WALTHAM, Mass. – Kari Brekke (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North HS), Kolleen Bouchard (Houlton, Maine/Houlton HS) and Hartlee Meier (Southington, Conn./Marianapolis Prep), the team's three seniors, will serve as captains of the 2021-22 Bentley University women's basketball team, head coach C White announced.

"Our three seniors were voted the captains by the team," said White. "They have been leading this team in their own ways since the start of our preseason. They have earned the honor through their leadership and dedication to carrying on the legacy of Bentley women's basketball."

Brekke, a starting guard for Bentley during her first Falcon season in 2019-20 and at New Hampshire the previous year, was a third-team All-Northeast-10 selection as a sophomore. She led that team in scoring and complemented her 12 point-per-game norm with 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals a game.

"Kari has had the full respect of her teammates since the first day she arrived at Bentley," said White. "She leads by example and is one of our hardest workers. Her teammates are driven by her work ethic and grow from her maturity and poise on the court."

Bouchard was a key contributor off the bench as a sophomore, averaging 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds while playing over 14 minutes a game. She was very efficient from the floor, making 61 percent of her field goal attempts and seven of 12 from three-point territory.

"Kolleen is very good at thinking ahead and she gets ahead of any issues that might come up," praised White. "She has a strong understanding of our program expectations and cares deeply about imparting them on her teammates."

Due to injuries in her first two years and the pandemic that cancelled last season, playing time has been limited for Meier to date in her college career. She played in 12 games as a sophomore while averaging 2.0 points. Most of her shots came from downtown where she was seven of 16.

"Hartlee is a veteran leader so communicating to her teammates on and off the court comes very naturally for her," said White. "She really understands the game and is constantly helping her teammates, especially the younger players on the court."   

Bentley, ranked 22^nd in the WBCA Division II preseason coaches poll after a 19-9 season two years ago, opens its season Friday at home against Carlow College.