Girls’ basketball sees new success

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The varsity girls’ basketball team includes, in front, Sarah Kottenstette, Maddie Zahn, Karissa Alfred, Katy Kirk, Morgan Myers and Abby Meekins. In the middle row are manager Lauren Hillyer, Alicia Diez, Courtney Coffin, Penny Chen, Alex Yacko, MaryKate Brueck, Taylor Hickey and Kori Mesecher. In back are coach Mike Radloff, Michaela Lillie, Mathilde Nyegaard-Larsen, Jayla Kreiss, Maria Esbo, Emily Salvador, Samantha Juarez, Alyssa Schwartz and coach Kollin Alfred.

Success in girls’ sports was evident as the girls’ basketball team at Notre Dame appeared to enter a new era. Under Coach Kollin Alfred (ND ’81), the Nike girls have been on a roll.  After winning only three games in the 2008-09 season, the team has steadily improved, this year amassing an 18-6 record. At one point in the season, the team was ranked 11th in the state.
Alex Yacko earned first team All-Hawkeye honors, with Morgan Myers, Taylor Hickey and Katy Kirk receiving honorable mentions.  A loss to a tough Lynnville-Sully team in the regional finals ended Notre Dame’s fine run, but the future looks bright for the Nike girls.
Part of the reason for the optimistic outlook is the success of the eighth grade girls’ basketball team.  The students went two straight seasons without a loss, finishing with a 23-0 record, the first time in Nike history that a junior high girls’ basketball team had accomplished this feat.  Seven of the players have been together since fourth grade, when they played on the YMCA-YWCA team. Their cumulative GPA is 3.789.


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