Sports Editor
Photo by: Millie Schreibman
jdredmon@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
Kelsey Sigl didn’t love the game of basketball anymore. In fact, she was considering quitting after her coach, Steve Meier, at Bismarck High School in North Dakota stepped down going into her senior year.
“After he resigned, I was going to be done,” Sigl said. “I just didn’t want to play anymore.”
Then Andrea Erdmann (then Ronderos) took over.
Erdmann had led Bismarck’s University of Mary to consecutive conference championships in 2004-05 and finished seventh all-time in points scored and sixth for assists for the school. She convinced Sigl to stay on the team and give it a shot. After all, what did she have to lose?
“In our first meeting, I could tell she was not into basketball anymore, and I was just thinking to myself, ‘This kid is so gifted. She has to play,’” Erdmann said. “I really urged her to give it a shot, and she chose to play. After our first tournament, she rode back with me, and I could tell she was committed. She never looked back.”
The decision would pay off as the Bismarck High Demons finished 20-5 on the season and upset the unbeaten favorite to win the school’s first Class A state title in over 15 years. Sigl was an all-state selection and won Player of the Year honors for the state of North Dakota, while Andrea would step down after only one season coaching the Demons, citing her new engagement and their subsequent decision to move.
“I can’t thank her enough, and I tell her that every so often,” Sigl said. “I wouldn’t be in this position if she wasn’t there, and I truly believe that God had put her there, in that position, for a reason. Not only for that program, but for myself. It was just. . . it’s just funny how it all worked out.”
Two years later, after spending a year at Bismarck State College, Sigl was playing for CMU. She averaged 16.3 and 18.3 points a game (both team-highs) for her sophomore and junior years, respectively.
“I really wanted to get out of [North Dakota], so I sent my stats and everything to a bunch of D2 schools, and Mesa contacted me,” Sigl said. “They flew me out, and I fell in love with everything here. It was a little scary because [Mesa’s] previous record was like 8-17, so I was hesitant because I knew it would be a rebuilding process.”
But keeping in the tradition of asking, ‘Why not?’ Sigl decided to come to Colorado.
“It was hard not knowing anyone and watch my parents just drive away,” Sigl added. “But they made it like home for me.”
So this time, when former women’s head coach Roger Walters stepped down last year, Sigl remained confident and relied on the judgment of her teammates in helping the Athletic Department choose Taylor Wagner as his successor.
“We were in this predicament going into my senior year, where it’s May and we don’t have a coach,” Sigl said. She explained that when Wagner came to Mesa, the team basically decided, right then and there, he was the one. “We had an instant connection and relationship and. . . it has worked out.”
Now, after beating Colorado Christian (the reason for the sole notch in the loss column for CMU) in Saturday’s RMAC championship game, Sigl and the fourth-ranked Mavericks have a chance to make some real noise at the national level. She is averaging an RMAC-leading 18.5 points a game this season, which is also good for 16th in the nation.
“I think everyone on the team, especially us seniors, understands that this is the year to do big things,” Sigl said. “Each of the four seniors has done a good job this year, and we realize this is our last crack at it. It’s been such a humbling experience to be able to go out like this our senior year with a bang.”
Recent Comments