Q-C area alumni watch: Assumption’s Youngblut playing with urgency at UND
It’s now or never for Mallory Youngblut.
Youngblut, a Davenport Assumption grad, may be a second year freshman at the University of North Dakota, but she might as well be a senior, because this is her one and only shot at a national title.
UND, located in Grand Forks, N.D., is in its last season competing at the NCAA Division II level. Next year, the Fighting Sioux begin a five-year transition to Division I and won’t be eligible for postseason play.
So, this is it. And Youngblut and her teammates, who are 18-1 and ranked fourth in the nation, are poised for a championship run.
“It makes everyone pretty much a senior. Everyone always says, ‘Senior year is your last chance.’ But this makes everyone, freshmen through seniors, pretty much in the same situation,” said Youngblut, a 5-11 guard who averages 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds.
“This is what we’re working for — a national championship. This is our last chance for it, so everyone is really playing like this is all we’ve got.”
The Fighting Sioux started the season 17-0 and were ranked No. 1 before losing, 70-67, to South Dakota last week.
Youngblut, the 2006 Mississippi Athletic Conference player of the year, has appeared in all 19 games, playing about 19 minutes per. It’s a role in which she is comfortable.
“I can’t say I expected it. But I definitely hoped for it, wished for it and worked really hard for it,” Youngblut said. “I come off the bench. I just want to keep that spark going on the floor and hopefully carry on what the starters are doing.
“I’m a shooter. I’ve got to go out there and make shots and crash the boards.”
She’s hoping to crash the Final Four, too, and bring home that national championship trophy.
It’s now or never.
Caldwell goes over 1,000
Former Davenport North standout Bryce Caldwell recently became the 29th player in Wayne State College history to surpass 1,000 points in a career. The 5-foot-11 senior guard reached the milestone during a 22-point performance in a 72-60 win over Southwest Minnesota State on Jan. 12. After another 22-point effort Saturday, he has 1,069 points.
Monday, Caldwell was named the Northern Sun Conference’s player of the week after averaging 20 points and five rebounds in a pair of conference wins. On the season, Caldwell ranks second on the Wildcats in scoring with a 15.6 average. He also averages 3.8 rebounds a game and is second on the team with 64 assists and 22 steals. After hitting 10 3-pointers over the weekend, he ranks second in school history with 260 for his career.
WSC, which has won three straight and six of eight, is 12-8 overall and 7-4 in conference.
Caldwell, who led North to the Iowa Class 4A state tournament as a senior in 2003, has upped his scoring average each year he has been at Wayne State, located in Wayne, Neb. After redshirting his first year, he averaged 3.2 points as a freshman. He became a starter as a sophomore, averaging 11.2 points and boosted that to 14.3 last season.
MORE ALUMNI NEWS
Men’s basketball
- Matt Poirler (North Scott), a freshman at Dubuque, has played in all 16 games for the 9-7 Spartans. The 6-5 forward averages five points a game.
- Pat Conrad (Bettendorf), a sophomore at Loras, has appeared in 17 of 18 games for the 13-5 Duhawks. The 6-1 guard averages just more than a point a game.
Women’s basketball
- Katie Fournier (Moline), a junior at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, has appeared in 18 of 19 games for the 11-8 Panthers. She averages just less than a point a game.
- Shanon Nelson (Clinton), a senior at Coe College, is averaging 6.8 points and 5.3 rebounds for the 13-5 Kohawks, who, at 6-3, are in second place in the IIAC.
Swimming and diving
- Emma Moran (Bettendorf), a sophomore at Augustana, has posted a team-best time of 2:44.65 in the 200 butterfly this season.
- Ally Green and Melissa Kilfoy (Bettendorf) are both contributing at UNI. Kilfoy, a junior, and Green, a sophomore, both swim the butterfly and the medley relay.
If you know of a former Q-C area high school athlete who has moved on to the collegiate ranks, contact Eric Page at epage@qctimes.com.