On the eve of the 1999 Pennsylvania Athletic Conference final, a landmark moment in the history of the women’s basketball program was relived. The team gathered at an on-campus apartment to watch a video of the 1995 conference championship game.
“It was a source of motivation for us,” said Melissa Posse. “There were so many great players on that team. We got together for dinner, and just sat back and watched. It really meant a lot to us.”
The following night, Posse poured in 18 points and corralled 13 rebounds as the Cavaliers captured their first PAC title since 1995. Despite all of the success, that night stands out most for her during her career at Cabrini.
“Without that championship, I would have felt like my career was incomplete,” Posse said. “We took a few tough losses in the semifinals my freshman and sophomore seasons, so coming in as the underdogs and winning on the road was really special.”
Posse made an instant impact as a Cavalier. After averaging a double-double with 18.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest in 1995-96, she was named PAC Player of the Year and earned first-team all-conference accolades as a freshman.
As a junior, she tallied 23.3 points a game, ranked seventh in the country. She finished third nationally with 16.3 rebounds per outing and shot a blistering 60.7 percent from the field, sixth best among all NCAA Division III players.
Posse was twice selected a Kodak Honorable Mention All-American and was named first-team All-PAC four times. She is Cabrini’s all-time leader in career points (2,077) and rebounds (1,295). With Posse as a Cavalier, Cabrini posted a 77-29 overall record and thrice qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
“I played with a lot of great teammates at Cabrini,” Posse said. “I was fortunate to be on a lot of great teams and play for a hard-working coaching staff.”
Nearly a decade later, she remains a fixture in the NCAA yearly annals. Posse ranks 18th on the single-season rebounds (425) list, 12th in career rebounds (1,295), 19th in career field goal percentage (.595) and 22nd in career rebound average (12.3). She was awarded the NCAA Statistical Champion honor in 1996-97, recording a 62.9 percent scoring clip from the field.
However, Posse admits that a career full of honors would have been all for naught without that conference trophy in 1999. But even more satisfying, it was a symbolic moment of that title run that tasted extra sweet.
“You can’t beat cutting down the nets at Gwynedd-Mercy.”
