Pictured Above: Front Row (Left to Right) – Jeanene Camisa-Healy, Cynthia Quinlan, Maureen "Moe" Coughlin-Hannafin, Celise Obey-Lundy, Claire Magner-Hannan, Alice Burgos-Coughlin, Kassie Hornbuckle; Back Row (Left to Right) – Head Coach Gela Mikalauskas, Jennifer Baldwin-Dawson, Chris Anderson-Franzreb, Tonya Smith, Ingrid Faller-Egnot, Cathy Guerriero, Kathleen McLaughlin-Ford, Assistant Coach Sue Salg
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After opening the season with four consecutive losses, head coach Gela Mikalauskas' squad reeled off 14 straight wins in claiming both the NEC regular season and tournament. Wagner finished the magical season with a 22-7 record.
 
That championship season was highlighted by a combination of senior leadership and determination which blended to make the Shehawks, as they were then known, the class of the conference. Narrow back-to-back losses to Fairleigh Dickinson (70-69) and Monmouth (65-63), during a four-day span in January and by a combined four points, were the only blemishes on a 14-2 NEC regular season ledger.
 
Following the January 21 loss to Monmouth, Wagner would not lose again, closing the regular season with 12 straight wins to gain the top seed and accompanying homecourt advantage in the NEC Tournament. In the semifinals, Wagner ran past Fairleigh Dickinson 66-43 before staving off Robert Morris 66-60 in the championship game.
 
The same team that endured a 106-43 loss at Saint Peter's in the season's second game back on November 29, would go on to etch its name and cement its legacy, for all time, in Wagner athletic lore. Not an especially overpowering unit, the Sheahawks' 22 wins came by an average margin of 4.9 points. They just knew how to win.

 
Coughlin turned in one of the finest all-around seasons in Wagner history, scoring 17.7 points per game, handing out 78 assists while making 57steals. The aggressive, penetrating 5-6 dynamo had a penchant for drawing fouls in traffic and was nearly automatic from the free throw line, shooting 84.6 percent from the charity stripe. Leaping 5-10 forward/center Cynthia Quinlan joined Coughlin on the All-NEC Team, averaging a double-double with 15.0 points and 11.6 rebounds. The slender inside force set Wagner and NEC records by shooting 60 percent from the floor. In the two NEC Tournament games, Quinlan contributed 28 points and 30 rebounds.
 
Obey had a deadly turnaround jump shot and canned 83.3 percent of her charity tosses while Hornbuckle turned in valuable minutes alongside her in the frontcourt. Anderson became the team's designated bomber, nailing 29-of-63 three-point attempts, a 46 percent clip. Magner was the team's top playmaker, dishing out 152 assists while running Wagner's fast break with near-perfect precision.
 
Ingrid Faller, a 5-10 junior forward, was an integral and efficient performer who contributed 7.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while hitting on 49 percent of her shots from the field. Key reserves included 5-4 junior guard Alice Burgos, who dished out 112 assists, and 5-10 junior forward Jeanene Camisa. Further depth was provided by sophomores Cathy Guerriero and Kathleen McLaughlin, along with freshmen Tonya Smith and Jennifer Baldwin.
 
The 1988-1989 squad was a study in grit and determination. Picked as the conference favorites in the preseason poll, the team resiliently bounced back from early disappointment and went on to be called champions. Four of of its members -  Maureen "Moe" Coughlin-Hannafin, Cynthia Quinlan and Chris Anderson-Franzreb, along with Head Coach Gela Mikalauskas, would go on to gain entry into the Wagner Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
Throughout the last quarter century, the collective achievement authored by this memorable team has been well-told. It will be told again and again.