Johnsburg grad feeling like her old self again

When Michelle McDonald watches tape of Winona State University women's basketball games this season, she notices some changes in the player wearing No. 44.

"I'm playing more like myself," said McDonald, a Johnsburg graduate. "It's coming."

On a Winona team with seven freshmen on the roster this season, McDonald has needed to grow up quickly in her second season on campus.

"We graduated a lot of seniors, so I knew I had to step up and take on more of a leadership role even though I'm only a sophomore," she said. 

McDonald, who is playing power forward and center, is leading the team with 6.8 rebounds a game and is the second-leading scorer for the Warriors (7-5) with an average of 10.5 points a game.

While starting 11 games, McDonald has made a much bigger contribution on offense than when she averaged 5.3 points a game a season ago.

"I wasn't much of a threat last year on offense," she said. "I'm taking more shots and not passing the ball as much. I'm more confident in my post moves and my shot."

Knowing the team's roster would change drastically this off-season, McDonald prepared by working on specific aspects of her game.

"On my shot, I needed to be quicker and jump higher," she said. "Defensively, I became quicker with my feet."

The results can be seen on the team's game tape, which shows McDonald has drained 65 percent of her field goals this season for the NCAA Division II Warriors.

"I feel a lot more confident in what I'm doing out there," she said.

Rockford's new boss: Marengo grad Chad Zeman was one of coach Roger Fredrickson's first recruits to D-III Rockford College's track and cross country teams.

The school announced Thursday that Zeman has taken over as interim head coach after Fredrickson's recent retirement.

Zeman enjoyed a superb career at Rockford, wining two Northern Athletics Conference cross country titles and setting several league records in track. 

Zeman's first meet as head coach is scheduled for Jan. 16 when the Regents travel to Kenosha, Wis., for the Carthage College Invitational.

Mize, Cardinal Stritch shine: Freshman center Caitlin Mize is a top reserve this season for the Cardinal Stritch University women's basketball team.

Mize, a Crystal Lake South grad, has played in every game for the Wolves (15-2) and is the team's third-leading rebounder at 4.8 per game. While playing nearly 16 minutes a game, Mize is also averagig 3.8 points and has hit 89 percent of her free throws.

Stritch, which is located in Milwaukee, is ranked No. 22 in the latest NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Coaches' Association poll. Mize returns to the area Saturday when the Wolves play at Elgin's Judson University at 3 p.m.

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.