Iron Mountain grads cap basketball careers at Silver Lake
Silver Lake women's basketball
MANITOWOC, Wis. — There’s no place Abby Gerhard and Jordan Barbeau would rather finish their college basketball careers than on the national stage.
The former Iron Mountain High School standouts are seniors on the Silver Lake College women’s team, which on Monday earned a bid to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association’s 2017 National Championships.
Fifth-seeded Silver Lake College will play No. 4 seed Florida College in a Division 1 first-round game on Wednesday, March 1 at 11 a.m.. The tournament is being held in Uniontown, Pa., south of Pittsburgh.
Gerhard is a starter who averages 5.3 points and 1.8 steals per game. Eleven times this season, the relentless defender recorded at least three steals in a game.
The co-captain was a key contributor in helping the Lakers earn a spot in the national tournament for the second straight year. Prior to last season, it had been two decades since the Lakers competed in the national tournament.
“Last year I was excited (going to nationals), but making it my senior year puts a whole new perspective on it,” Gerhard said. “We got this opportunity a second time around because we all work together and play as a team and have amazing coaches. I couldn’t ask for a better year to end my basketball journey.”
Lakers head coach Mike Flentje said Gerhard is a consummate team player who leads by example.
“She hustles on every single play,” Flentje said. “She simply will not stop. She keeps trying her best and causes a lot of problems for opponents because of her tenacity. Her work ethic really rubs off on everyone else. We’ll be looking to Abby to help lead us at nationals.”
Gerhard added that nationals is the perfect exclamation point to a basketball career that began way back in third grade.
“I have had the opportunity to play with great players and have had awesome coaches from Iron Mountain to help me get to where I am today,” she said. “I did not expect to go to college to play basketball, but I am so happy I was able to. I have gained so many new friends through not only teammates but also opponents. I have grown up in a gym, going to practices, riding long bus trips, eating out – it was just what I have been used to and I wasn’t ready for it to be over. I am going to nationals now with an amazing team.”
Her friend and teammate Barbeau also will be joining the Lakers at the national tournament. Unfortunately for Barbeau, a serious knee injury suffered during the volleyball season prevented her from playing in this, her final season. Nonetheless, she supported the team all season long as she rehabbed her injury.
There was a silver lining to Barbeau’s story, however.
On Sunday, Barbeau suited up for Senior Day and saw a few minutes on the court – capped by a three-pointer in the closing moments of a victory over Andrews University in the regular-season finale. Tears flowed as teammates and coaches hugged her on the court afterward.
Flentje said the hard work put in by student-athletes like Gerhard and Barbeau over the past few years has built the Lakers into a formidable force.
“We’ve had some very good teams these last few years, so we feel the program is very solid,” Flentje said. “We’re getting some great student-athletes competing for us, and we’re going to give it everything we have at nationals.”
The other six teams competing in the Division 1 women’s bracket of the national championship tournament include No. 1 seed Concordia College (Alabama), No. 2 seed Berea College (Kentucky), No. 3 seed Rochester College (Michigan), No. 6 seed Alfred State College (New York), No. 7 seed Dean College (Massachusetts) and No. 8 seed Paul Quinn College (Texas).
— Benjamin Wideman is the athletics director and sports information director at Silver Lake College in Manitowoc, Wis.