This St. Joe’s grad transfer crossed the 1,000-point threshold, but she’s not stopping there

St. Joseph’s was coming off a defensive possession as guard Chloe Welch ran down the court. As she passed the bench, she found her teammates standing and cheering for her.

It was a “cool moment” for Welch, who’d reached a career milestone moments prior. At the 6 minute, 52-second mark of the third quarter in the Hawks’ 66-45 win over Yale, Welch bagged her 1,000th career point with a jumper that put St. Joe’s up by four.

“They want to share that moment with me, and they cared about that moment for me,” Welch said. “It just shows how great of a team I have.”

Going into the game, Welch knew she was near the 1,000-point mark but did not spend much time thinking about it. It was not until she went into the locker room at halftime, and sophomore guard Emirson Devenie told Welch she was three points away, that she knew how close she was.

“I was trying not to focus on that because, obviously, I wanted to focus on winning the game,” Welch said.

Welch ultimately put up 25 points and eight rebounds in the rout.

“She was very determined that game. She was really playing some great defense that led to a spark on offense,” head coach Cindy Griffin said. “She was able to attack the basket on both sides of the floor.”

Junior forward Talya Brugler said Welch’s achievement serves as motivation for her teammates, especially with some of them also on track for 1,000 this season.

“Not only did we win, but she also scored her 1,000,” Brugler said. “It’s knowing that when we play well as a team, individual things will happen as well.”

The Hawks (3-0) have been doing exactly that, with Welch and sophomore forward Laura Ziegler leading in scoring with 15 points per game each.

Welch, a sixth-year transfer from Davidson, credited her strong start to the time she and her teammates spent preparing over the summer. Despite coming off an injury-ridden season in which she played in just seven games, Welch was confident going into the season at St. Joe’s.

“Our coaching staff does an amazing job putting me in positions and putting everybody in positions that are extremely game-like,” Welch said. “By the time I suited up my first game, I was very ready to go.”

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Griffin pointed out that Welch “has one year to make her mark here at St. Joe’s,” and she has already started to do so, filling some big shoes for the Hawks.

“[We] lose a six-year point guard in Katie Jekot, and then [we] gain a six-year player in Chloe Welch, which is phenomenal,” Griffin said.

Griffin also credited Welch’s previous experience and knowledge of the game for why Welch came in “very prepared and very focused.”

“When she came in the summer, I think she was really separating herself from a conditioning standpoint and from an effort standpoint,” Griffin said. “Just really trying to prove herself, and she did an unbelievable job of doing that.”

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Welch may have taken a step back to understand the “framework of what we’re trying to do,” Griffin said, but she felt she was able to transition almost seamlessly with her teammates through spending time with them, having meals together, and them constantly checking in on her.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Welch said. “We were here all summer all together, and immediately I felt very connected to all of them.”

The feeling is reciprocated by teammates like Brugler.

“Chloe has been a great addition to our team, especially after losing two of our starting guards last year,” Brugler said. “She’s come in with a chip on her shoulder and is giving us a really strong competitive balance to help us against a lot of competitors.”

Starting the season the way she and her teammates have, Welch is looking to keep the momentum going.

“It makes me really excited for the potential that we have in these in these next couple of weeks,” Welch said. “I can only imagine what will look like in March when we’re trying to compete for a championship.”