong win for us and showed us just how good of a team we are.”