A Season For The Record Books
Penn State Hazleton was rewarded with phenomenal achievements from two outstanding student-athletes in 2014. Women's basketball players Alexis Daly and Taylor Cannon both achieved the 1,000 point milestone in consecutive games earlier this fall, an accomplishment never before seen in the same season at the campus. Their achievements, the result of hard work, a love of the game, and most importantly, the relationships they've fostered along the way.
Alexis Daly came to Penn State Hazleton not even sure if she would continue to pursue athletics. It took some conversations with Coach Fulton and some shoot-arounds with players to convince her. Fortunately for all us, she came around to the idea. As a freshman, Daly excelled immediately, nearly averaging a double-double per game and scoring over 350 points her rookie year. Daly's performance earned her PSUAC honors and a United States Collegiate Athletic Association All-American Award. She followed that performance with an outstanding sophomore campaign, averaging 22 points per game along with 12 rebounds a contest, once again earning PSUAC and USCAA All-American honors. In just two years, Daly went from being undecided about playing, to one of the most decorated student athletes at Penn State Hazleton.
Entering her junior year, Daly needed just 132 points to reach the milestone. Despite a strong start to the season, Daly was unable to reach the mark during a five game home stretch. She found herself just 7 points away entering the conference matchup at Penn State York. With just under 6 minutes remaining in the first half, Kamryn Dodd secured a rebound, passed the ball to Daly scoring the record-breaking bucket on a layup. Despite the relative ease that the short range shot presents, Daly recalls the shot being the most difficult of her young career. With that basket, Daly became just the 3rd Lady Lion in school history to eclipse 1,000 points. Honored by her teammates and the York crowd, Daly felt a great sense of achievement and relief, the pressure subsiding allowing her competitiveness to resume.
Alexis Daly still has many goals yet to accomplish. Having achieved numerous individual accolades, Daly's first priority on the court is to help her team win the elusive PSUAC Championship and earn a trip to the USCAA National Tournament in March. Alexis is also quickly approaching the campus scoring record 1294 set by Ashley Kessell in 2008, with an opportunity to eclipse the record if the Lady Lions have a successful postseason run. Ultimately Alexis will finish her career with one last first to add to her resume, becoming a part of the first class to graduate with a degree in Administration of Justice.
Taylor Cannon began her intercollegiate athletic career in 2011. At the time, she hadn't planned on staying at the campus for more than two years, but found herself making a near immediate impact on the team. Her rebounding, and short range ability, earned her valuable minutes on the court, but perhaps more critical was her instant report with Coach Cy Fulton's style of play and friendships with teammates like Taylor Smith and fellow freshman athlete Christine Soltys. Those relationships, and the news ones to come would spur Taylor to continue her education and achieve athletic success at the campus.
As a freshman Taylor earned Penn State University Athletic Conference honors as Player of the Week in January of 2012 and was named to the All-Conference team that same season. She helped her team to the PSUAC playoffs in each of her four years, winning the Northern Division twice. Off the court, Taylor has been an outstanding student. Studying in the field of Psychology, Taylor has earned United States Collegiate Athletic Association Academic All-American honors every year, a distinguished award reserved for student athletes maintaining a 3.5 or better cumulative grade point average.
Scoring 1,000 points never seemed to be on Taylor's radar when suddenly, after 3 years of great play, she found herself on the doorstep of the accomplishment. Following her teammate Alexis Daly's obtainment of the thousand point goal, Taylor found herself just 12 points away from the goal, facing off against Penn State Worthington Scranton at home in the Thomas M. Caccese Gymnasium. Following a flurry of scores in the second half, Taylor was just 2 points away. Her teammates were eager to get Taylor over the hump, none more than her good friend Christine Soltys. They fed Taylor the ball at every opportunity, but the hoop seemed to shrink with every attempt. Finding herself on the free throw line, Taylor recalled being as nervous as she's ever felt. She missed both attempts but quickly returned for two more, this time sinking both to an uproar from the crowd. Relieved to have reached the milestone and becoming the 4th Lady Lion to score 1,000 career points, Taylor got just she wanted, getting back to playing ball.
Taylor plans to take a year off from school once she graduates in the spring with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Ultimately Taylor expects to return to school for a graduate degree and wants to pursue a rewarding career in the mental health field. Though her playing days may soon be at an end, her love for the game will continue, possibly becoming a coach someday.
Penn State Hazleton congratulates both of these outstanding student Athletes for their achievements and future accomplishments. With the post-season quickly approaching, both players expect the best from themselves and chance to make what has been a memorable season, one the for the ages.