Meet the Newcomers Part 5: Simone Eli

Team Scavenger Hunt

Strong Woman Competition

Simone Eli

HELLO!! I’m Simone Eli from GENOA, Ohio...yes a local. I am the oldest of five children. My brothers are Nolan (17) and Connor (13). I also have two sisters, Athena(11) and Sophie(7). My parents are Art and Rebecca Eli and they both attended BGSU. My father played baseball for the Falcons as well. I graduated from Genoa High School, and am currently changing my major from Education to Journalism to hopefully Sports Broadcast someday.

Our first official practice was Friday, and right off the bat the transition from high school basketball to college basketball began. We started learning right from the get-go . . .many offensive plays as well as defensive formations. Going from nearly an all zone defense on my high school team to an ALL MAN college defense has been the biggest challenge of not only my basketball career, but probably life. =] We are greatly pushed every second of practice not only by our coaches, but by our teammates as well. We are a family, so always remembering that no matter what, we’re going to pick each other back up. One major difference between high school and college ball is the “togetherness” and the “enthusiasm” of everyone during practice. There is, almost all the time, a very positive atmosphere, and just brings everyone closer, and performing even better.

Since the summer started, and the fall has begun, I have made 16 best friends, whom I love to see every day. Among them, the other “freshies”, Danielle and I have become very close. From our Wednesday night Cougar Town episodes to our Sunday night Desperate Housewives, our random trips to Dairy Queen and our 3 am fire alarms sending us outside for 40 minutes in front of Kreischer . . . I have developed not only memories, but friendships that will last a LIFETIME!

Go Falcons!
Simone Eli =]

Meet the Newcomers Part 4: Jessie Tammerlano

Me and Chrissy

At a football game

Jessie Tammerlano

Hello, my name is Jessie Tamerlano and I am from North Royalton, Ohio. I have three sisters. My older sisters are Katie and Jackie, who is a junior on the soccer team here at Bowling Green. I also have a little sister Amanda who is a junior at North Royalton High School. My parents are Nick and Kathy Tamerlano. I went to North Royalton High School where I played four years of varsity basketball and soccer. My sophomore year, my sister Jackie and I made it to the state semis for soccer.

We had our first official practice last Friday the sixteenth, and it was an eye opener for my college career. I have never been through a three hour practice at one time. I just have to make sure my ADD does not set in. (just kidding) So far they have been going well, but very challenging. The upperclassmen really help us with the new plays and where to be on defense. Communication really makes a big difference in practice; it builds up everyone’s momentum and really gets people going.

From the start of the summer it was obvious that the team really got along. We were welcomed and became part of the family right away. It is a lot of fun being a part of this team, whether it’s eating in the café with the other freshmen or going out to team activities. The first thing we ever did, as a team, was a team scavenger hunt organized by Jess Slagle. All of us freshmen thought that we were going be have to do some type of initiation to get into BKB (our team "sorority"), but luckily it was nothing like that. It was a fun time that allowed us to get to know our upperclassmen teammates better and their way of letting us know that we were now a part of something very special. We already have so many great memories, such as the team golf outing, the lunch with the coaches (killing them in cornhole with Danielle Havel), and the new Sunday night routine of watching Desperate Housewives together. Since I have gotten here, I have watched the first three seasons so I am all caught up with Chrissy and Danielle (we like to pretend as if we are part of the show). The coaches sometimes make fun of our silliness off the court, but we know on the court we are able to take each other seriously.

I look forward to my first season as a Falcon!!

Roll Along!

Jessie Tamerlano

Meet the Newcomers Part 3: Allison Papenfuss

Nice try...get back in the weight room...

Tamika and Allison

Allison Papenfuss

Greetings Falcon Fans!

I am one of five newcomers on the team this year. I’m from nearby Whitehouse, Ohio and graduated from Anthony Wayne High School. After playing Bowling Green High School every year in my high school career it’s interesting to be attending the university just down the road. But, at the same time I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Even after so many weeks, the team is just amazing and you become so close to them and the coaching staff. It really is like a family.

With practice just starting it is definitely an adjustment. At first it was great to have some time to adjust with just classes and workouts, because at every turn we are reminded that this isn’t high school anymore. We are required to work harder in the weight room, in the classroom and on the court. The upperclassmen have set the bar pretty high for us! As the starting date for practice rolled around, nerves really started to come up; but when the date finally arrived, I was so happy to finally be playing again. This was the end of a long journey for me, as sadly, I was forced to sit out almost all of my senior year with a stress fracture in my leg, so to be playing pain free was very exciting for me.

Little did I know, the happiness of starting practice would die quickly when the first half hour of practice was more intense than the 2 hour practices I went through in high school. However, the team really comes together and the upperclassmen really look out for us. They make sure we understand everything, although we may annoy them with dumb questions sometimes, they never show it and are so patient with us.

There’s still a lot more practices to go before we are ready to play, and as much as I dread it, I’m so happy playing basketball and am so excited for the journey that we are on.

Roll Along,
Allison Papenfuss

Meet the Newcomers Part 2: Chrissy Steffen

Allison, Chrissy, Jessie
Chrissy and Jen

Chrissy Steffen

Hi my name is Chrissy Steffen, and I am the youngest of four children. I have three older brothers: John, Tim, and Mark. The past year I became an Aunt. I have a niece, Hailey, and a nephew, Michael. My parents are John and Patty. I also have a cat named Marley (he is now on Facebook). I attended Carmel High School in Indiana, and our team won the 4A state championship my junior year.

Our first official practice started on Friday, and it is definitely a different experience than a high school practice. They have been going well so far, and I’ve already learned so many new things (especially on the defensive end). I have never had to talk this much, but I really think it makes a huge difference in practice, and it helps get us through the sometimes long 3 hours. As Coach Miller would say, “A quiet court is a losing court,” but it’s never quiet with Coach Roos and her loud clap. :) The upper classmen really help all the “newcomers/freshmen” through practice, and teach us so many different things. I am excited to start basketball season!

There have already been so many good memories since I first started here at BGSU. We’ve had the strongwoman contest, the golf outing, an “over the hill” party, and just memories we get spending time with our teammates. There is a definite bond watching our weekly TV shows like Desperate Housewives (Kevin’s favorite show), Cougar Town (thanks to Coach Miller), Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice. We all even have an alias for the Desperate Housewives characters, hence the nicknames Susan and Bree for Danielle and me. I love BGSU so far, and the college atmosphere here, especially my 10x14 box of a dorm room. Life isn’t too bad here, even with classes and practices. My teammates make it all worth it, and are always there for support and leadership. The weight room isn’t half bad either, plus I have these monstrous guns now that Kevin can’t even match up to. This is definitely the place for me, and I can’t wait to experience what the next four years brings.

Go Falcons!!

Chrissy "Screen Magnet" Steffen

Meet the Newcomers Part 1: Danielle Havel

Tracy, D, and Lo
D and Chrissy...teammates again!

Danielle Havel

Hey, I’m Danielle Havel and a transfer student from Depaul University. My hometown is Carmel, Indiana. My parents are John and Melissa Havel; I have an older brother Eric who goes to Purdue University, and a twin sister Sarah who plays Volleyball at College of Charleston. A fun fact is that Chrissy Steffen and I played High School Basketball together where we won the 4A State Championship my senior year at Carmel High School.

Because I am a transfer student, I am not considered anything. It is always freshmen, sophomores, and Danielle. I classify myself as a freshman though, probably because I live in the dorm with all of them (it’s awesome by the way). We started official practice Friday of last week, and they are going fantastic. Even though practice goes for 3 hours, the team still manages to have fun while working. The practices here are much different then the ones I was used to at DePaul, but the philosophy is still the same: to work hard and win games.

The team is always so fun to be around, we all get along, and it helps make practice go that much faster. I have enjoyed events such as the golf outing, newbie’s lunch with the coaches and celebrating Tamika’s 22nd (over the hill) birthday. The lunch with the coaches was especially fun because Jessie Tamerlano and I destroyed all 4 coaches in cornhole that day.** Overall, I spend most of my time with the freshmen, where we all have different personalities but that is what makes us such a good fit. We do stupid things like create a facebook page for Chrissy’s cat Marley, and have famous team quotes such as: “Got it!!” or “What is going on?!” My transition from DePaul to Bowling Green has been well worth it, and the best decision for me. Whether it is the fun coaching staff, the college town of Bowling Green, or my teammates, there is never a dull moment in BG and I cannot wait for games to start!! (where I will be cheering on the sidelines!!)

Dhavel

**Just to clarify...What Danielle meant to say was that "Kevin and Brandi DOMINATED me and Jessie in cornhole that day and then took a victory lap around the yard."

How Many Candles are on that Cake???

Happy Birthday to Coach Miller!! Good thing he's in good shape...that's a lot of candles to blow out!! The staff took him out to lunch for his birthday, then he enjoyed a nice dinner out with his family. In between, the team attacked him with silly string. :) You look great for 29 Coach!!

Video Clips from Costa Rica!

It's about time! Some of the videos have finally been uploaded in between visits, recruiting, and workouts. Here is a glimpse of some of the fun from the team's foreign tour to Costa Rica in August. Enjoy!!