I am from Mills, Nebraska, where I lived on our family ranch with my parents and my younger brother. 

I attended Rock County High school from 2014-2018 and participated as a North Central Knight in volleyball, basketball, and track all four years.  In basketball, I played the forward position all four years of high school as well as in college. Our team made it to State my junior and senior years of high school, becoming the first team to make it there in school history. We were the 2018 Class D State Champions and I was named the Lincoln Journal Star and Norfolk Daily News Class D girls captain. 

I attended Northeast Community College while pursuing a degree in Elementary Education as well as a minor in Business. While doing so, I was a member of both the women’s volleyball and basketball teams. During my time there in volleyball, we made it to Nationals in West Virginia both years, earning a 7th place finish my freshman year. I was both a middle hitter and an outside hitter.  

Once my two years at Northeast were complete, I transferred to Hastings College to continue my Elementary Education degree and play women’s basketball. My basketball career at Hastings College was different than most, because I spent a lot of time recovering from a significant knee injury I endured my sophomore year while playing basketball at Northeast.

I am now a first year kindergarten teacher at West Lawn Elementary School. I am also a first year coach. I am the GISH JV volleyball coach as well as the GISH girls reserve basketball coach. Sports have been a huge part of my life since I was able to pick up a ball. It has always been my plan to become a coach when it was my time to hang up my own jerseys. I couldn’t imagine a better place to begin! I can’t wait to share my love of sports with all of my players, and hopefully, I can make an impact on them.  I will always be grateful for what I learned from my former coaches!

• Axtell High School 2013-2017

• UNK 2017-2021

• Graduated with Bachelors on Science in Education: Middle Level Science in 2021

• Began teaching 6th grade Math and Science at Walnut Middle School in 2021

• Began coaching Freshmen girls basketball in 2021

• I love finding ways to serve in the community and getting the chance to do that through the game of basketball has been so much fun. I love every part of the game and getting the chance to build connections with the players.  I strive to build upon each players abilities to grow their fundamentals, game play, and confidence. 

• Lyndon, Kansas is home town

• High school and where I have my fondest memories, so it is the place I call home. I played basketball all four years of high school and I loved every second of it. In high school, I spent most of my time on the court playing as a shooting guard and found myself transitioning to a point guard as I gained confidence in handling the ball. 

• Ottawa University and eventually transferred to Kansas State University to finish my teaching degree. While at K-State I played club basketball for two years, but sadly this is where my playing career reached its end. 

• After graduation, I embarked on my teaching journey which gave me the opportunity to coach at various levels. Coaching has provided a new way to love the game as I am able to watch players grow and become confident in themselves and their abilities, both on and off the court.

• During my second year teaching, I met my incredible husband, Taylor. He and I have spent the past several years teaching in Western Nebraska and enjoying all the hiking and running trails that this part of the state has to offer. In 2020, we welcomed our daughter into the world. Ellie is already 18 months old and just about ready to pick up a basketball herself. Taylor and I will both be teaching science at Grand Island Senior High starting in the Fall of 2022.

• I have loved the game of basketball from a very young age. While I may not have been very good right away, it was away for me to bond with my mom, my sisters, and eventually my stepdad. We played a lot of driveway basketball when I was young. These games usually ended in tears; from laughter or from learning that I had A LOT of work to do if I was ever going to win a game. At that point in my life, I did not understand how important basketball would become for me, but I knew that picking up the ball gave me true happiness and peace when I needed it most. When I started really playing competitively in 6th grade with my first official team, I fell even more in love with the game. Again, I was not the best on the court, but I had the heart of a 7x NBA Finals MVP. I loved the game and I loved my team. What I love most about this sport is that no matter what type of player you are, if you are playing the game for the right reasons, there is always a place for you. What a player can bring to the game is so much more than just what their stat sheet can tell you. What a player can take from the game is so much more than a record of wins and losses. This game will leave you with lessons about life, resilience, and trust.

My basketball career began in third grade in Broken Bow, NE.  We created a travel team and that is where my love of the game became strong.  With a new job for my dad, my family moved to Sidney, NE.  My basketball passion continued and by my junior and senior year in high school we made it to state.  The hard work had paid off!  From there I went to Nebraska Wesleyan University and played basketball there for two years.  I then wanted to do a coaching practicum the following year, so I did so with Lincoln Northeast.  It was a phenomenal experience under coach Rich Olson, as they were runner up at state that year.  After that, I student taught out in Ogallala, NE and helped with the girls basketball team there for short bit.  Once I got married to my husband Mike, we ended up in Grand Island, NE.  I eventually coached at GICC for two years.  I then took a break due to having my two kids, Joden (13) and Reeve (11).  After that I coached for four years at Grand Island Senior High.  With my kids growing up, I switched from coaching high school to my daughters youth team, which I have now been doing for three years.  Currently my passion lies with the youth because that is the age of my daughter.  I believe in serving in this way--to make a difference in the lives of our youth.  Basketball has taught me so much and I want nothing more than to help teach youth the same.  By believing in them and encouraging them, I hope to make some sort of impact on them, one that shows them they can achieve their dreams and goals.

16/17U Coach