WVC Knights Women's Basketball News

2011-12 News

Two Lady Knights basketball players named to NWAACC All-Academic Sports Team

Lady Knights basketball players Alyssa Dario and Shay Grilley have been named to the NWAACC All Academic Sports Team for winter quarter 2012.

Dario received a 3.67 cumulative GPA and Grilley a 3.30 cumulative GPA.

To be eligible for the All Academic Sports Team, players must be a sophomore with a minimum of 36 credits earned, a cumulative GPA of 3.25, and be recommended by their college.

Dario was also named to the NWAACC Eastern Region All-Defensive Team.

   
Alyssa Dario and Shay Grilley

A Life Changed

Written by Keli Grover, WVC Spring 2012 Discover

Kate Patenaude is a starter for the Wenatchee Valley College women’s basketball team. She first visited Wenatchee last spring during her recruiting trip and immediately recognized how much it reminded her of her home town of Missoula, Montana, “without the mountains, but just as pretty,” she said. “It just felt like the right fit. I got along great with the girls and I could tell Coach (Rachel) Goetz was very passionate about what she does and the name we wear on our jerseys. I knew I was going to be able to get a lot more experience playing basketball at the college level. I would also be able to work towards what I wanted to do for a career, which is nursing.”

Kate grew up watching her mom, Nancy, interact with hospital patients and saw the true impact a nurse and a patient can have on one another. In her senior year of high school, Nancy introduced Kate to one of her patients. She explained that 18-year-old Emmanuel Nsubuga, nicknamed “Emma”, a young African man suffering from Legg-Calve Perthes disease and deformed hips, just needed a friend to talk to while he recovered from a difficult surgery.

Kate whole heartedly believes that opportunities are given to everyone, but it is what you choose to do with them that can change your life. With an open heart and a determination to help someone in need, she began meeting with Emma. What began with a simple introduction turned into a lasting friendship.

Kate also saw an opportunity to raise money for his family and the local orphanage where he lived, Musana Children’s Home. She opened a booth at the Missoula Saturday Market and began selling purses, backpacks and jewelry, raising $1,000 to support her friend.

Meeting Emma solidified the fact that nursing was Kate’s future. “There was no longer any doubt in my mind,” she said.

After obtaining a degree in nursing, she plans to become a traveling nurse, helping patients both in the U.S. and internationally.

Kate now finds the support she once showed Emma in her own teammates, and she is often reminded of their friendship when she listens to Coach Goetz’s locker room talks.

“On Saturday afternoon when we are sitting in the locker room, Coach will remind us that Lady Knights are about something bigger than ourselves; it’s about being a team,” Kate said. “The girls support me both on and off the court. We’re like a family.”

For a copy of this article as it appeared in the WVC Spring 2012 Discover, please click here.