The freshman year of college is always full of the unknown and it was no different for Sandra Gee, who graduated from Emmaus and was a big part of their basketball team. After graduating, Gee headed for Montclair State to continue both her education and basketball career.

Last season, Montclair went 19-8, but that didn't prepare Gee for the success they would have in her freshman season. This year's version of the Red Hawks went 29-1, with their only loss coming this past Friday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division 3 Sectional Tournament. The 83-70 loss to Christopher Newport University ended the Red Hawks' season, closing the chapter on Gee's first year of college basketball.

"It was so great," said Gee of her first season at Montclair. "The college game is a lot faster and the players are a lot bigger. It was tough to get used to the speed of the game and there's a lot to know. There are a lot more plays."

Many times, freshman players don't hit the court too much for their team, but Gee played in 27 games and finished third on the team in blocks with 18. All of that came after Gee suffered an ankle injury following her senior season at Emmaus, which put her freshman year into some doubt. But the ankle healed well and didn't put a damper on her season. Looking back, Gee is confident that she made the right choice to attend Montclair, even though she never had a clue that they would have the success that they had in her freshman season.

"I never knew they were going to be this good," said Gee, who also found a way to learn the ropes around school and tackle her classes. "In Division I, they have people to help athletes with things. But at this level, you have to handle it all yourself, so it's tough.

"The best part was the travel. It gave me a chance to go to places that I never would have gotten to go to and I really enjoyed that."

Another big memory for Gee came when Montclair won the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship, giving her a chance to participate in cutting down the net, something Gee had dreamed of doing.

"That's always been a dream of mine," said Gee. "That was great to get to do that and be a part of a championship team. I'm so proud of what we did this season, it was amazing."

Had Montclair not lost in the Sweet 16, it would have given Gee the opportunity to see an old friend from high school, swimmer Taylor O'Brien, who is now at Indiana University. O'Brien, who qualified for the 2013 NCAA Swimming Championships to be held later in March, was going to meet up with Gee on Saturday had the Red Hawks won their Friday night game.

"Taylor's doing really well and I haven't gotten to see her, so that would have been great, but unfortunately, it didn't happen," said Gee.

O'Brien is doing very well, as her spot in the NCAA Championships would attest. O'Brien won a gold medal in the 500-yard freestyle at last season's PIAA Championship and she will compete in that event at the NCAA Championship, in addition to swimming in the 1,650-yard freestyle.

Two of Gee's teammates from last season's Emmaus basketball team also went on to play college ball. Shaniece Jackson played in 12 games for Shippensburg this season. The Red Raiders were eliminated from the PSAC Tournament after a quarterfinal loss to Millersville last week.

Leah Horton, who led last year's Hornets team in scoring, had a tough first season at Temple. Horton played in three games and suffered a concussion that put her on the bench for a stretch of time. What Horton didn't know was that was when her season ended as coach Tonya Cardoza dropped Horton from the roster due to concerns over her conditioning. Cardoza made the decision to drop Horton in February, but didn't eliminate the possibility that she could return to the team next season.