Iowa Lightning Girls Basketball Team

Iowa Lightning 2012 player try-outs will take place on Sunday, March 4, at Grand View University in Des Moines, IA. Registration will take place starting at 12:00 noon with try-outs beginning at 1:00 p.m. and ending at approximately 4:30 p.m. Pre-registration is $20 per player. Walk-ins are welcome with a $30 registration fee charged. Openings exist currently for all teams which includes the White team (players currently in 8th & 9th grades), Red team (players in 9th & 10th grade) and Silver, Scarlet and Black teams (varsity experienced players). Registration forms and details can be found in the upper left hand corner of this website.

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Regan Cooper signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Briar Cliff University, currently ranked #2 in the nation, following the Chargers' game at their own Holiday Classic. The Pella, Iowa native and senior at Pella High School is a two-time varsity letterwinner for the Little Dutch.

"We welcome Regan to the BC family," said Briar Cliff head coach Mike Power. "She is a very talented player that should make an impact right away. I know she will fit in great with our team."

Cooper, a 6-0 forward, is averaging a team-high 17.3 ppg, while shooting 54.0 percent from the field. She also leads the team with 12.7 rpg and has five assists on the season. She had a season-best 16 rebounds, against Ballard, Nov. 22. The Little Dutch are 5-2 on the season and are averaging 51.1 ppg. As a junior, Cooper earned the team's Hard Work & Hustle Award.

The honor roll and National Honor Society member has been very active outside of athletics, participating in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, youth group and CORE. She is also a mentor and a Sunday School leader and has helped with Shoot-It Basketball Camps. The daughter of Scott and Laurie Vos and Bill and Ellen Cooper plans to major in occupational therapy at Briar Cliff.

Over the last year, Washington’s Lauren Vittetoe realized just how much she enjoys playing basketball. And after signing a letter of intent with AIB on Thursday morning, Vittetoe will get a chance to play the sport she loves in college.

“After playing last year on varsity I started really liking it,” Vittetoe said of her love for basketball. “Then this summer, when I played for the Iowa Lightning (AAU team), it made me realize how much I like it. It’s just the most fun sport for me and it’s my favorite, so that’s what made me decide I wanted to play it in college.”

Vittetoe, a 5-foot-7 guard, averaged 11.2 points per game and was a first team all-conference selection in her first season as a starter last winter. Her play caught AIB head women’s basketball coach Jerry Kindhart’s attention at a camp this summer.

Vittetoe chose AIB over offers from Mount Mercy, Central, Simpson and DMACC. The slugging first baseman, who was a first team all-conference selection last summer, also had offers to play softball, but chose to play basketball in college instead.

Vittetoe is thrilled to get a chance to play basketball at the collegiate level. “It’s really exciting for me,” she said. “I thought maybe I’d just go [to college], and I didn’t really think about playing sports. But now I’m excited to be able to play.”

Dani Peyton has been named to the 2011 Miss Basketball Showcase All American team. The 2011 Miss Basketball Showcase featured 64 prep girl's all-star teams from 11 states. The event featured many future NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and junior college players. The All-American Team recognizes the performances of the top players in the Miss Basketball Showcase.

Dani is a 5’5” point guard from Springville, IA. She attends school at Marion High School in Marion, IA where she will be a senior during the 2011-2012 school year. Dani was part of the 2011 Iowa Lightning Black girls traveling basketball team and played for Coach Adam Mich. She has competed for two years with the Iowa Lightning program.

Congratulations Dani for an outstanding tournament at the Miss Basketball Showcase in Kearney, NE!!!

On Wednesday, May 18, 2011 Marion High School Senior Kristin Kramer signed a letter of intent to Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall, Minnesota to play college soccer and basketball. SMSU Coach Allison Kruger says "Our coaching staff is thrilled with the addition of Kristin to our roster. SMSU Women's Basketball is built on dedication and working hard and Kristin fits that mold. Kristin is a solid player on the court that does the little correctly which is very important at this level."

Southwest Minnesota State is a member of the NCAA Division II and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Kristin was a member of the Iowa Lightning organization under coaches Bryan White and Adam Mich. Here’s an Iowa Lightning “Attaway!” and best wishes to Kristen as she begins her collegiate career!

Shelsey Stanley signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Culver-Stockton College Thursday, an NAIA program located in Canton, Mo. Culver-Stockton is part of the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) which annually has women’s teams ranked among the nation’s best NAIA programs.

Shelsey played four years of varsity basketball at Keokuk and started every game the last three seasons. She led the team in scoring her final three seasons and was named to the Iowa Girls Coaches Association Class 3A All-State third team for basketball her senior season. She averaged 15.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals for a team that went 17-6 last season. The Chiefs ended the season with a 66-64 loss to Davenport Assumption in the regional semifinal. Assumption went on to win the 3A state title.

Shelsey played two years for the Iowa Lightning Black team and was under the direction of head Coach Adam Mich. Congratulations Shelsey on her selection of a top school! The Iowa Lightning program wishes you all the best in your college years ahead of you!

(For more about Shelsey’s signing go to: http://www.dailygate.com/articles/2011/04/21/sports/dgc383259.txt

Iowa Lightning Anna Sweeting, a 5’11” center, from Highland High School in Riverside, IA signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Grand View University and Head Coach Gary Smith. The Vikings play in the Midwest Collegiate Conference and compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and routinely send qualifying teams and individuals to NAIA national tournaments.

Anna became just the second player in Highland girls basketball history to score at least 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds. She will join former Iowa Lightning players Amy Vos and Haleigh Biancalana at Grand View University.

The Iowa Lightning is very pleased for the success that Anna has experienced. Anna was a member of the Iowa Lightning Black team and played for Coach Adam Mich during her time with the Iowa Lightning. “Attaway” Anna and best wishes in your college experience at Grand View University!

Iowa Lightning alumni Melissa Greve has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska. Greve will join a Warrior women’s basketball that is lead by NAIA Hall of Fame Coach Joanne Bracker. Over her 40 year career, the program has made eight national tournament appearances and won over 700 games. Midland University plays in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The GPAC is arguably the nation’s best women’s basketball conference in the nation with team schools who regularly compete for the national championship.

Melissa is a 5’11” guard form Arcadia, IA and led her Ar-We-Va High School Basketball team to the Iowa High School Class 1A state final game. She scored 409 points in her senior year and averaged 15.1 points per game. At Midland University Melissa plans to major in sociology, and possibly double major with another major in counseling.

The Iowa Lightning is very pleased for the success that Melissa has experienced. Melissa was a member of the Iowa Lightning Black team and played for Coach Adam Mich during her time with the Iowa Lightning. Here’s an Iowa Lightning “Attaway!” for Melissa and we wish her the best in her college playing career at Midland University!

The Iowa Lightning 2011 player try-outs had a record 85 players in attendance on March 6, 2011. Coach Adam Mich is the Operations Manager for the Iowa Lightning and can be contacted at 712-269-0573 regarding personnel questions with the Iowa Lightning

MILWAUKEE - Head coach Terri Mitchell has announced the signing of former Iowa Lightning player Andi Waugaman (West Des Moines, Iowa)) to a National Letter of Intent.

Waugamann was a member of the Iowa Lightning girls traveling basketball team during the spring and summer of 2007. She played under the tutorage of head Iowa Lightning coach and former Central College coaching legend Gary Boeyink. She is the third member of Iowa Lightning who attended Kirkwood College to go on play at the D-1 level joining former Lightning teammates Jayne Strand and Staci Gillum. Strand is finishing her career at the University of Northern Colorado while Gillum recently signed with Evansville.

Waugaman, a junior college transfer from four-time NJCAA Champion Kirkwood, will have two years of eligibility.

"We are thrilled to add Andi to our Marquette family," said Mitchell. "She will be tremendous assets to our team and give us more size, which is something that we are definitely looking for. She knows how to win. She comes from a great winning tradition.. Andi comes from Kirkwood Community College, a place that we are very familiar with, and is a winner in every way."

Waugaman, a 6-1 post player, finished the 2009-10 season at Kirkwood averaging 6.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while making 50.3 percent of her attempts from the floor and helping the Kirkwood to its fourth consecutive NJCAA championship. Waugaman was named the tournament most valuable player and was named to the ICCAC All-Region Third Team in 2010. As a freshman at Kirkwood, Waugaman averaged 4.5 points and 2.3 rebounds.

During her prep career at Waukee High School, Waugaman helped the Warriors to a 22-2 record and a final four appearance at the state tournament her senior season in 2007-08. Waugaman was the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder with 12.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game during her senior season. She was a varsity starter each of her four years and earned all-conference and all-academic honors. Waugaman was a first team All-Central Iowa Metropolitan League selection, a third team all-state and second team IGCA selection. She was a member of the 2008 Goalsetter Class 4A Girls All-Star Team following her senior year.

"Andi is an extremely physical player. She is willing to do whatever it takes to help our team succeed as is evident in her helping Kirkwood to win back-to-back national junior college championships. She will give our posts great competition every day, and her physical play will definitely be needed to compete in the BIG EAST," said Mitchell.

Former Iowa Lightning player Staci Gillum (West Des Moines, Iowa/Waukee), who has helped Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to back-to-back junior college National Championships at point guard the last two years, has signed a National Letter of Intent to continue her basketball career at the University of Evansville, women’s basketball head coach Misty Murphy announced today

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Gillum, who will have two years of eligibility remaining at UE beginning this fall, becomes the first player to sign with the Purple Aces during the spring signing period. She joins fall signees Khristian Hart (Evansville, Ind./Harrison), Katie Ellerson (Muskego, Wis./Muskego), Miranda Liles (Killen, Ala./Brooks) and Hannah Weedman (Knoxville, Ill./Knoxville) as the newest members of the UE women’s basketball program.

“It’s not often that you have the opportunity to sign a junior college point guard who comes in bringing two National Championships with them,” said Murphy. “Staci is a proven winner both on the court and in the classroom and we are thrilled to have her join our program.”

Gillum was a four-time all-conference and all-district performer, as well as an all-academic team selection, at Waukee High School in her hometown of West Des Moines, Iowa prior to attending Kirkwood Community College. As a freshman at Kirkwood, Gillum helped the Eagles to the 2009 National Championship by finishing second on the team in steals and dishing out an average of 2.8 assists per game as a reserve point guard. Her freshman year included a game in which she scored a season-high 24 points, dished out 10 assists, and swiped nine steals against a University of Saint Louis Club Team.

This past year as a sophomore, Gillum earned third team NJCAA All-America status at point guard while helping Kirkwood to its fourth-consecutive national title, as she led the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from three-point range. She also led the team with averages of 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game, and she scored a team-high 16 points, including hitting a key three-pointer and four-straight free throws to ice Kirkwood’s 72-62 victory over Patrick Henry C.C. in the NJCAA Division II National Championship game. She also dished out seven assists in the title game.

Overall, in her two years at Kirkwood, Gillum helped the Eagles to a combined 73-2 record. Staci played her Iowa Lightning ball under former Central College coaching legend Gary Boeyink.

Former Iowa Lightning player and Prairie Valley High School Basketball player Karlie Warehime (right) receives congratulations from Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Boone Bears Head Women’s Basketball Coach Steve Krafcisin for signing a national letter of intent to play basketball for DMACC. Warehime, a guard, holds the Prairie Valley career record in points, steals and assists.

Former Iowa Lightning player Staci Gillum was recently selected to the National Junior College Athletic Association All American team. Staci was instrumental in leading her Kirkwood Community College team to their fourth straight NJCAA national title. Staci played her high school ball at Waukee High School and was a member of the Iowa Lightning the summer of 2007. Congratulations Staci on your most recent recognition!”

Former Iowa Lightning player Becca Hurley recently celebrated a NAIA national championship title with her Northwestern College team in Orange City, IA. Becca was one of three captains on her team and was named to the first team NAIA All American team. You can read about Becca and her team’s accomplishments at http://www.nwcraiders.com/wbasketball/news/4504 . Way to go Becca!

Former Iowa Lightning play Alli Volkens will play for the national NCAA Division II title on Friday night, March 26. Alli was the leading scorer for her team in the semi-final game as they came from 18 points down with 8:48 left to defeat previously unbeaten and #1 Gannon 97-94 in the NCAA Division II Women's National Semifinals in St. Joseph, Mo. It is the third straight time ESU has defeated a #1 ranked team in the NCAA Tournament. The game was played on national TV and Alli made quite an impression.

What a thrill for several of our former Iowa Lightning players to be able to play in national championship games. Former Iowa Lightning players Staci Gillum and Andi Waugamann recently won the national NJCAA championship title for Kirkwood Community College. Staci was named to the All Tournament team and was also the national athlete of the week. Andi was also named to the All Tournament team and was also named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament! Staci and Andi were part of two national championships during their two years of play at Kirkwood. Here’s an Iowa Lightning “Attaway!” to Staci and Andi for their great accomplishments!

Former Iowa Lightning Becca Hurley again was named to the NAIA All American first team. Hurley, a junior guard from Pleasant Hill, Iowa, averaged a team-best 16..4 points per game while leading the team in assists (157). She also pulled down over six rebounds per game and led the conference in assist/turnover ratio. Hurley also earned first team accolades last year as well. Hurley helped lead her team to the NAIA national championship in 2010.

Algona High student and Iowa Lightning player Kirsten Lipps has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at the University of Nebraska Kearney accepting Coach Carol Russell’sscholarship offer to join the Loper’s squad in the fall of 2010.

Lipps, a 1st Team All-State selection chose UNK over several private colleges because of the challenge Division II basketball presents. “University of Nebraska at Kearney is a great school academically with a first-class women’s basketball program. It will be exciting to compete at this level.” Lipps commented. “I really enjoyed my visit with the coaches and players.

Lipps, a 5' 11" forward, earned 1st Team All-State, Des Moines Register, IGCA & INA, 1st Team Kossuth Keepers and unanimous NCC All-Conference as a junior for the 23-1 Bulldogs. She was named Third Team All-State as a sophomore. Over her past two seasons she has averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds per game. Lipps holds school scoring and rebounding records and shot 61.7% from the field her junior season.

Lipps is a member of the National Honor Society and intends to major in Pre-Med. “She’s a relentless worker who is a very physical player inside,” said Algona High Head Coach Brad Sudol. “Nebraska Kearney is getting a great basketball player, and an even better person.”

Former Iowa Lightning player Jayne Strand has signed a D-1 letter of intent with the University of Northern Colorado. Strand played her first two years of college ball at Kirkwood Community College. While at Kirkwood Strand helped lead her team to consecutive Junior College National Championships. She was a three-sport athlete for the Cyclones of Ames HS, earning four letters in cross country and three each in soccer and basketball. She was a three-time all-conference selection in cross country and an honorable mention all-conference pick in basketball as a senior. She was also a multiple time honor roll selection and a two-time academic all-conference pick.

"Jayne will bring a wealth of knowledge on what it takes to win," said White. "She is an aggressive player who should contribute immediately to the success of our program and blend nicely with the freshman we have this year."

Former Iowa Lightning player and now St. Ambrose University sophomore Ali Dolphin capped a fantastic season by being named to the 2009 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball All-America second team today. She is the 14th different Queen Bee to be recognized as a women's basketball All-American since 1984.

Earlier this month, Dolphin, a 5-9 forward from Marshalltown, Iowa, was named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Player of the Year after averaging 17.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 3.5 steals and 1.3 blocks while starting all 31 games for the Queen Bees.

She finished in the top-20 nationally in steals (8th), offensive rebounds (10th), assists (10th), assist-to-turnover ratio (14th), scoring (18th) and rebounding (19th).

With two years remaining in her collegiate career, Dolphin is already 24th on SAU’s all-time scoring list with 1,100 career points.

Dolphin joins former Iowa Lightning teammate Becca Hurley in being named the second Iowa Lightning alumni who has earned NAIA All-American honors in 2009. Hurley was named to the first team NAIA All American team and plays at Northwestern College in Orange City, IA.

Re-printed from the Southwest Iowa News

Abby Mendlik, a senior at Denison High School, signed a letter of intent on Wednesday to play college basketball at the University of Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. SF has an enrollment of 1,275 students and is a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The purple, black and white Cougars went 18-13 overall and 9-9 in the GPAC this past season under first-year head coach Travis Traphagen. The 18 wins were the most for USF since 2002-03 when the Cougars advanced to the NAIA Final Four.

Mendlik, a Class 3A second-team all-state selection by the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association and a third-team all-stater by the Iowa Newspaper Association this past winter, averaged 9.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 3.2 steals per game for a Denison-Schleswig squad that went 21-3 overall and got to within one game of the state tournament. Mendlik, a 5-foot, 8-inch point guard, also was a Hawkeye 10 Conference first-team selection, and was recognized by the Monarchs as a tri-most valuable player after her senior season.

“It’s a relief. It was pretty stressful,” said Mendlik in reference to making her college choice. Mendlik had narrowed her selections to Buena Vista University in Storm Lake and Sioux Falls. “It was a hard choice. I liked the coaches at BV a lot. It’s closer to home, and I knew a lot of girls that played there, but I just love the town of Sioux Falls, it’s just awesome,” said Mendlik, the daughter of Gary and Brenda Mendlik of Denison, who plans on studying Biology in college.

“The coaches at Sioux Falls are really great and very supportive,” she added. “It was a very tough decision. I didn’t want to make the wrong decision because you just never know, but I think Sioux Falls will be the right place for me.”

USF will graduate only one senior from its 2008-09 16-member youthful roster, which also included just two juniors, five sophomores and eight freshmen .To date, Mendlik will only be the second player from the state of Iowa to fill a spot on the USF roster. The other is sophomore-to-be Elizabeth Hildreth, a 6-2 forward from Norwalk High School. Both Hildreth and Mendlik played AAU ball with the Iowa Lightning, based out of Oskaloosa, IA.

Traphagen said having a player of Mendlik’s caliber will only make Sioux Falls a better all-around team. “With Abby, we have our point guard now. She had a great high school career, but I honestly believe that her best playing days are ahead of her,” said Traphagen. “We want to get up and down the court. If you want to defend 94 feet, it has to start with your point guard and then work its way down to the numbers two, three, four and five players.”

“I watched Mendlik on tape, and she’s exactly what I’m looking for. She’s going to be given an opportunity to contribute right away. I never tell a kid they’re going to come in and start, but she’ll definitely get that chance,” Traphagen stated. “We didn’t recruit Abby during the season, but it’s just one of those situations that worked out. Sioux Falls has a ton to offer kids academically, and with basketball, I think we’re a program on the rise, so I couldn’t be happier that we’re getting a girl like Mendlik,” Traphagen said.

Denison-Schleswig head girls’ basketball coach Adam Mich said that Sioux Falls was a good choice for Mendlik. “She’ll fit right in perfectly with Sioux Falls’ style of basketball. They get out and go, and Mendlik does a great job of starting the fast break. Not only is it a good fit for her basketball-wise, but for school-wise with what she wants to go for,” Mich added.

Abby’s older sister, MacKenzi, also plays college basketball at GPAC-foe Morningside College, which went 38-0 this past season en route to capturing the NAIA Division II national championship.

(Reprinted from the Knoxville Journal Express)

Knoxville — Steph Kingery stepped up her level of play this past season on the basketball court for the Knoxville Panthers.

Her improvement not only helped her become a better player, but it also helped the Panthers post the best record in school history in 5-on-5 basketball. It also helped Steph earn a basketball scholarship to play at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge.

The Tritons offered Steph a scholarship and she jumped at the opportunity. Knoxville Girls’ Basketball Head Coach Jim Uitermarkt commented, “Steph is a coaches dream. She does whatever is asked of her, she’s a team player, whether it’s in or out of season.”

Steph played this past summer for the Iowa Lightning, an AAU team that practiced in Oskaloosa. She credits the summer play with helping her game and her confidence. “Playing AAU ball made me more aggressive. I had to match up with some talented players and I had to step up my game,” she said.

Steph made 60 three-point goals for the Panthers a year ago. Her shooting percentage improved 17 percent for the Panthers from her junior to senior year.“She also became a better rebounder and was more aggressive overall,” Uitermarkt said.

Iowa Central Coach Craig Carlson has posted a record of 56-9 with the Tritons over the past two years. “We like Steph’s ability to hit the three-point shot. We like to run and press and feel she fits our style of play,” Carlson said. Steph will be receiving one of nine basketball scholarships offered by the school this year.

Steph is the daughter of Mike and Lisa Kingery of Knoxville. “I’m excited for her,” replied her father. “This has been her dream through high school.”

Steph commented, “I’m probably better at track but I like basketball better. I’ve played the sport since fourth grade.” “I’m relieved to have selected a college where I believe I’ll have a chance to play,” Steph said. “I didn’t want to walk-on somewhere and I wanted a smaller school. I want to play when I get to college,” she added. Steph plans on pursuing a degree in elementary education.

Former Iowa Lightning member Becca Hurley has been named an NAIA All American. The NAIA released its 2009 All-Americans and Scholar Athletes for women’s basketball and Northwester College sophomore guard Becca Hurley (Pleasant Hill, Iowa) was named to the first team after averaging 20 points and six rebounds this season. Hurley scored in double figures in 30 of the 33 games she played this season. She also led the team with 83 three-pointers, shooting 36% from beyond the arc and dished out a team-best 111 assists and 67 steals.

Becca was also named an NAIA Scholar Athlete. Student-athletes must be nominated by their head coach, have achieved junior academic status and maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale to be eligible.

Becca spent two seasons with the Iowa Lightning under the tutorage of head coach Gary Boeyink.

Amy Voss of Newton High School, has accepted a basketball scholarship at Grand View University in Des Moines, IA. The NAIA school is under the direction of Coach Gary Smith and plays in the Midwest Collegiate Conference. Amy will join fellow Iowa Lightning alumni Jackie Kerr (2007), Alicia Onnen (2005) and Jodi Nikkel(2005) who are a part of the current Grand View varsity roster.

Natalie Massey signed a National Letter of Intent during early signing in November with Missouri S & T (formerly University of Missouri, Rolla) where she will be majoring in Engineering. Missouri S & T finished in the final 8 last year in the women's NCAA Division II tournament. Natalie played with the Iowa Lightning during the 2007 season and is a 6'1" forward.

Des Moines, Iowa – January 21, 2009 – East High All-Conference forward Sara Wagner announced today that she plans to sign a letter of intent and plans to accept a full ride scholarship offer to play at Graceland University next fall! Wagner plans to sign an official letter of intent on January 21, 2008 at 3:45 p.m. in the East High Library! Wagner a three-year CIML Metro All-Conference forward has helped lead East High to a CIML best 11-1 record and 4th ranked in the state. Wagner a 5’9 forward is averaging 10 ppg and has been instrumental in the Lady Scarlet’s attack this season!

Wagner played her summer ball with the Iowa Lightning. She took part in several exposure tournaments where she could demonstrate her skills in front of dozens of college coaches and scouts.

"Wagner decided to sign with GU, because she felt very comfortable with the athletic program, loved the academic opportunities, and Head Coach Opie Butler! Sara considered others that showed interest, but settled on GU.

Wagner, who will major in Psychology or Sports Medicine at GU is expected to play forward for the Yellow Jackets. “Sara is an extremely talented player who has a tremendous upside, and will provide the Yellow Jackets with instant offense and great perimeter shooting. Her outside shooting touch and ability to score will enhance Coach Butler’s offense says Head Coach Sam Powell”.

Des Moines East High All-Conference guard Tiffanie Porter signed today a letter of intent commitment to accept a full ride scholarship offer to play for the University of Northern Iowa Women Basketball Team next season. Porter, a two-year CIML Metro All-Conference guard helped lead East High to an historical best 19-5 record and a berth to the Girls State Tournament in 2006-07, after a 20 year absence. Porter a 5’6 guard led the Lady Scarlet’s defense with her blazing speed and quickness."Tiffanie decided to sign with UNI, because she felt very connected with Coach Warren and the players! Tiffanie considered others that showed interest, but settled on UNI because of her admiration and relationship with ex-Des Moines Lincoln legend and Head Coach Tanya Warren, and the academic opportunities UNI presented for her. Tiffanie, who will major in Health Services at UNI, is expected to play guard for the Panthers. “Tiffanie is an extremely talented player who has a tremendous upside, and will provide the Panthers with blazing speed and quickness in the open and half-court. Her speed, athleticism, and ability to score in the open court will enhance the Panthers transition offense and half-court defense, says East Head Coach Sam Powell. Tiffanie is a very special player who Coach Warren and her staff had been watching closely for the last year. Her growth and maturity while competing this summer with Iowa Lighting AAU Program convinced Coach Warren and her staff that she would be a good fit for the Panthers”!