Co-captain Emily Haeuser: taking names and breaking records

The date: Nov. 21, 2009. The place: the Colby College Invitational in Waterville, Maine. It's halftime, and the Brewers are down by 17 points. Tensions are high, and the team can barely manage to chip away at Thomas College's lead. That is, until co-Captain Emily Haeuser '10 descended onto the court like a battle-crazed goddess and scored 10 consecutive points against the enemy. Haeuser's physical and tactical prowess decimated the opposing team, and with the help of her teammates, Haeuser led the Brewers to an inspiring comeback victory, scoring a career high 34 points in the process.

Haeuser, who has been dribbling on the court since she was drooling, was a captain and a senior all-star on her high school basketball team at South Portland High School. This tradition of excellence has continued as Haeuser was named to the Colby Invitational All-Tournament Team and received the honor of being named the Liberty League's Forward of the Week last week.

Haeuser is a basketball machine. When speaking of her mindset during a game, Haeuser explains, "I kind of break things down and focus on the mechanics of the game." Sitting with Haeuser, it becomes clear that her focus is entirely on her game. It's not about awards or titles or even being named Athlete of the Week, the highest of honors. Haeuser simply loves playing basketball, improving her game and being a contributing member of her team.

Women's basketball at Vassar has not seen the easiest of times in recent memory. Haeuser shares that, "the team has been through a bunch of coaches, and we have a high turnover rate of players. We're a young team." However, Haeuser sees young talent on her team and is excited by the prospect of its growth and development.

She openly admits that basketball played a huge role in her decision to attend Vassar. After sending colleges footage of her playing in high school, Haeuser was brought to Vassar for a visit, during which time she was able to play with the team in an open gym. Haeuser looks fondly upon this memory and describes the experience as "awesome" and "fun."

Haeuser cites the need for consistency and leadership in her own play. When speaking of her impressive run against Thomas College, Haeuser deflects a good deal of the glory onto her team, and even a bit of the credit, she says, goes to Lady Luck. Haeuser says that she hardly realized that she was approaching a career record until it had already happened. "The team's strategy was to get the ball to the tallest players [Haeuser herself], so it was a combination of luck and skill" she says without a trace of pride playing on her features.

Haeuser is unsure what the future holds for her in terms of basketball, but she knows that the sport has played a large and defining role in her education as an athlete, a student and a teammate. If you want to catch Haeuser in action, head to the Athletics and Fitness Center on Dec. 5 and watch the Brewers obliterate Brooklyn College.