Just like every other college basketball program, the Capital University women's basketball team started practice on Oct. 15, but one could argue the season started in May.

That's when the Crusaders, who enter the 2012-13 season with high hopes after placing fourth in the Ohio Athletic Conference with an 18-9 record, including a 12-6 mark in league play, embarked on a 10-day tour of Italy. In addition to playing three games, Capital student-athletes, coaches and staff enjoyed touring a number of Italian cities, including Venice, Florence and Rome, enjoying sites like the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Capital coach Dixie Jeffers, who enters her 27th season at the helm of the program, said the experience brought the team together and contributed to the overall cohesiveness of the team, a trait she sees as a strength of the program.

"You get to see the kids in a different light and they get to see the coaching staff in a different light," Jeffers said of the experience. "It just builds a little more of a camaraderie. Everybody's comfortable with one another and everyone's comfortable saying what they want to say, but the work habits are still there and there's a mutual respect."

The Crusaders return three of five starters from last season, including the team's lone seniors, guard Rebekah Will and forward Stacy Timmerman, whose leadership will be important for a team welcoming seven freshmen to the fold.

"Stacy is definitely not a verbal-type leader, while Bekah is more of our verbal, emotional leader," said Jeffers, who became the seventh coach in Division III history to reach 600 wins last season. "Both of these kids have come back in the best shape they've ever been in. This is their senior year, and they want to leave a legacy."

Despite the youth of the team, Jeffers sees added depth in the 2012-13 team – the team often played just six or seven players a year ago – as well as improved athleticism.

Capital will be tested early with a rigorous non-conference schedule, including games against 2012 NCAA qualifiers Centre (Ky.) on Nov. 23, Thomas More (Ky.) on Nov. 24 and Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Dec. 31. The Crusaders open the conference schedule on Dec. 5 at home against Heidelberg, with a home game against defending league champion Mount Union, the team that knocked Capital out of the OAC Tournament last season, looming on Dec. 22.

See below for a personnel breakdown of the 2012-13 Capital University women's basketball team.

Backcourt

Will (Millbury, Ohio) and junior Cookie Geroski (Fostoria, Ohio) return as starting guards, while the third guard spot is up for grabs after the preseason knee injury suffered by talented freshman Simonne Gage (Dayton, Ohio).

Last season, Will emerged late in the conference season as one of the Crusaders' most reliable scorers, posting double figures in six of her last 10 games, including a career-high 20 at Wilmington. She finished with averages of 8.9 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest while leading the team with 56 steals and knocking down a team-high 22 three-pointers.

Geroski earned honorable mention All-OAC a year ago and will start for the third consecutive season. She averaged 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and shot 41.1 percent from the floor and 74.6 percent from the free throw line. Geroski, who had a nearly 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (96-to-49) last year, will be relied on for more scoring this season.

Sophomore Shelby Sheets (Fayetteville, Ohio) will compete against freshmen Nina Napolitano (Akron, Ohio) and Shelby Sigman (Bellbrook, Ohio) for minutes at the third guard spot. Sheets appeared in all 27 games in 2011-12, averaging 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds.

Sophomore Erin Maldonado (Cleveland, Ohio), who appeared in 12 contests a year ago, also projects to be in the rotation at guard. Freshman Julie Duren (Union, Ohio) will compete for playing time as well.

Frontcourt

Timmerman (New Bremen, Ohio) and junior Jamie Caton (Hilliard, Ohio) form Capital's starting duo on the blocks. Sophomores Monica Heckman (Pitsburg, Ohio) and Cassie Prenger (Versailles, Ohio) also return for the Crusaders.

A two-year starter, Timmerman is the team's top returning scorer from last season, when she averaged 9.8 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds. Timmerman, who earned All-OAC honorable mention as a sophomore in 2010-11, shot 46.9 percent from the field and showed solid passing ability with 61 assists.

Caton was the first player off the bench for last season's team, averaging 9.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. She looks to emerge as a primary playmaker for the Crusaders while replacing the consistency of first-team All-OAC selection Shalena Hawkins.

Heckman played in 15 games in 2011-12, and Prenger returns this season after being held out all last season with a knee injury.

Several freshmen look to earn minutes in the frontcourt, including Kristen Thompson (Cincinnati, Ohio), Kristin Reisinger (Washington Court House, Ohio) and Steph Irwin (Carmel, Ind.).