BLANCHARDVILLE - Pecatonica senior Kimee Chandler made history Wednesday, becoming just the second Viking to receive a four-year athletic scholarship, and the first to earn the honor for basketball.
Chandler choose UW-Milwaukee, signing her letter of intent and brushing away offers from other schools, at a ceremony in the Monroe High School gymnasium.
"It feels amazing to have accomplished this," she said. "I love the coaching staff. They meant a lot to me and that was a huge reason why I chose it. (Milwaukee is) close to home and I just feel like I will fit in there."
Chandler earned all-conference and all-area honors in each of her first three seasons in high school. As both a sophomore and a junior, Chandler was named to the WBCA's Division 4 All-State team.
Ranked as the No. 3 junior by Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook, Chandler went on to average 17.5 points per game, along with 5.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 4.8 steals and shot 42 percent from three-point range.
Chandler has played for Wisconsin Hoops Select and was accepted to the Pacesetter Basketball Program in 2007
Standing at 5-feet, 8-inches tall, the guard has the skills to do it all. Her fast-paced game likens to the mold that Panthers head coach Sandy Botham has installed during her 14 years as head coach. In the 2008-09 season, UW-M finished with a 15-18 overall record and losing in the Horizon League championship game.
"They like to run a lot - fast break and transition. I know we will be on the rise in the upcoming years," Chandler said. "Playing AAU has really helped me. The competition is outstanding and every year we've traveled a little bit farther - Atlanta, Cincinnati. Just really big cities against really good competition."
For now, the senior can focus on finishing out her senior year.
"Now that I have this under my belt I can just enjoy my senior year and just have fun with everything."
Pecatonica's other scholarship athlete, track and field runner Elise Sigg, also attends UW-Milwaukee.
Chandler choose UW-Milwaukee, signing her letter of intent and brushing away offers from other schools, at a ceremony in the Monroe High School gymnasium.
"It feels amazing to have accomplished this," she said. "I love the coaching staff. They meant a lot to me and that was a huge reason why I chose it. (Milwaukee is) close to home and I just feel like I will fit in there."
Chandler earned all-conference and all-area honors in each of her first three seasons in high school. As both a sophomore and a junior, Chandler was named to the WBCA's Division 4 All-State team.
Ranked as the No. 3 junior by Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook, Chandler went on to average 17.5 points per game, along with 5.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 4.8 steals and shot 42 percent from three-point range.
Chandler has played for Wisconsin Hoops Select and was accepted to the Pacesetter Basketball Program in 2007
Standing at 5-feet, 8-inches tall, the guard has the skills to do it all. Her fast-paced game likens to the mold that Panthers head coach Sandy Botham has installed during her 14 years as head coach. In the 2008-09 season, UW-M finished with a 15-18 overall record and losing in the Horizon League championship game.
"They like to run a lot - fast break and transition. I know we will be on the rise in the upcoming years," Chandler said. "Playing AAU has really helped me. The competition is outstanding and every year we've traveled a little bit farther - Atlanta, Cincinnati. Just really big cities against really good competition."
For now, the senior can focus on finishing out her senior year.
"Now that I have this under my belt I can just enjoy my senior year and just have fun with everything."
Pecatonica's other scholarship athlete, track and field runner Elise Sigg, also attends UW-Milwaukee.
