Women's Basketball

The Easton resident and Bentley University senior forward was one of roughly 9,000 athletes from 78 countries to take part in the 19th Maccabiah Games, held every four years for Jewish athletes.

Not only did Battista return to the U.S. on Aug. 1 in possession of a gold medal, she also has plenty of memories after taking part in one of the world's largest international sports competition.

"I didn't know what to expect going into it because it was so different than anything I had done in the past,'' said Battista, a two-time Div. 2 All-America at Bentley. "Obviously, I had never had the chance to play basketball overseas against different countries.

"Everything about the trip was just amazing. It was such an amazing experience, and I would do it again and again. It was great. It was so much fun. I definitely had the time of my life.''

From the glittering opening ceremonies on July 18 at Teddy Stadium with more than 30,000 spectators to being a starter on the undefeated gold-medal winning team, Battista enjoyed her first taste of international competition.

One of three Div. 2 players on a 12-woman roster, Battista earned a spot in the starting lineup and put her versatility on display in five victories.

The U.S. defeated defending champion Israel, 72-56, in the gold medal game when Battista had 11 points and seven rebounds. The Americans had earlier picked up an overtime win over Israel, two victories over Australia and another win over Canada.

Battista, one of the nation's top Div. 2 players since arriving at Bentley following a standout career at Oliver Ames High School in which she led the Tigers to a state championship, picked up valuable experience along the way.

"We were really talented,'' said Battista, who averaged about 10 points. "I was really fortunate that I got to start and play a lot. We had a lot of really good players from all over the place.

"I definitely learned a lot. It was a different style of play altogether. It took us a game or two to adjust to the type of play we saw and the refereeing and different international things we weren't used to.

"But it definitely helped my game a lot to play with different kids from different programs who have different styles of play from what I'm used to at Bentley. I got to work on my defense. I got to play against a lot of good players from the other countries.''

Next to winning the gold medal, what Battista will remember most is walking into the stadium with athletes from all over the world for an entertaining opening ceremony. U.S. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Aly Raisman of Needham lit the torch and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech.

"It was really awesome,'' said Battista of the ceremonies. "There was a whole show with Israeli and American celebrities. It was such a cool experience.''

When it was time to return home, Battista had something extra to bring back to Easton – the shiny gold medal.

"It's pretty cool,'' said Battista, whose parents, Tony and Carol, traveled to Israel for the Maccabiah Games. "A lot of people have asked about it. 'Is it real?' It hasn't really hit me how amazing it is yet.

"It was so cool to get my own medal and celebrate by holding up the American flag and representing the country. It's pretty sweet. It's defintiely something I'll hold on to forever. It's a nice memento for the whole trip.''