Wheaton, Ill. – Wheaton College head women's basketball coach
Kent Madsen has announced the addition of five freshman that have submitted their deposit to attend Wheaton College, with the intent to play for the Thunder women's basketball team beginning with the 2018-19 season.
Coach Madsen says of the group "We are extremely excited about this year's incoming freshmen class that includes Emily Nerem, Taylor Sanders, Annika Simonson, Hannah Swider, and Abby Wright. The beauty of recruiting at Wheaton is that you have the opportunity to bring in talented players from all over the country. This year we are bringing in five players from four states (Minnesota, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Illinois). These are players that have played on successful high school and AAU teams. In addition to their success on the court these five players excel in the classroom and have a strong desire to grow in their faith. We look forward to the start of the season and blending this group with a strong returning group."
The five newcomers for 2017-18 are:
Emily Nerem (Edgerton, Minnesota/Southwest Minnesota Christian High School) is a 5'9" guard joining the Thunder after leading the Lady Eagles to 101 varsity wins in her four seasons. The Lady Eagles have won four-consecutive conference championships in her time with the program. She is a two-time Minnesota State Tournament participant in basketball, finishing as Consolation Champion in 2017. Nerem is Southwest Minnesota Christian High School's all-time leader in career assists and career free throw percentage and ranked four all-time in steals. She is ranked in the program's all-time top-ten in points and in the top-20 in rebounding. Nerem was a three-time Red Rock All-Conference basketball selection and a two-time Globe All-Area basketball team selection. She graduated first in her class and was the recipient of the Minnesota State Athletic Association Academic All-State Award.
Taylor Sanders (Tulsa, Oklahoma/Victory Christian High School) is a 5'10" forward who helped lead Victory Christian to State for the first time in school history. In her senior year, Sanders averaged five points, five rebounds and two assists per game. As a four-year varsity player, three-year starter and two-time captain, Sanders earned All-Conference honors her sophomore, junior and senior years and was named the
Tulsa World "Player of the Week" during her senior campaign. Sanders was on the Honor Roll all four years and graduated with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
Annika Simonson (Maple Grove, Minnesota/Heritage Christian Academy) is a 5'11" forward who earned All-Conference honors for the past three years and was a two-time MN Breakdown Player. She averaged 14.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in her final prep season. As a four-year varsity starter and three-year team captain, Simonson was a 1,000-point scorer and helped lead her team to its first appearance in the Minnesota State Tournament and a sixth-place finish. Academically, Simonson was a High Honor Roll student.
Hannah Swider (Wheaton, Illinois/Wheaton North High School) is a 5'10" guard who graduated from Wheaton North High School as the school's career scoring leader with 1,381 points and as the program's career leader in most field goals made with 469. She is the program's all-time leader in free throws made with 295, and most games of thirty or more points (2). As a team captain in her senior campaign, she averaged 16.1 points per game and led the team in points, rebounds, and steals. Swider was a four-time All-Conference selection, a three-time All-Area selection, and a two-time All-State Selection and was named the Conference Player of the Year as a senior. Swider was an 86.9% free throw shooter connecting on 100 out of 115 attempts. Swider led her Wheaton North High School team to a DuPage Valley Conference title and two Regional Championship titles. She also took home Wheaton North's Female Athlete of the Year award.
Abby Wright (Arvada, Colorado/Valor Christian High School) is a 5'7" guard who joins the Thunder after being a two-year letterwinner at Ralston Valley High School and a two-year letterwinner and varsity starter at Valor Christian High School. Earning First Team All-Conference and CHSAA All-State Honorable Mention in her senior season, Wright averaged nine points, four rebounds, and two steals per game. She led the conference in three-pointers by hitting 51 three-pointers, including one game where she connected on 8 out of 9 three-point attempts. As a junior, Wright was an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection, hitting 26 three-pointers while playing only half the season. She is a two-time First Team Academic All-State selection, a two-time recipient of the Outstanding Academic Athlete award at Ralston Valley, and a Valor Summa Cum Laude award recipient.
