LOUDONVILLE, NY – In celebration of its Ruby Anniversary throughout the 2020-21 academic year, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will be unveiling its 40th Anniversary Teams this summer to highlight some of the league's all-time great student athletes and coaches from the 24 sports in which the league crowns champions. The MAAC 40th Anniversary Women's Basketball Team features five Siena legends in Gunta Basko, Kim Colunio, Melanie Halker, Liene Jansone, and Liz Lops.
 
"We are proud at the MAAC to be celebrating excellence both on and off the field for 40 years," said MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor. "It's a true testament to all of the coaches, administrators, and student-athletes who have made this possible over the last four decades. Their hard work and dedication has made the MAAC what it is today; a conference that celebrates their outstanding efforts in 24 unique championships every year. I'd like to thank all of those people who have played a part in shaping the MAAC into what it is today. Despite the challenges presented in the current climate with the COVID-19 pandemic, the future of the MAAC is strongly cemented in the commonality of our member institutions and commitment to the mission of the conference."
 
Gunta Basko (1999-03)
A 2012 Siena Hall of Fame inductee, Basko sits third all-time on Siena's scoring list tallying 1,833 total points over four seasons in the Green and Gold. The Olaine, Latvia native was once considered one of the top players in the entire country. The two-time MAAC Player of the Year was also twice named a District II Kodak All-American, all while finishing her career among the program's best in most categories. Basko would finish second in rebounds (1,027), third in free throws (374), second in blocks (125), and third in steals (265). She would lead the Saints to their only NCAA appearance in 2001 after winning the MAAC Tournament, and two other WNIT appearances in 1999 and 2002. She would also accumulate multiple other All-MAAC honors, including MAAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2001-02.
 
Kim Colunio (1991-95)
Just two years after the Saints joined the MAAC, Colunio became a force in the post for Siena ending up 11^th on the all-time scoring list in program history. Colunio's 1,311 points top her resume, as she also finished 20^th on the career rebounds list with 628. She would earn two All-MAAC First Team honors in her junior and senior seasons, one of which she would score 557 points. That mark she would reach in her senior season in 1994-95 still stands as the fifth best single season scoring performance in program history. Her accomplishments on the court would lead to an induction into the Siena Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.
 
Melanie Halker (1995-99)
A 2005 Siena Athletics Hall of Fame selection, Halker is the program's all-time leader in rebounding (1,122), second all-time scorer (2,021) and currently sixth all-time in scoring and rebounding in MAAC history. A two-time MAAC Player of the Year (1997-98, 1998-99), she was also a three-time First Team All-MAAC selection (1996-99) and the 1995-96 MAAC Rookie of the Year. Halker would help the Saints to a pair of MAAC regular season championships (1997-98, 1998-99) and their first WNIT appearance in 1999. She would lead the program in scoring each of her four years, finishing her career averaging a double-double (18.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg). Her and Mary Gaudreau would stand as the only two 2,000 point scorers in program history.
 
Liene Jansone (2000-04)
From Riga, Latvia, Jansone quickly became a sensation winning MAAC Rookie of the Year in 2000-01 while also earning All-MAAC Third Team honors. From there, she would become a force in the MAAC, winning a pair of All-MAAC Second Team selections sandwiched around an All-MAAC First Team and Player of the Year honor in 2002-03. Also adding an MAAC Sixth Player of the Year honor to her resume, she would finish sixth on the all-time scoring list with 1,639 total points. She would score 569 total points in 2002-03 when she earned her Player of the Year honor, which ranks fourth all-time for a single season in program history. Jansone is the all-time leader in field goal percentage (.591), and also ranks fourth in rebounds (867), fifth in field goals (639), seventh in free throws (345), and eighth in free throw percentage (.777). She would earn her way into the Siena Hall of Fame in 2012 along with former teammate Gunta Basko.
 
Liz Lops (1990-94)
At the time she stepped off the court for the final time for Siena, Lops was the second-highest scorer in program history. She currently sits fifth all-time, scoring 1,702 career points as she helped usher in the Saints into the MAAC. Lops would lead the program in scoring three years in a row from 1991 through 1994. She would finish her career with 915 rebounds and is the program leader in free throws (549). In 1993-94, Lops would earn a Kodak All-American Honorable Mention, MAAC Player of the Year honor, and her second All-MAAC First Team selection en route to helping Siena to their first MAAC regular season championship in program history. The previous MAAC Rookie of the Year in 1990-91 would earn her way into the Siena Hall of Fame in 2000.
 
The MAAC was founded in 1980 by six charter members: the U.S. Military Academy, Fairfield University, Fordham University, Iona College, Manhattan College and Saint Peter's College. Competition followed one year later in the fall of 1981, with the charter members competing in the sports of men's cross country and men's soccer. On January 2, 1982, Army traveled to Iona for the first MAAC men's basketball game and the MAAC story had begun. Siena College first joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in select sports beginning with the 1989-90 academic year, and currently sponsors 21 athletic programs which compete in the MAAC.
 
The MAAC is currently comprised of 11 full time member institutions and 17 associate members, crowning champions in 24 sports. Current members include Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.
 
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