Women’s basketball senior shines on and off the court

With the departure of star duo Frannie Hottinger and Mackenzie Kramer, a new face is ready to have a breakout season for the Lehigh Women’s Basketball Team: Maddie Albrecht. 

Having been on the verge of a Patriot League playoff push, senior Maddie Albrecht was named Patriot Player of the Week this season and the Patriot League Academic Roll in her junior season. 

Albrecht was instrumental in handing Holy Cross its first conference loss in last Saturday’s game by a score of 70-60. In Saturday’s game against Boston University, Albrecht’s teammates picked her up when she was forced to leave the game early with an injury and went on to beat Boston University in an important conference game. 

. The senior guard has played an imperative role in the rotation this season, earning her first collegiate start and reaching career-high scores. A Montana native, Albrecht knew she wanted a college with strong academics and athletics. 

Basketball has been in the Albrecht family for generations. Maddie and her twin sister, Willa Albrecht, started playing basketball together at a young age. Her mother, Liz Walter, played basketball at Dartmouth and was named Patriot League Player of the Year in two consecutive seasons in 1986-87 and 1987-88.

“I started playing [basketball]in the third grade. My mom was my first coach for two years. We are a very sporty family.” Albrecht said. “I played a lot of sports growing up, but basketball was just the one that I was best at.” 

Although the twins both visited Lehigh’s campus during their recruiting process, playing alongside each other as kids, they knew they wanted to have their own paths in college. 

After a childhood playing by each others’ sides, the twins parted ways and Willa committed to play basketball at the University of Montana. 

“We always knew that we wanted to go to different colleges,” Albrecht said. “I think in high school there was a lot of comparison between the two of us, so we were definitely ready to go our separate ways.”

Senior guard Maddie Albrecht looks to pass to a teammate during the Feb. 3 contest against Boston University. Albrecht has been a key contributor to Lehigh’s offense this season. (Eddie Fuhrer/B&W Staff)

At Lehigh, Albrecht established herself as a key player, appearing in almost every game during her sophomore and junior years. As a senior, Albrecht has seen the first starts of her collegiate career — an area she’s excelled in. 

Junior guard Remi Sisselman shares the backcourt with Albrecht and says she appreciates her “team-first” attitude.  

“She makes everyone better. She is so even-keeled and doesn’t let any mistakes or the game get to her head,” Sisselman said. “We need her, we need her athleticism, her scoring, and her defense. She adds something to every single aspect on the floor and that is super special.”

Coach Glenn Rigney, the assistant coach and head recruiter for the team, praised Albrecht’s speed and athletic ability on the court.

“Maddie has a very strong ability to be very consistent and she’s an incredible athlete,” Rigney said.“This is my 20th year, which is a very long time, and she’s probably the fastest player we’ve ever had. She was a great high school track athlete and was even getting recruited to run track in college as well.”

Despite her fast-paced guard play on the court, Albrecht slows down her everyday life in small ways. She values creating genuine connections with her fellow teammates, a fact that junior guard Ella Stemmer said makes her an excellent teammate. 

“Albrecht loves the challenge and opportunity to get better, but she is also a very good teammate,” Stemmer said. “Even off the court, Maddie finds ways to make things fun and lighthearted, even if it is a small activity.”

She said Albrecht’s competitive and playful spirit brings her closer to all of her teammates.

“She is just really funny because she is so entertained by the little things. She is a big learner. We learned how to do a Rubik’s cube and now she’ll find herself doing that at our house sometimes,” Stemmer said.  “We’ll also have little competitions and it’s funny to see us get riled up over a game of rock paper scissors. Overall, she is such a good teammate. She might not be the most vocal on the outside, but on the inside you can tell she really cares for each and every one of our teammates.”

In the classroom, Albrecht studies biology and is planning to go to medical school or physician assistant’s school. She also spent her summer studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“My coaches were very supportive of me. I was there for a month, so I did plan my workouts a bit.  But, it was a really good experience, I loved it and I would recommend studying abroad to any student athlete,” Albrecht said.