It is less than eight miles between Thomas Jefferson University’s Gallagher Center and Chestnut Hill College’s Sorgenti Arena.
The rival schools – both play in the Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) South Division – are physically closer than another pair of rivals: Central Bucks East and Central Bucks South.
Haley Meinel (CB South ’18) and Emily Chmiel (CB East ’21) didn’t square off frequently in high school. Yet the two players from sister high schools are carving out successful careers with rival colleges just inside the Philadelphia line.
Both earned a major piece of conference hardware last season. Jefferson 5-foot-10 junior forward Meinel is the incumbent CACC Defensive Player of the Year. Now-sophomore Chestnut Hill center Chmiel earned the CACC Rookie of the Year. Both were named all-second team conference and earned a CACC Player of the Week last season.
“A lot of my teammates say my length can be pretty deceiving,” said Meinel, who leads the Rams in blocks and steals. “But our team, as a whole, is really good at defense. Playing five on five, and having summer league, helped. I feel like getting into the gym as much as you can and using my length to my advantage helps a lot.”
Both are writing their names into their school’s record books. Despite playing just two and a half seasons, Meinel needs only 25 points to enter the 1,000 point club. On Dec. 17, she entered Jefferson’s (10-1) career top 10 in steals.
Last season, the 6-foot-2 Chmiel’s dozen double-doubles set a Chestnut Hill (5-5) single season record. “Even last year, I was being double teamed and people were really packing the paint but that is why there are four other girls on the court,” Chmiel explained, “and I trust my teammates. I think that is what made us so successful last year.”
Griffins center Leah Miller tore her ACL last season, forcing Chmiel to step up as a freshman. “But my sophomore year at East, Elyse Shine tore her ACL and I had to step up and take her spot,” Chmiel pointed out. “It was pretty much the same situation but at a whole other level in competition.”
All of Chestnut Hill’s opponents now have to game plan for Chmiel, yet the ex-CB East star does not get wrapped up in the targeting. “In the end, it just comes down to who is playing harder and who wants to win more,” she said. “I try not to let that get to me or feel the pressure.”
Both players make their teams better. Both schools cracked the national rankings this season. Meinel’s 18 points and four steals last March 11 helped to lead Jefferson to its first NCAA Tournament win in 24 years.
“Our coach got us a banner in the gym saying that we went to NCAAs and won a game. I think that we’re really trying to push to get further into it, which is exciting,” Meinel said. “We have pretty much the exact same team as last year.”
Chmiel’s 16 points and 11 rebounds last March 1 guided Chestnut Hill to a program-record 24th win, which doubled as its first CACC Tournament win in school history. That led to the Griffins’ first ever NCAA Tournament invite. “I’ve never had a team chemistry as strong as this one. We all play for each other and especially last year, with no one expecting us to be as good as we were, it was surreal,” Chmiel recalled.
Meinel, who ranked in the CACC top five in points per game (14.8), steals (31) and blocks (15), finally gets a chance to shine after being forced to sit out two seasons. She redshirted as a freshman and the conference canceled play in 2020-2021.
“At first, it was definitely very difficult. I expected the redshirt year to happen but it was still tough having to practice every single day and not being able to play any games,” Meinel admitted. “It almost seemed like I wasn’t contributing but Coach (Tom Shirley) was constantly telling me that by working hard in practice and making the other players better, I’m contributing to the team.”
In both seasons, “we were constantly getting into the gym together as a team, working on our shot and pushing each other to be better,” Meinel added. In her case, extensive work on her shot paid huge dividends. She is shooting 36% from behind the arc, a huge improvement from last year’s 26%.
“In high school my 3-point shot and my shot in general was not great,” Meinel assessed. “It was a little funky but since coming to Jefferson, that was always something that I wanted to work on. During the season and over the summer, getting shots up in the gym and working on form shooting really helped.”
Chmiel’s 55% shooting from the floor ranks among CACC leaders. She chose Chestnut Hill, in part, because of her familiarity with the program. Chmiel’s grandmother attended Chestnut Hill and her family was close to the Spratt family.
There are additional CACC South/Central Bucks ties beyond Chmiel and Meinel. Graduate student Abbey Spratt, a CB West notable, leads Chestnut Hill in assists. Chestnut Hill resumes play post-Christmas break on Dec. 29 against Holy Family and its sprinkle of Hinkle. Tiger freshman Taylor Hinkle, Meinel’s fellow CB South Titan, was awarded the CACC Rookie of the Week on Dec. 13.
Jefferson and Chestnut Hill tee it up again on Jan. 25. The Rams won their first match 55-46 on Nov. 30 in East Falls. Only one team will win yet both area women will continue to take their programs to new heights.
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