Hillary Wenning left North Decatur as one of the more highly regarded female athletes the school has produced. Now that she's moved to the next level at the University of Indianapolis, she's found the transistion from Charger star to Greyhound role play hasn't been as simple as putting on a uniform.

One thing that was immediately evident was the significant learning curve that Wenning had to negotiate playing in her first collegiate year.

“As far as my first season, it was amazing and I learned so much,” she said. “There are so many little things in the game of basketball that I did not know that can make a big difference in the outcome of a

game.”

One major obstacle was a change in the head coaching position starting the season. LeAnn Freeland was a two-time Division II All-American at the University of Southern Indiana (USI) in her collegiate years. USI is a co-competitor in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GVLC).

“We started the season off with an entirely new coaching staff so no one knew quite what to expect from the new coaches, myself included,” Wenning said. “I was concerned that because I signed to go play for the prior staff that the new coaches would not like my style of ball.”

The concerns over the caching staff quickly disappeared with an invitation to participate in the Division II national tournament. Indianapolis was eliminated in the first round in a narrow defeat to the eventual national champion Northern Kentucky University.

“Overall, I think the new staff worked out great and we quickly fell in sync with the new style of play. Something must of worked since we started off 12-0 and made school history,” Wenning said.

Despite the team’s success, the longer season and new team role she was playing wore on her.

“The season definitely affected me mentally. You work so hard to please three coaches and in the end, sometimes, you still don't succeed,” Wenning related. "Even when you do, they give you something new to work on. Don't take this as a complaint by any means, it just let's me know they cared about me and wanted to make me the best player I could be and make me a better asset to the team.”

The Greyhounds should be in decent shape to again compete in the GVLC despite losing two starters, one of which averaged around 19 points per game and eight rebounds

“With the experience some of the younger players gained this year and with the a good 2008 recruiting class coming in, I really feel we will be able to fill her shoes,” Wenning reported. “It may not be one person doing all the work, but as a team effort with everyone stepping up their game to the next level.”  

Hopefully with her freshman year behind her and a more complete knowledge of the Greyhounds’ system she can be a significant contributor in her second season.