In a record-breaking season, RWU women’s basketball flexed a record of 17 wins and one loss, beginning the season on a 16 game winning streak. The lone blemish on the Hawks’ season comes at the hands of the Smith College Pioneers in a four-point loss.

Katie Galligan is a sophomore guard on the women’s basketball team. She has contributed to the team’s overall success by scoring a total of 239 points during her first year of competition, which was pushed off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This season has truly shown our competitiveness and love for the game,” Galligan said. “We have made a pretty historical start and it has shown us our true potential for the rest of the season.”

This week Galligan has been recognized as New England Women’s Basketball Association Co-Newcomer of the week and RWU Hawk of the Week.

Team culture plays a huge role in defining a team and aiding its success. What drives a team is an environment around them. If one person is giving their best on any given day for their team, their team will do the same for them which is a crucial experience in sports.

“Playing with a team who is very unselfish and shares the ball is what makes playing so enjoyable,” said Galligan. “We have four captains who all contribute different types of great leadership that complete the team.”

The team came into the season with a thirst for competitiveness after being held back for a year and their record proves just that.

“When not having games, it gave us a lot of time to prepare for this upcoming season and we are now experiencing the results of our hard work,” said Galligan. “We go into every game with the mindset that a win has to be earned and won’t be given to us. Our record won’t win us games, it’s how we perform together as a team.”

The Hawks traveled to Wenham, Mass. to take on Gordon College on Feb 2. The Hawks bested the Fighting Scots on Jan. 17 by 54 points and by 12 points on Feb. 2.