Strumpf Cheney, Gail

After watching her sister Dionna excel in basketball at Masuk High School in Monroe, CT in the early 90s, Gail Strumpf knew she wanted to follow in her footsteps. Little did she know that basketball would bring so much to her life.

At Masuk, Gail was a standout basketball and softball player, earning all-state honors for both sports during her senior year. In basketball, Gail helped lead her team to a four-year record of 99 wins and 3 losses, earning League Championships during all four years. In her sophomore year, Masuk was undefeated (26-0), ranked #1 in Connecticut and New England, and took home the State Championship (1995). In her senior year, Gail’s team was ranked #2 in Connecticut and ended the season with the State Runners-Up title (1997). Gail was honored as a Street and Smith Honorable Mention All American in 1997. She set school records with 402 blocks and 1063 rebounds, and she is #6 on the all-time scoring record list with 1218 career points.

Gail went on to Fairfield University and her basketball skills impressed everyone from her first moments on the court. She started and played in every game of her career at Fairfield and earned many individual honors. Gail was named to the MAAC All-Tournament team in 1998, 2000 and 2001, the MAAC All-Rookie Team in 1998, the MAAC Rookie of the Year in 1998 and was an All-MAAC First Team and MBWA All-MET selection in 1999, 2000, and 2001. She was named MAAC Player of the Year in 2000.

Gail became the Stags all-time leading scorer during their magical run to an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament during her senior season. She ended her career at Fairfield as one of only four players in Fairfield program history to graduate with over 1000 points and 1000 career rebounds. She still holds the record for Total Career Points with 1,873, and she is also first in Free Throws Made with 455. She is 2nd in school history for rebounds (1,106), field goals made (709), and she is 3rd in blocked shots (244). She also posted career marks of 184 assists and 149 steals. After graduating with a degree in Communications in 2001, Gail continued her basketball career by playing abroad in Germany for the TSV Nordlingen. In 2004, she also played for the NWBL Birmingham Power.

After such a stellar basketball career, it is no surprise that Gail was inducted into the Fairfield University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. She was recently recognized and enshrined in the MAAC Experience, the league’s exhibit at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Gail is currently Director of Government Sales for the Barker Specialty Company in Cheshire and she has also been the Head Varsity Basketball Coach at Woodland High School, Beacon Falls, CT since 2006.