NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — From the moment she first stepped on the court at the Gallagher Center, 6-foot-2 Canadian forward Victoria Rampado was poised to make her mark on the Niagara women’s basketball program. After strong freshman and sophomore campaigns, Rampado was sidelined with a shoulder injury in her junior season (2015-16). She worked relentlessly in the off-season to get back to the top of her game and reclaimed her starting spot for the 2016-17 season. She had a phenomenal year, but what was to come in 2017-18, her fifth and final season with the Purple and White, would surpass all expectations..
It was a cold and blustery day in Albany, N.Y. on Jan. 7, 2018 as the Purple Eagles entered the Times Union Center. Niagara had started the 2017-18 season 4-10 overall and 1-2 in conference play and the team was looking to turn some heads in its matchup with the 7-7 Siena Saints. Rampado had 14 points and seven rebounds in the first half, keeping the game close; Niagara led 27-25 going into halftime. Rampado exploded in the second half of the game, scoring 27 points and bringing down eight rebounds. Rampado’s career-best 41-point performance helped buoy the Purple Eagles to a victory over the Saints, 73-68. It was the second-most points in a single game in NU women’s basketball history and seventh-most points in MAAC history. Against the Saints, she also set a school record in field goals made in a single game with 17. While it may have seemed Rampado had reached her peak that day, she was far from done shattering records.
On Feb. 18, 2018, the Purple Eagles welcomed the Monmouth Hawks to the Gallagher Center for an afternoon matchup on Senior Day. Rampado was one of three seniors (Jamie Sherburne, Kaylee Stroemple) honored before the start of the game. It would turn out to be a historic day for the Niagara women’s basketball program as Rampado, in front of family and friends, scored 27 points en route to breaking the Niagara women’s basketball scoring record, putting up a floater late in the game to surpass Eva Cunningham’s previously held record of 1,753 career points.
Rampado closed out the season strong, leading the MAAC in scoring with 20.5 points per game. Her 9.9 rebounds per game were second-best in the conference. She recorded a career-best 15 double-doubles and scored in double figures in almost every single game in 2017-18, including 15 20-plus point performances.
Rampado’s stellar season led her to become the third player in Niagara women’s basketball history to be named the MAAC Player of the Year. She was also a unanimous selection to the All-MAAC First Team and was named to the MAAC All-Academic Team for the fourth time. Following the season, Rampado was selected to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division I Women’s Basketball All-ECAC Second Team and was one of 20 Division I-AAA basketball players to be named to the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team.
Rampado finished her career at Niagara as the record-holder in career points (1,823), rebounds (909) and games played (124). She has the second-most field goals made (674), field goal attempts (1,560) and free throws made (412). In 2017-18, she set single-season records in rebounds (306) and field goal attempts (512).
After a record-breaking career on the court, Rampado graduated in the spring and moved back to Canada to pursue a career as a teacher.
