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By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information
Director
Friday, August 8, 2008
Hutchinson Community College
will have its first female athlete ever to compete in the Olympics when
Natalie Purcell plays for the New Zealand women’s national team over the
next two weeks at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.
Purcell marched with her New Zealand teammates during the
Opening Ceremonies on Friday. New Zealand opened Group B pool play on
Saturday (10:15 p.m. CT on Friday) against the African nation of Mali.
Purcell is the first HCC athlete to compete in the Olympics
since Steve Fritz finished fourth in the decathlon in the 1996 Summer
Olympics in Atlanta.
Purcell, a 6-foot forward who played at Hutchinson in 2002-03
and 2003-04, was an All-Jayhawk Conference performer for the Lady Dragons in
2004.
She was the 2003-04 team’s leading scorer and rebounder
averaging 11.5 points and 7.6 rebounds. Purcell was one of the team’s top
3-point shooters with 33. Purcell had 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 64-50
victory over Seward County, which snapped the Saints’ 135-game home-court
winning streak.
Purcell played for former HCC women’s head coach Nathan Daume,
who has two former players on the New Zealand team. Noni Wharemate played
for Daume at Fort Scott Community College.
Purcell, who’s younger sister Hailey played at HCC in 2005-06
and 2006-07, transferred to Southeast Missouri State University to complete
her collegiate career.
During the 2005-06 season, Purcell was Southeast Missouri
State’s second-leading scorer – averaging 11.7 points per game – on a team
that captured the school’s first Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and
OVC Tournament championships, earning a berth in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
Against Stanford in the opening round, Purcell scored 17
points in a 72-45 loss to the Cardinal.
In June of this season, an NCAA ruling took away the
conference titles and NCAA Tournament berth because of rules violations.
Purcell is now playing professionally in Australia for the
Christchurch Sirens.
Purcell is not the only member of her family playing on the
New Zealand national team. Older sister Charmian is also a member of the
national team, as well as the Christchurch Sirens.
Purcell and New Zealand will get a chance to play against the
United States, the three-time consecutive Olympic gold medalist. That game
will come on Sunday, Aug. 17. Spain, China and the Czech Republic are also
in Group B with New Zealand.
New Zealand is considered a
long shot for a medal at the Beijing games.
New Zealand’s Women’s Basketball Team’s
Olympic Schedule
Game 1 – Mali W, 76-72
Game 2 – Spain
L, 85-62
Game 3 – China L,
80-63
Game 4 – Czech Republic
L, 90-59
Game 5 – United States L,
96-60 |
