Despite having only two seniors on the team, the Metro women’s basketball team has started the 2009-10 season very strong and is in great position to make a postseason appearance. Several players on the team have emerged as leaders this season, especially senior guard Chelsea Williamson.

“Chelsea communicates with the players very well and has stepped up to the leadership role,” Head Coach Linda Lappe said.

She has learned from her experiences in high school and at SDSU and is now a starting guard for the ‘Runners in 2010.

Prior to playing for Metro the 5-foot-9 senior was a three-year letter winner in basketball at Boulder High School and played at SDSU for the 2006-07 season. While at Boulder, she played basketball, softball, participated in track and field and was a member of the Spanish and photography clubs.

Williamson lettered all four years at Boulder in softball and track and field. She participated on the leadership team for Faith Covenant Community Church of America.

In San Diego, she participated in basketball and track and field as a thrower. She transferred to Metro for the 2007-08 season.

“I was able to leave home and realize what I had and appreciate it, but I love Metro and it is a better fit for me,” Williamson said.

Williamson said she remains in contact with people from San Diego and loves her friends from there.

Williamson played limited minutes in a reserve role her first year as a Roadrunner and started almost every game during the 2008-09 season.

“Chelsea worked extremely hard after not playing much her first year at Metro,” Lappe said.

She scored in double-digits six times throughout the 2008-09 season and finished the year with an average of 6.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Williamson came into the 2009-10 season with three years experience and has used it to help the team to an 11-8 record. She and fellow guard Leandra Sands are the only two seniors on the team, but Williamson said the team is very close and years have not been an issue.

“We only have eight girls playing right now, so we don’t really see class,” Williamson said.

Her highest-scoring game so far this year was on Dec. 19 when the ’Runners played Montana State University at Billings. Against the Yellowjackets she scored 23 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists.

Although this was her best game statistically, Chelsea disagrees.

“No game stands out to me as my best this year,” Williamson said.

She approaches each game the same and through 19 games this season has averaged about 10 points, four rebounds and two assists per game.

The ’Runners can attribute some of their success to the ambitions they set at the start of the season.

“In the beginning of the year we set goals for ourselves, including making the NCAA tournament,” Williamson said. “Now that we can see the end and where the bar has been set, we are still shooting for our goal to make the tournament.”

The 2010 season will be the last collegiate year of basketball for Williamson, and she will begin to look at the future and what it may hold. She will graduate with a major in biology and minors in Spanish and chemistry. She would like to attend graduate school. She may stay on campus and pursue a physician assistant degree from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Williamson doesn’t have any plans of playing after graduation, other than recreationally with friends. The team’s next four games will be on the road, but Williamson can be seen in action Feb. 19 against Chadron State at the Auraria Events Center.