TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's basketball team opens its Liberty League schedule this weekend, hosting St. Lawrence and Clarkson. The Engineers take on the Saints on Friday (6pm) and the Golden Knights on Saturday (2pm) as they look to defend their conference championship title. Picked to finish first in the pre-season conference polls, RPI went 10-4 in the conference last season on its way to the program's second NCAA appearance.

Under the direction of 10th-year head coach John Greene, the Engineers enter this weekend's action with a record of 4-7, having played one of the conference's toughest schedules thus far. RPI has played three nationally ranked programs through 11 contests, including the nation's top-ranked team, Amherst College and current #4 Williams College. Four of the squads on the Engineers' first-half schedule also played in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Rensselaer is led in scoring by junior guard Sarah Wetmore (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional), who is averaging 16.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest – both team high's. She has also posted 17 assists, two blocks and 19 steals, while averaging 32.1 minutes per game as a starter in all 11 games. 

A three-time Liberty League Performer of the Week this season, Wetmore is among the conference leaders in a number of categories, including third in in scoring and fourth in rebounding. She is also fifth in defensive rebounds (4.82), sixth in offensive boards (2.91), eighth in free throw percentage (74.6%) and 10th in steals.

Transfer guard Linda Larsen (Kobenhavn V., Denmark/Himmelev) is second on the squad in scoring at 12.1 points per contest. In addition to a 4.0 rebounding average in eight games, she leads the team in steals with 22 and has added 21 assists while averaging 33.8 minutes per game. Currently ranked second in the league in steals, Larsen has been named a league Performer of the Week once. 

Rounding out the top three is junior forward Hillary McKinley (Quinebaug, CT/Tourtellotte Memorial), who leads the team in blocks with 14 and is second in rebounding, averaging 6.0 boards per contest. A two-time conference Performer of the Week selection, she is also averaging 8.5 points per game with 16 steals.

McKinley has posted the second-best field goal percentage in the conference through 11 games, sinking 41 of 74 shots (55.4%). She is also fifth in blocks and 10th in rebounding.