Today we highlight women's basketball star Shannon Pierman, who is one of Region 19's top forwards and who has helped the Roadrunners off to a solid 13-2 start and an NJCAA Division III national ranking.
Year: Freshman
Position: Forward-Center / No. 33
Hometown: Woodstown, NJ
High School: Woodstown, Class of 2024
Major: Health Science, with the goal of qualifying for RCSJ's highly-competitive nursing program to start her sophomore year. She looks to continue both her academic and basketball careers at an NCAA four-year program following her RCSJ graduation.
Favorite Memory: Shannon enjoys being with her teammates on and off the court, having competed against some of her teammates while in high school and forming strong friendships here at RCSJ. She also enjoys country music and attending church.
About Shannon Pierman: The youngest of six children, Shannon developed her competitive spirit right within her own family -- all of this leading up to her successful career in basketball at Woodstown High School.
She has proven to be a major contributor for Coach Rich Cooper's Roadrunners, averaging 11.7 ppg, 10.5 rebounds per game, and collecting 14 steals while forcing 19 turnovers all told.
Prior to enrolling at RCSJ, Shannon played four seasons for Woodstown's Wolverines, where she helped to elevate the program to one of the best in South Jersey from 2022 through 2024. She scored 601 career points, and averaged 10.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during her senior season. During her junior year she also pulled down 227 rebounds in 28 games played.
During her tenure, she led the Wolverines to the school's first-ever South Jersey Group 1 sectional title with a convincing win at home over No. 2 seed Wildwood in 2023. As a senior, she led her team to another SJ Group 1 finals, collecting 24 points and 18 rebounds in a heart-breaking 54-53 loss at arch-rival Wildwood.
All told, Shannon played a key role in Woodstown soaring to a combined 72-24 record during her four seasons of competition.
"My experience at Woodstown was great and helped me adjust to the college game a lot faster," she commented. "Having been in championship games, I'm able to tune out the crowd noise when games get close, think everything through, and just play a lot smarter."
She also played one season of softball as a senior, while also seeing limited action in track and field
Shannon Pierman on Competing in Roadrunner Athletics: "I came here for two reasons -- we have a great nursing program, plus I wanted to play for Coach Cooper -- he's a great coach and he's helped me balance my academics well with the time we need to spend on the court. RCSJ has been a perfect fit for me!"
Coach Rich Cooper on Shannon Pierman: "Before she ever stepped on the court here at RCSJ, Shannon had plenty of championship-game experience at Woodstown," said Cooper.
"She has shown that in every game with her focus, her hard play, and her excellent work habits. We were fortunate to have a player like Shannon step right into our lineup and compete well at the college level and form strong bonds with her teammates."
