Conference Predictions: The Landmark Conference
The Landmark Conference gave us one of the more intriguing conference races of last season, with three top-tier programs—Elizabethtown, Catholic, and Scranton—all battling for the league title right down to the end. Catholic ended up with a one-game lead in first place, and finished 17-1 in Landmark play, with Scranton just behind at 16-2. Elizabethtown, who dealt with a lack of depth down the strength, came in third at 14-4. Catholic and Scranton both went to the NCAA Tournament, with Catholic reaching the second round, and Scranton making a run to the Elite Eight.
And while 2024-25 is a new season, the trio of programs in the mix last year are expected to be at the forefront again. It won’t surprise me if we see all three in the Preseason Top 25 poll, and all three in the NCAA Tournament come March. The Landmark will be deep, especially if Susquehanna gets into the mix (and I expect that they will).
But who’s going to win it? That’s a question I’ve been asking myself going back to when I assembled by Way-Too-Early Top 30…
Pick to Win: Catholic
Realistically, we’ll likely see a title race that comes down to a game or two. I can see a scenario where we have a two-way, or even a three-way, tie when it’s all said and done. That won’t surprise me at all. Ultimately, I’m leaning towards Catholic, in large part because of what we saw last year and the senior/grad student quarter returning for the Cardinals.
Catholic, whose 2024-25 roster is already published, brings back 73.2% of last year’s production, highlighted by junior Anna Scoblick, seniors Keegan Douglas and Carly Mulvaney, and graduate student Kerry Flaherty.
Those four were huge contributors on both ends of the floor, as Catholic both led the Landmark in scoring offense (75.0 PPG) and ranked second in scoring defense (54.5 PPG allowed). Their 17-1 conference record was no fluke, as we saw remarkable consistency from the Cardinals, starting with the 79-70 overtime win at Elizabethtown in late November. Douglas comes back as Catholic’s leading scorer at 13.7 PPG, and Scoblick averaged 11.1 PPG as a sophomore. Mulvaney (10.9 PPG) and Flaherty (9.6 PPG) are both key offensive threats as well, especially considering Flaherty was one of the Landmark’s top 3-point shooters. She made 56 3-pointers in her first season at Catholic after transferring from D1 Holy Cross.
Three of those four started all 29 games, and Douglas recorded 27 starts, with all averaging at least 26 minutes/game. Bringing back that level of quality depth in the starting lineup is huge, and Catholic is going to be a national contender again this season.
As for Elizabethtown and Scranton, both have a great chance at the Landmark title as well. ETown beat Scranton once last season and was one of the most efficient offenses in the league, with the No. 1 marks in FG%, 3pt %, and FT%. The Blue Jays enter 2024-25 led by Summer McNulty, an All-America candidate who ranked second in the league in scoring (15.2 PPG). The league’s top scorer is also back, headlining Scranton’s returning group, as Kaci Kranson averaged 15.8 PPG a year ago, taking charge as a sophomore. Kranson has been a big contributor since her freshman year for the Lady Royals, and will be crucial piece in Scranton’s push for a 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Summer McNulty, Elizabethtown: McNulty is not only extremely valuable to ETown’s offense as a shooter, but she also ranked second in the Landmark in assists (3.4/game) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6). Offense is about more than just shooting, and her ability to put her teammates in position to score, in addition to scoring the ball at a high rate herself, makes her one of the league’s top offensive players without question.
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Kaeli Romanowski, Scranton: The league’s leader in steals last season, with 3.2/game, Romanowski was a significant contributor to a Scranton defense that led the Landmark in defensive scoring average (47.5 PPG). Her 95 steals were the 11th-most nationally, and if Scranton is going to contend for the league title, it’s going to start with defense. Romanowski’s defensive ability allows her to go toe-to-toe with the league’s top guards, an aspect that will be key considering the quality guard play expected to be seen in the Landmark this season.
Picks so far → AMCC: PSU Behrend, A-R-C: Wartburg, ASC: ETBU, AEC: Marymount, Centennial: Johns Hopkins, CUNYAC: Baruch, C2C: Christopher Newport, CCIW: Illinois Wesleyan, CCS: LaGrange, CNE: Western New England, MACC: Messiah, E8: Nazareth, MACF: Stevens, GNAC: Albertus Magnus, HCAC: Berea, Landmark: Catholic
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