Jolene Anderson, Wisconsin's outstanding senior guard on the women's basketball team, was selected as the 2008-'09 Daily Cardinal Female Athlete of the Year.
From high school to her now professional career, Anderson has always been at the head of the class.
Anderson smashed the Wisconsin state scoring record as a four-year starter at South Shore High School, amassing 2,881 points, including 956 her senior year. The Cardinals' forward scored 58 points in an Indianhead Conference regular-season game and set a state tournament record, scoring 46 points against Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah in a Division 4 semifinal 2004.
Jolene, knowing what her capabilities are, she's going to draw a lot of attention,"" Wisconsin women's basketball head coach Lisa Stone said, ""but she makes other people better.""
Stone knew early on that the Port Wing, Wis., native was special, yet many doubted Anderson's ability to perform at the Big Ten level.
Anderson quickly proved her skeptics wrong, impacting the Wisconsin program immediately. The freshman guard led the squad in scoring with 17.8 points and was honored as the 2005 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Anderson led the Badgers in scoring all four years of her college career and led the conference in scoring her junior and senior seasons. Also, as a 5'8"" guard, Anderson led the team in rebounding her last three years.
In 2006, Anderson reached the 1,000-point milestone faster than any other UW athlete - male or female. In Iowa City, Iowa, Anderson scored 42 points in an overtime loss to surpass former women's scoring-record holder Barb Franke and became the first female to score 2,000 points in her career.
Yet the women's record wasn't enough, as a baseline 15-footer against Indiana in front of the Badger bench etched Anderson's name in the history books, passing the men's scoring record of 2,217 set by Alando Tucker just one year prior.
""Congratulations to Jolene Anderson. I think she's a fantastic player who really has taken Wisconsin to a whole other level,"" Indiana head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said following Anderson's record-breaking game.
""Once that shot went in I knew it was for [the record], and I just thought 'Thank God it's over with,'"" Anderson said.
Anderson always humbly accepted praise, continually deflecting the media to what she said has always taken precedence - the success of her team.
Anderson finished her career strong, amassing 2,313 points at Wisconsin - fourth all-time in the Big Ten. The senior was also honored with preseason and postseason Big Ten Player of the Year honors as well as the 2008 Frances Pomeroy Naismith National Player of the Year Award for athletes 5'8"" and under.
To complement her collegiate accolades, Anderson enjoyed success on the international level while playing for Team USA in the summers of 2005, 2006 and 2007. Anderson won three gold medals at the FIBA championships for the U19 team in Tunisia, the U20 team in Mexico and the U21 championships in Russia.
Anderson, who began her basketball career shooting hoops in her barn, has already made history. The ""small-town Wisconsin girl"" has broken nearly every record she has faced, and she is truly the epitome of Wisconsin's female athlete of the year.
