Oregon State's LaVonda Wagner Receives Contract Extension

Three starters return off of last year’s team, including junior point guard Mercedes Fox-Griffin.

Photo: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State University’s women’s basketball head coach LaVonda Wagner has been awarded a one-year contract extension through the 2012 season, OSU Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis announced Friday.

Wagner is heading into her third year at the helm of the program.

“Anybody who has watched Coach Wagner’s teams play has to be impressed by the passion and determination they exhibit on the floor,” De Carolis said. “This is an exciting time to be a fan of the program with the young talent developing and the influx of excellent recruits. I’m very impressed and pleased with the direction this program is headed, academically and athletically.”

Wagner’s two previous teams have exceeded all expectations on the court.

Her 2006 team advanced to the WNIT, making the fifth-biggest improvement in the nation from the previous year with 16 wins.

Last year’s team was selected to finish 10th in the conference for the second year in a row, however the Beavers concluded the year in eighth place with a nine-player roster that included five freshmen – one of the youngest teams in the country.

“My staff and I have been presented with a terrific opportunity to rebuild the women's basketball program into a competitive team on and off the floor,” Wagner said. “With the continued support of our administration we are very confident our vision will become a reality. We are committed to working hard to make `Beaver Nation’ proud of this program.”

Three starters return off of last year’s team, including junior point guard Mercedes Fox-Griffin.

Fox-Griffin recently participated in the USA Basketball Women’s Under 21 National Team Trials and concluded her sophomore season among the national leaders for assists.

The cast of returning student-athletes will be joined this fall by one of the best recruiting classes in the recent history of the program.

The new faces for 2007-08 include forwards Alex Mitchell from Berkeley, Calif., Brittany Eskridge from Mill Creek, Wash., and Viki Wohlers from Wolfenbuettel Germany (via Conserve School Wisconsin), and guards Kassandra McCalister of Sunnyvalle, Calif., and Talisa Rhea of Juneau, Alaska.

Wagner also welcomes back junior forward Tiffany Ducker, who missed last season for personal reasons.

While the team continues to make strides on the court, it has excelled in the classroom.

The overall team GPA for winter term was 3.21, the highest for the program since 1995, followed by a 3.16 performance for spring term.

The season officially opens Nov. 10 at legendary Gill Coliseum against the Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Mustangs.

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