Cleary University women’s basketball team captured the first victory of its inaugural season! They had a short bench due to injuries, but that did not stop the girls from overcoming a 13 point second half deficit to win its first game ever! Cleary secured the win with only five players on the court during the second half, but they regrouped, narrowed the gap to only six points in the final quarter, and continued to rally and win the game 69-65 against the University of Northwestern Ohio on the road.
High scorers were:
- Amy Jackson: 12 points (she left the game with an ankle injury)
- Caitlyn Rayle: 12 points
- Taedom Stein: 11 points
- Amelia Storm: 10 points
- Mileisha Rodriquez: 9 points and a game high of 15 rebounds
- Rylee Thomas: 9 points (three, three-point shots)
In late 2022, Cleary University announced it was adding men’s and women’s basketball to its athletic program. “We feel the addition of these sports will continue to help our school take the next steps to compete in the WHAC and NAIA,” said Heather Bateman, senior vice president of Campus Operations.
Prior to this announcement, Cleary was the only WHAC member that didn’t sponsor men’s and women’s basketball. The addition of these two sports means that all 12 members of the WHAC compete in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s cross country and indoor/outdoor track and field, baseball and softball.
“We are thrilled about what these additions mean for our school and our community,” Bateman reported in a press release. “Men’s and women’s basketball will further improve our student life experience. We believe our student athletes will create an environment where Cleary is considered one of the most challenging places for visiting teams to compete.”
Kevin Mondro is Cleary’s first women’s basketball coach. He comes from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti where he coached basketball for 11 seasons.
“To me, nothing is more powerful than a school such as Cleary University to have the confidence in me to develop, recruit, and lead its women’s basketball program,” Coach Mondro said when he accepted the head coach position.
“After spending most of my professional career as an assistant coach, I am ready to build a program of my own from the ground up,” he added.
Carl Thomas was named the first head coach for Cleary’s men’s basketball team. He spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an NCAA Division 1 school. Prior to Duquesne, Thomas was the head coach for four years at NJCAA Jackson College, and an assistant coach for two years at NJCAA Owens Community College in Ohio. Thomas also served as an assistant coach for six seasons at his alma mater, NCAA Division 1 Eastern Michigan University, in Ypsilanti.
To follow men’s and women’s basketball at Cleary, visit clearycougars.com for a schedule of upcoming games. Home arena this season for the Cougars is Gannon Gymnasium on the Lansing Community College campus.
