Ask seniors Stephanie Raymond, Mary Basic or Kristin Wiener about being named captains this season and they will modestly say that being elected was an honor, but just a title.

Dig a little deeper and it becomes clear that they all are taking the title very seriously.

They do have some big shoes to fill though, considering last season’s captain was the ultimate captain: Coach Carol Owens.

With last year being her debut season coaching, Owens thought it would be wise to bear the weight herself.

But this offseason, she found some suitable replacements.

“During the summer [the coaches] aren’t allowed to do anything but watch,” Owens said. “Stephanie and Mary really took it upon themselves to set the example and really organize things. Kristin is not only one of our most consistent players, but she is also one of the most physical players in the entire MAC.”

Though Owens liked those three, it was not her decision to make as to who got picked as captains. It was a team vote.

And being selected by her peers is what made the title extra special for Raymond.

“It’s a huge privilege knowing the team depends on us to lead them,” Raymond said. “I don’t look at the name as much as the responsibility. Captain is just a word and the responsibility along with it speaks for itself. It’s all about leading by example and playing the role of coach on the court.”

There’s no question how talented the trio is on the court, but what’s even more impressive is their attitudes off the court.

All three are the first to show up to every practice and often have a good sweat worked up before practice even begins.

“It’s important to set a good example on and off the court,” Wiener said. “I’m not very vocal but I like to lead by example and I think I do that.”

While Wiener may not think she is vocal, Owens has seen much improvement since last season.

It may seem like having three captains could make things confusing; however, it may turn out to be just the opposite.

“Communication in the team will be better since there are three captains,” Basic said. “You don’t always want the same person saying things over and over again so it’s good to have a point guard, wing and post player filling those roles. At the same time we all need to have each other’s back and be a unit.”

While they say the captain is supposed to go down with the ship, it’s tough to sink when there are three people holding that ship steady.