MOUNT PLEASANT – The jersey of Iowa Wesleyan College women’s basketball star Jessi Beachey (Fisher, Ill.) has been requested for display and is currently hanging in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn.
Beachey’s jersey was requested by the Hall after she was named an NAIA Division II First Team All-American after this past season. The jersey is currently hanging from the rafters of the Hall along with those of other top collegiate and high school players from the 2009-10 basketball season.
Beachey received the honor after a season in which as a junior she was named Midwest Collegiate Conference Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year on her way to national honors. She averaged 17.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and shot 58.1% from the field and 77.5% from the free throw line. The 6-2 forward led the Midwest Collegiate Conference in scoring and was second in field goal percentage and also ranked 19th nationally in scoring and sixth nationally in FG%.
Beachey helped lead the Tigers to a 27-8 record and a trip to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Division II National Tournament. IWC set school records for wins and most wins in a row (16), and its two wins and Elite 8 appearance in the national tourney was the furthest advancement in the NAIA tournament in school history.
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame opened in 1999 and is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women’s basketball. Beachey was the only MCC player to receive the honor, and her jersey will hang in the WBHOF until next summer. Visitors will specifically be able to find Beachey’s white Wesleyan home No. 22 jersey hanging on a display among jerseys from outstanding players from other NAIA schools as well as NCAA Division I and II schools. More information about the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame is available at www.wbhof.com.
For more information regarding the IWC basketball programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
