“We try to take a special trip once every three-to-four years,” said Berry head coach Jonathan Norton. “We hope that the trip serves as a learning experience as well as a competitive experience.”

The Lady Vikings will learn a lot about themselves on this trip. The team faces some stout competition at the tournament. It will be the first time that the Berry women’s team has ever faced any of the teams in the tournament.

“When we were looking for tournaments, Salt Lake City really caught my eye,” said Norton. “It is a beautiful location with lots of sight-seeing opportunities for us to do as a team. As well as a three game guarantee against some top competition.”

In the opening game the Vikings take on their first ranked opponent of the season in No. 10 Lewis-Clark State. The game will tip at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (2 p.m. MST).

The second game for the Vikings will pit them against Montana-Western. The Bulldogs from Dillon, Mont. were picked No. 6 in the Preseason NAIA National Poll. The teams are set to clash at 6 p.m. EST (4 p.m. MST).

Berry finishes the tournament against the hosts Westminster at 6 p.m. EST (4 p.m. MST) on Saturday.

“I’m looking for a few things from this trip,” said Norton. “I am looking for some competitive games against some top teams as we try to prove that we belong back in the top 25 rankings.”
The Vikings finished the 2005-06 season as the No. 20 team in the country.

For the Vikings it is a trip filled with several first. This is the longest trip for the women’s basketball team in school history. Additionally, for a pair of Lady Vikings this will be the first time they have taken a plane flight in their lives.  Even for coach Norton this is his first trip to Salt Lake City.

“I hope that this is a learning experience on and off the court for the team and especially for our six freshman,” said Norton. “This should serve as a great team builder with all the travel the time spent with each other as a team.”

Norton’s sentiments are echoed by his players as well. For Mallory Ranfos a senior from Woodstock, Ga., who currently leads the Southern States Athletics Conference in both points and assists per game, the trip is an opportunity to bond with her teammates.

“We’re excited about taking the trip, it should be a memorable experience,” said Ranfos. “I am excited about the challenge of facing two top ten teams, but I also think it will be a fun experience just flying, traveling and sight-seeing with the girls.”

Prior to this trip the longest basketball trip that Ranfos had taken was to Palm Beach, Fla. A trip one-third the distance as the trip to Utah.

For freshman guard Larken Logan, from Cohutta, Ga. this is the longest trip she has ever taken. The longest trip she remembers is one to Cincinnati (357 miles). She has also never flown in a plane before.

“I’m not nervous about flying,” said Logan. “I’m just worried that my luggage might get lost or that I might leave something important here [at Berry]. Overall though, I’m really just excited to fly.”

The trip stands to benefit the Berry team in many ways both personally and athletically. For coach Norton it is worth the expense to try and bring his team together, while still facing quality opponents.

“No matter what, this should go a long way towards preparing our team, especially our younger players, for road games in the SSAC,” said Norton. “It is also good preparation for the SSAC and NAIA tournaments in February and March.”

The Vikings games will be webcast live over the internet via the Westminster women's basketball website.

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