Class of 2015

INTRODUCING: Lauren Kellen (Mendota HS)

1. What has been your proudest achievement so far?

Thus far my farthest achievement would be being a part of the ihsa state record book. The season isn't over yet and I plan to move higher on the list but I think I have worked hardest for this achievement and it is something that I am extremely proud of!!!!

2. What do you expect to be doing ten years from now?

Ten years from now I plan to be working somewhere close to home at a local hospital with a family and still playing sports as much as I can.

3. How do you define “success?”

Success to me is feeling satisfied with yourself about something you put effort towards whether its yourself or a team.

4. How would you describe yourself to someone who did not know you?

I am athletic and confident and proud of it. I'm quiet at first but once I get to know you I am pretty loud. I love being my own person and always will be.

5. If you could talk with any one living (or deceased) person, whom would it be and why?

Steve Nash, he is my hero an I would love to learn how to pass like him! Or Brett favre, through everything that has happened to him and all the media problems he will always be a personal role model and I would love to just talk to him about his journey from high school to now.


6. What about you is unique?
I don't care what others think about me. I absolutely hate drama unlike every other teenager.

7. What do you want to get out of your college experience?
I would like to get the knowledge I need to advance to medical school while at the same time excelling in sports.

Cookout @ Coach Bittner's House

The ladies gathered for a final cookout before the school year ended for the summer. They had several requests: fruit salad with lots of pineapple, salad with "good" ranch dressing, confetti cake-one with chocolate frosting-one with white, & root beer floats! It was fun to see everyone one more time before their big finals push!

Class of 2015

 

INTRODUCING: Paige Nord (Ridgeview High School)

1. What has been your proudest achievement so far?

My proudest achievement so far is placing 3rd in the state finals for basketball my sophomore and senior year.

2. What do you expect to be doing ten years from now?
In ten years I expect to be graduated from college and working as a Physical Therapist.


3. How do you define “success?”
I define success as doing the right things for the right reasons by living up to my commitments and working as a team to reach one common goal.


4. How would you describe yourself to someone who did not know you?
I would define myself as quiet until you get to know me and pretty laid back.


5. If you could talk with any one living (or deceased) person, whom would it be and why?
John Wooden because I want to learn his philisophy of the game of basketball. Also because he was an intelligent man not just on the court but off the court as well.


6. What about you is unique?
Prior to AAU Basketball I showed American Saddlebred horses.


7. What do you want to get out of your college experience?
I want to be able to meet to people and experience new things. I also want to be able to succedd in the classroom and on the court.

In the Scotlight: Kaley Corban

In the Scotlight: Kaley Corban

1. Three adjectives your friends would use to describe you are:

Energetic, organized, optimistic

2. What is something you’ve become involved in or experienced at Monmouth College that you didn’t expect to?

I participated in the Monmouth’s Got Talent show in the fall. I sang Something More by Sugarland. It was such a blast that I decided to sing American Honey by Lady Antebellum in the Scotlight Talent show this past spring.

3. What is something most people don’t know about you?
When I’m at school, I eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

4. Who is your favorite athlete (past or present)?
My favorite athlete is Derrick Rose. I saw him play in high school in a holiday classic tournament near my hometown and I’ve seen how much he has improved in the NBA.

5. What song would you pick as your anthem?
Little Miss by Sugarland

6. What is the last book you read?
Promise Me by Harlan Coben

7. What is your favorite movie?
Rush Hour 2

8. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
I would like to be able to read certain people’s minds in specific situations.

9. If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
I would put a majority of it in my savings account. The other I would spend on vacation and shopping!

10. What’s it like to be a part of the Monmouth College women’s basketball program?
Being part of the women’s basketball program has benefitted me in so many ways. It has improved my social life here on campus and my team is like a second family to me. Our countless memories on and off the court made my freshman year so enjoyable. Our team has grown so close just after one year; I look forward to the following three years. I’ve learned a lot of life lessons through the basketball program as well. I now know what it takes to become a leader and I’ve learned that one must be able to bounce back from mistakes because they are going to happen. The basketball programs takes up a majority of my time when in season, but there is no doubt that I would have enjoyed college as much as I do if I wasn’t part of the basketball program.

In the Scotlight: Haley Jones

In the Scotlight: Haley Jones

1. Three adjectives your friends would use to describe you are:

Motherly, easy-going, fun

2. What is something you’ve become involved in or experienced at Monmouth College that you didn’t expect to?
Track

3. What is something most people don’t know about you?
I read a lot, especially James Patterson books.

4. Who is your favorite athlete (past or present)?
Derrick Rose

5. What song would you pick as your anthem?
Black and Yellow

6. What is the last book you read?
Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and Off the Court by John Wooden

7. What is your favorite movie?
Love & Basketball and Gladiator

8. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
To fly.

9. If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
Pay off college loans, build my dream house, donate some to charity, repay my parents, and of course save some of it.

10. What’s it like to be a part of the Monmouth College women’s basketball program?
It’s like a second family. It’s great to be a part of because you know that 15 other girls are going to be there for you no matter what.

Women's Basketball Banquet

Team Honors:

2nd in Midwest Conference regular season (highest finish in school history)

2nd in Midwest Conference playoff tournament…in OT (highest finish in school history)

Tied school record for most wins in a season (16)

5 Consecutive Winning Seasons…seniors never had a losing season

Steals per game (13.2) 29th in the Nation
3 Point % Defense (25.4%) 13th in the Nation
School record 11 consecutive home wins
Blocked shots per game (5.3) 24th in the Nation
3 point field goal Percentage 19th in the Nation

Individual Honors/National Rankings:
Colleen Forrest school record 8 threes in one game
Justine Boone school record single season steals (85)

Colleen Forrest 3 Point Field Goal % (45.1%) 6th in the Nation
Justine Boone school record assists single season (119)
Colleen Forrest 2nd all-time in Midwest Conference with 72 threes in single season
Justine Boone career record steals (253)
Colleen Forrest school record 3-Pointers in single season (72)

Player of the Day: Haley Jones & Marla Willard

Beanie Baby Winners:

Assists: (Giraffe) Justine Boone 119
Charges: (Bull) Maddison Nieukirk 4
Deflections: (Spider) Justine Boone 90
Dives: (Dolphin) Marla Willard 20
Rebounds: (Kangaroo) Marla Willard 182
Steals: (Monkey) Justine Boone 90

All-Conference:

Justine Boone 1st Team

Haley Jones 2nd Team

Academic All Conference: Justine Boone

Speaking Captain 2011-12: Haley Jones 



Boone, Jones named All-Conference

Haley Jones                      Justine Boone

A record-setting year by the Monmouth College women’s basketball team has netted guards Justine Boone (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) and Haley Jones (Knoxville, Ill./Knoxville) All-Midwest Conference honors.
Boone, a senior business and economics major, was named to the first team after setting numerous Fighting Scots records. During the 2010-11 season, the point guard broke her own season assists record (119) and set the new standard for steals in a season (90). She also eclipsed the career mark for steals (253). Boone tied the records for games played in a career (92). Playing nearly 33 minutes each contest, she averaged 8.9 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game during her senior campaign.
Jones, a junior business major, was named to the second team. She led the team in scoring, averaging 12.4 points per game, and was third in rebounding at 4.4 per game. Her 81 percent free throw shooting led the Scots.
The Fighting Scots (16-9) qualified for the conference tournament for only the second time in the history of the program. The team’s second-place finish was also the highest finish in Scots’ history and their 16 wins tied the school record for victories.
Story by Dan Nolan