TERRE HAUTE —
California-Irvine’s women’s basketball program is undergoing a revitalization under third-year coach Molly Goodenbour, and the Anteaters are off to a 10-4 record this year following a 9-21 mark a year ago.
Helping to turn things around is former Terre Haute North standout Kelly Meggs, a freshman guard who has played in all 14 of the team’s games.
Meggs starred at North for three seasons on the soccer and softball fields in addition to the hardwood, but transferred to Bellevue High School in Washington last year when her father, Lindsay, left Indiana State to become the head baseball coach at the University of Washington.
Meggs averages 1.9 points and 0.9 rebounds in 13 minutes of action per game, but her most impressive stat is her 18-7 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Cal-Irvine started the season by losing its first three games, but things have turned around quickly since then.
“Our season has been really good so far,” Meggs said. “We've won some big games, starting on the road at San Diego State, and have won the last 10 out of 11 games. We just got a big win on the road at Cal State-Fullerton [Wednesday].”
Meggs had her best individual game in the win over Cal-State-Fullerton, being one of only three reserves to hit the court and scoring seven points at the free throw line in eight attempts.
“We're 2-0 in [the Big West] Conference right now, and are working hard to continue to stay on top of the pack,” she said.
The Anteaters are led by a pair of stars in 2010 Big West Freshman of the Year Jazmyne White and 6-1 post player Mikah Maly-Karros, an all-Big West Conference performer last year despite missing the first nine games after transferring from Loyola Marymount.
Maly-Karros tied a single-game school record with 41 points last season.
Experienced point guard Jade Smith-Williams adds stability in the backcourt.
“We’ll have people to put around Mikah,” Goodenbour said before the season. “Our freshmen guards we brought in [Kelly Meggs and Natalie Butler] will be able to back up Jade. We’re encouraged by the level of talent we’ve brought in.”
Meggs has mixed emotions about her senior year, enjoying returning to her West Coast roots but missing her Terre Haute teammates.
“My senior year at Bellevue was a great experience both on and off the court,” she said. “It was a tough transition, but a great test that I like to refer to as my "pre-college experience."
“I loved my basketball team and had a great end to my softball career, and was absolutely stoked to watch the THN Patriots softball team come in second in the state.”
Her older brother, Joe, will be eligible to play baseball for his father at Washington this spring after a stellar summer playing for the Terre Haute Rex, while her younger brother, Jack, is also a successful athlete at Bellevue.
• Conrady takes on new challenge – The Dec. 26 “College Report” contained an erroneous listing for Terre Haute South grad David Conrady among Wabash Valley area grads playing or coaching in college.
Conrady coached the past six seasons at Tennessee-Chattanooga, earning a promotion to associate head coach, but left the Moccasins last summer to become the national director of basketball for SCORE International.
SCORE is a Chattanooga-based mission organization that uses athletics to spread the gospel.
"Twenty-three years ago I went on a SCORE mission trip to Argentina with Coach [Ron] Bishop and it changed my life,” Conrady said. “It opened my eyes to the role of the servant leader and I hope to open today's kids' eyes to that same role in serving the Lord.”
Bishop has known Conrady since the mid-1980s, when the 6-1 sharpshooting guard took his talents to Furman University in South Carolina after leading the Braves to an appearance in the single-class “Elite Eight” in his senior year.
“I think David was born to do exactly what he's going to be doing,” said Bishop, who was doing television commentary on Southern Conference games while Conrady was at Furman. “He'll represent SCORE at the Final Four, at coaching conventions, and anywhere he believes he can help our mission trips with coaches and players. He'll also be involved in the lives of many more young people than he is now.
"This is a great day for SCORE International."
Conrady was previously coached at several small colleges, including North Greenville, Mars Hill and Presbyterian.
“SCORE gives me the opportunity to not just impact the 15 kids we have at UTC, but greatly increases my chances to impact young people across the globe," he said.
Joey Bennett is a former Tribune-Star sports reporter and copy editor who now teaches at Northview High School in Brazil. He can be reached at tribstarcollegereport@yahoo.com.
College Report
COLLEGE REPORT: Meggs helping with Cal-Irvine resurgence
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Catching up as the school year winds down
Odds and ends from here and there as the school year quickly winds down. For starters, high jumper Nick Jaeger of Terre Haute South was named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s male track & field newcomer of the year:
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College Report: Lively earned collegiate upgrade with strong play
Hillary Lively signed to play Division II basketball at Maryville (Mo.) during her senior year at North Vermillion, but those plans changed and she would up at nearby Danville Area Community College — where she recently concluded an outstanding two-year career.
Lively was impressive enough to earn a Division I scholarship to Southeast Missouri State of the Ohio Valley Conference, and both her future and past college coaches think she will continue to succeed there.
“She fits what we need,” SEMO coach Ty Margenthaler said. “She has college experience, she is strong and physical and plays well around the basket and moves well.
“Her strength, rebounding and touch around the basket will be a big help. On the defensive end, she’ll be able to guard a true center.” -
COLLEGE REPORT: Valley prep athletes getting ready for next level
The NCAA “regular” signing period begins Wednesday for all sports except football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Conferences honor Valley softball players
Several Wabash Valley area college softball players have been honored by their respective conferences for outstanding play this spring.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Jake Newton makes big impact for Lincoln Trail College
Jake Newton had a long time between playing in competitive basketball games, a span of about 18 months, and used the frustration from that long dry spell to produce a stellar freshman season for Lincoln Trail College this winter.
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COLLEGE REPORT: A.J. Reed earns SEC Player of the Week honors
After belting three home runs during a five games last week, Kentucky sophomore left-handed pitcher/first baseman A.J. Reed was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Spring newcomers making marks
Several freshman baseball and softball NCAA Division I players from the Wabash Valley have already made immediate impacts at their new schools, while others are waiting for their turns to shine.
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COLLEGE REPORT: A.J. Reed named third-team preseason baseball All-American
Two-way sophomore standout A.J. Reed was one of three University of Kentucky players named third-team preseason All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Sponsler honored after big week for Wabash men's hoops
Wabash College freshman Ross Sponsler of Terre Haute North was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 6.
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COLLEGE REPORT: North grad Hughes finds success after facing preseason adversity
A.J. Hughes knew he was in for a battle as he competed with three other walk-on punters in the preseason for the lone starting job on the Virginia Tech football team.
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Etling, Meggs enjoying great year
It’s been a great year so far with more to come for a pair of longtime friends and St. Patrick’s School classmates.
Former Terre Haute resident Jack Meggs quarterbacked the Bellevue Wolverines football team to the Washington Class 3A state championship this fall, culminating with a 35-3 win over Sammamish Eastside Catholic — Bellevue’s fifth straight crown.
Danny Etling, meanwhile, has completed graduation requirements at Terre Haute South and is preparing for an upcoming high school all-star game and his first college classes in a couple of weeks. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Valley’s women’s college hoops players start strong
Several women’s college basketball players from the Wabash Valley have gotten off to good starts this season on the hardwood. Highlights:
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COLLEGE REPORT: Mayhew, Mascari provide fall highlights
Several dozen Wabash Valley athletes enjoyed successful fall seasons collegiately in cross country and tennis this year. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Former North teammates start strong in college
Former Terre Haute North teammates Ross Sponsler and Matt O’Leary made their college basketball debuts last week and had outstanding initial performances. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Shoemaker OBP leads Chisox farmhands
Former Indiana State, Olney Central and Northview baseball standout Brady Shoemaker opened a lot of eyes last summer in the Chicago White Sox farm system, earning him a spot on a mlb.com blog team that highlighted the team’s outstanding minor leaguers at each position.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Boeglin has plenty of ISU memories, but not all are related to basketball
Melanie Boeglin, an All-American who played on the women’s basketball team at Indiana State from 2002-2006, will be inducted into the 21st class of the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday.
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COLLEGE REPORT: North grad leading DePauw volleyball in winning streak
DePauw’s volleyball team has won seven straight matches entering this weekend’s DePauw Invitational, including four straight wins last weekend to capture the Rose-Hulman invitational title.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Engle moving up football coaching ranks
Michael Engle graduated from DePauw University in the spring of 2011 with a degree in political science and future plans to advance his studies in law school.
Being a coach’s son and a competitive athlete by nature, Engle has put those plans on hold for now. -
COLLEGE REPORT: From Terre Haute South to Division I competition to coaching careers
Adriane Wunderlich and Katelyn Bishop both turned stellar high school careers at Terre Haute South into Division I collegiate careers at Indiana State and Southern California, respectively.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Former prep athletes getting ready for fall college season
An impressive total of at least 122 Wabash Valley athletes and coaches will be competing collegiately for the first time during the upcoming school year or have changed schools to continue their careers.
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COLLEGE REPORT: SP’s Boetjer is Indiana’s Miss Softball
South Putnam’s Brooke Boetjer, who will be a freshman on the Indiana University softball team next spring, was named the 2012 Indiana Miss Softball last month between games at the North/South All-Star games in Carmel.
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College report: North grad Mayhew is second team all-American at IU
Indiana University running standout Zach Mayhew of Terre Haute North was honored earlier this month as a second-team All-American by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
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College report: Bloomfield runner to join IUPUI track, cross country teams
Bloomfield track/cross country standout Julie Riggins will be joining the developing IUPUI program next fall as one of six incoming recruits.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Roberts takes coaching position at UNC-Greensboro
Terre Haute native Mike Roberts is continuing his climb up the college basketball coaching ladder, recently departing Rice for a spot as the associate head coach at North Carolina-Greensboro.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Valley grads playing role for No. 13 Vincennes
A few springtime odds and ends:
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COLLEGE REPORT: Shouse making his mark for Danville Community College
Derek Shouse definitely flew under the radar in his one season of playing for the Terre Haute South boys basketball team last winter.
Not highly recruited, he made his way to Danville Area Community College as a walk-on with the hopes he could find his way onto the court at some point. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Bullock finds sunny home to continue tennis career
Most college athletes progress along similar paths to get to their final destinations athletically, but Terre Haute South grad Taylor Bullock’s route to the Eckerd College women’s tennis team was a little different than most.
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COLLEGE REPORT: TH South QB entertains Division I offers
Danny Etling’s trek to being a big-time college quarterback took a huge step this week when the Terre Haute South junior picked up a scholarship offer from Purdue, according to 247sports.com.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Seibert stepping up her game
Terre Haute South grad Haley Seibert has seen the usual ups and downs of her freshman basketball season at Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne and is making the most of her opportunities this season.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Vikings Waters, Barton excited about college basketball
West Vigo grad Lauren Dailey helped the Lady Vikings basketball program to a lot of success at the end of the 1990s, and went on to play for Eastern Illinois from 2001-2004.
- More College Report Headlines
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Catching up as the school year winds down
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