Penn women’s basketball is back and better than ever. The team’s new captains, senior guards Lizzy Groetsch and Stina Almqvist, emphasized how much the group has grown over the past year — and their readiness for the upcoming season.
Almqvist, who hails from Kinna, Sweden, had a standout season last year, playing in all 28 games and starting in 27. She led the Quakers in scoring, with an average of 15.3 points per game and came second in average rebounds per game at 6.4.
Groetsch praised Almqvist’s growth over the past year, emphasizing that her co-captain has not only grown as a player but as a leader.
Almqvist’s career accolades include winning second team All-Ivy last year, Ivy League Player of the Week on March 4, and earning Big 5 Player of the Week.
Prior to wearing the Red and Blue, Almqvist played professionally in Sweden, earning medals at the Swedish Championship, Nordic Championship, and European Championship.
Groetsch, from Sewickley, Pa., boasts a similarly spectacular career. Last year, she was one of three players to start all 28 games and placed third on the team for overall rebounds, totaling 131 over the season for an average of 4.7 per game.
She’s excited to serve as captain alongside Almqvist, who she calls her best friend off the court as well.
“Honestly, it's just a huge honor,” Almqvist said. “Since my freshman year, I've always looked up to the upperclassmen, and I've been really lucky to play with an awesome group of girls, so to be in that position to lead the underclassmen below me and carry on the tradition of Penn basketball is just a huge honor.”
The main way she believes her capacity on the team will shift in the coming year is being more vocal.
She added that she believes her experience will aid her the most as captain.
“I know what it feels like not to play, and I know what it feels like to play,” Groetsch added. “I'm battle-tested, so helping to steer the ship when things get rocky and keep everybody calm is my goal.”
Groetsch certainly has the chops to achieve her goal: A dynamic opponent, she excels on both sides of the court, from defense to racking it up on the score sheet. Groetsch has attributed some of her trademark toughness and grit to training with her dad and brothers growing up.
“I definitely think having two older brothers makes you a little bit tougher and helps you with some of the aggressiveness required in basketball,” Groetsch said. “My dad would be putting all of us through workouts ever since I was really young. I was just always in the gym watching my brothers play. Then I started to play.”
Coach Mike McLaughlin praised both captains for their growth over the years.
“When you see them both walk in as freshmen and see where they're at now in terms of maturity, their growth, their selflessness … I want them to lead by storytelling, telling [the team] where they once were, where they need to get to, what tough games look like, and the experience of being at Penn,” he said.
By leading the way through their experience, he hopes they will help the team grow better leaders and younger leaders.
“In order to be a great leader, you have to bring the best out in everyone,” he added. “So, I think we got two special ones.”
Groetsch recognized the impact of her predecessors, adding that last year’s captains — Jordan Obi, Floor Toonders, and Michaela Stanfield — were “awesome.”
“I feel like we just had a mentality of playing together and getting better every day,” she said. “It's something that's been instilled in all of us, just competing really hard every day, and that’s something Stina and I are trying to reinforce.”
She is looking forward to the team’s first game and added that the team has definitely grown a lot since her freshman year.
“Things are shaping up really well,” Groetsch said. “We're competing really hard and putting in a lot of work. Our goal right now is to get better every day and learn from each game and practice, and see how good we can get."
Penn women’s basketball will start its season this Friday at home against Merrimack.
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