16 May 2000
CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206
 
 

Four Women Announce for IWU

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Four standout women athletes have elected to attend Illinois Wesleyan to continue their academic and athletic careers, IWU women's basketball coach Mia Smith announced today.

The players are Jess Hough of Nokomis (HS), Kristin Gulinsky of Lincolnshire (Stevenson HS), Sarah Brown of Evergreen Park (HS), and Andrea Palmer of Danville (First Baptist HS), who is transferring to IWU from Danville Area Community College.

Jess Hough

Hough, a 5-foot-8 guard, played for her father's teams that won Class A Illinois state titles in 1998 and 1999. She was named to the third team of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state team and earned honorable mention on the all-state squad chosen by the Champaign News Gazette.
"Jess brings a winning attitude to our program," said Smith. "The success she has had at Nokomis will flow over into the IWU program. As a coach's daughter, she knows the game as well as anyone and having her on the floor will be like having a coach on the court during the game."
Hough was a member of the all-area squads chosen by the Springfield Journal-Register (first team) and the Decatur Herald & Review (honorable mention).
She finished her career with 621 points, 362 rebounds, 222 steals and 276 assists.
Hough, who ranks No. 1 in her high school class, is the daughter of Maury and Sharon Hough, 220 Lone Star, Nokomis.

Kristin Gulinsky

Gulinsky, a 5-foot-9 forward, was a four-year letterwinner in basketball for the Patriots. As a senior she led the team with a 76.0 free-throw percentage. A team captain, she averaged 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds for a team that won the North Suburban Conference championship her junior and senior seasons.
She also earned four letters and was team captain in badminton, where she was a doubles sectional finalist as a sophomore and senior as well as an IHSA state qualifier.
Gulinsky, who plans to major in history and political science at IWU, was an all-conference academic selection for four years, is a member of National Honor Society, the Stevenson Honor Band, and a Peer Helper.
She is the daughter of Patricia and Chris Gulinsky, 6 Kensington Dr., Lincolnshire.

Sarah Brown

Brown, a 5-foot-9 forward, averaged 12.9 points and 12.8 rebounds per game along with 4.6 steals and 2.8 assists. She was an all-conference selection as a junior and senior, was her team's "Most Valuable Player" as a senior, and was named to the first team of the all-area squad chosen by The Reporter as a junior and senior. She was also honorable mention on the Daily Southtown all-area squad her last two seasons.
She also plans to play softball at IWU. She has been a four-year starter in softball and was all-conference as a junior.
Brown, who plans to major in English or psychology at IWU, is the daughter of Russell and Melissa Brown, 9856 Avers, Evergreen Park.

Andrea Palmer

Palmer, a 5-foot-5 guard, will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at IWU. As a sophomore at DACC, she averaged 11 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game and connected on 43 3-point field goals. She shot 40.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc and made 81.7 percent of her free throw tries.
"Andrea's junior college experience will make our team deeper," said Smith. "She brings terrific defensive speed to our lineup."
As a freshman, she earned honorable mention all-Collegiate Conference of Central Illinois and captured her team's honors for dedication, assists, steals, and 3-oint percentage.
She was a member of the CCCI all-academic team both seasons at Danville.
Palmer, who plans to major in accounting at IWU, is the daughter of Greg and Maridale Palmer, 327 N. Fletcher Hills, Danville.

About IWU Women's Basketball

The Titans are coached by Mia Smith, whose two-year record is 24-24. The Titans were 10-14 last winter and were 14-10 in 1998-99 with seven consecutive winning seasons.