Heidi Schlegel

Classroom

Schlegel has been one of the academic leaders on Youngstown State’s team and has twice been on the WBCA Academic Top 25. She was one of five players to earn Academic All-Horizon League honors last season as a junior, and she’s been a member of the Dean’s List and Horizon League Academic Honor Roll in each semester she’s been eligible. She was twice named the Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month during the 2013-14 academic year. Schlegel graduated magna cum laude in the spring with a 3.73 GPA as a middle childhood education major focusing on math and science, and she’s begun studying for her master’s in interdisciplinary communications. After her playing career, Schlegel would like to use what she’s learned in the classroom to own and operate a non-profit organization that educates, enriches and helps the lives of young children in less-fortunate countries.

Character

Schlegel has overcome numerous challenges throughout her athletic career, but her positive attitude, hard work and persistence have allowed her to excel. Schlegel has battled through injuries throughout her career including a torn ACL in high school, a foot injury her true freshman year, a broken nose her redshirt freshman year and another knee injury that cost her seven games as a sophomore. Those injuries, combined with a strong faith and a maturity above that of most student-athletes, have allowed her to better appreciate life beyond the court and focus on helping others. On the court, she has been a key component in YSU’s turnaround as a program. She was recruited by a coach who, after Schlegel committed, resigned after an 0-30 season. Schlegel has played for two coaches in her career, and she’s now the leader on a team that has been to the Horizon League semifinals for two straight seasons. Both coaching staffs have praised her work ethic and team-centered attitude as reasons for the program’s success. Schlegel is also a member of YSU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Community

Schlegel has been among Youngstown State’s most visible student-athletes in the community since she arrived on campus in 2010. She’s been heavily involved in the local faith community as a student-leader for the Coalition for Christian Outreach on campus. She leads Bible studies and organizes outreach events while discussing the importance of faith in her everyday life. She’s also participated in team community service activities such as serving spaghetti dinners at a local church and walking in anti-violence and cancer research events. Schlegel has also been instrumental in the team’s comprehensive reading program. In the reading program, Schlegel and her teammates go to schools in the Youngstown area to read children’s books, relay the importance of an education and discuss steps to achieving full potential. Schlegel has also used her experience as a graduate of the Beeghly College of Education to spearhead a project that taught study skills and organizational techniques to student and their parents at the Youngstown Early College parent-teacher conferences. Schlegel’s positive impact has even been felt internationally, as she went on a three-week service trip to India in the summer of 2013.

Competition

Schlegel is coming off of one of the best junior seasons in the history of Youngstown State women’s basketball. She earned First-Team All-Horizon League and Horizon League All-Tournament Team honors in addition to being named Academic All-Horizon League. Schlegel set a school record for points by a junior by scoring 621 in 2013-14, which was more than she had scored in the first 56 games of her career combined. She averaged career highs of 20 points and 8 rebounds, and she significantly surpassed the previous single-season school records for free throws made and free throws attempted. Additionally, her 19 20-point games were the most by a Penguin in 27 years. In the Horizon League, Schlegel ranked second in scoring, second in 20-point games, third in double-doubles, fourth in free-throw percentage, fifth in rebounding and ninth in field-goal percentage. She enters her senior season with 1,145 points, the 15th-most in school history and the 36th-most among active Division I players. Schlegel averaged 9.8 points as a sophomore, 9.7 points as a redshirt freshman and 6.7 points over seven games as a true freshman.