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Mount Vernon Nazarene College first-year head coach Steve Gregory has recently rounded out his roster by signing three recruits to join the Lady Cougars' basketball program for the 1998-99 season.
Angie Trainer, a graduate of Miami Trace High School, headlines the trio of incoming players. Trainer, a 5-foot-10 forward, averaged 20.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.1 steals, and 3.7 assists per game during her senior year. She finished her career in third place on Miami Trace's all-time scoring list with 1,124 points. She also scored in double figures in 66 consecutive games.
For her efforts, Trainer was selected as the Division II District Player of the Year following her senior season. She also received Special Mention All-Ohio honors and played in both the Ohio North-South All-Star game and the Kentucky-Ohio All-Star game.
"Angie brings a scorer's mentality into our program," said Gregory. "She is a scoring threat from both the perimeter and the low block. Her versatility and size will allow us to play her at several different positions. I expect her to challenge some of our upperclassmen for playing time."
The second recruit is Anna Hoam from Clear Fork High School. Hoam, a 6-foot forward, averaged 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 blocked shots per game as a senior. She also set a single-season school record by connecting on 90.3 percent of her free throw attempts. She finished her career ranked fourth on Clear Fork's career scoring list and tenth in career rebounds.
Following her senior season, Hoam was named to the Division III All-District First Team and the Mohican Area Conference First Team. She was also selected as her team's most valuable player. In addition to her efforts on the court, Hoam was the valedictorian of her graduating class.
"Anna will play both in the post and on the perimeter for us," said Gregory. "She is capable of going down to the post and utilizing her size and strength, and she is also capable of going out on the perimeter and nailing the three-point shot."
The final player in this trio of recruits is Jen Hart, a 1997 graduate of West Holmes High School. Hart, a 5-foot-10 forward, attended MVNC last year, but elected not to play basketball. She will enter this season with four years of eligibility remaining.
Hart was a versatile athlete at West Holmes as she earned 10 varsity letters: basketball (3), softball (2), tennis (4), and track (1). As a senior, she averaged 5.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game for the basketball team.
"Jen will begin her first season of intercollegiate play after a one-year hiatus from the sport," said Gregory. "She will mainly see action in the post, but may play some on the perimeter from time to time. She has been impressive in summer workouts."
With this quality group of newcomers joining the returning players who posted a 19-18 record last season, the outlook for the upcoming season is an optimistic one.
