Gompers Has Enjoyed the Ride
Former Park star excelling at FindlayBy RICK THORP
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WHEELING - Tim and Anne Gompers have logged plenty of miles this decade watching their daughters play college basketball.
First, it was Lauren, who played at St. Francis University. Next came Julie, who suited up for Bowling Green. And last, but not least, is Maggie, who is in her senior season at the University of Findlay.
The Gompers have taken the nearly five-hour drive to Northwest Ohio for the past three seasons to see their youngest daughter play. But as the 2099-10 season started, the couple got a reprieve.
The Oilers opened this season in the Gompers' own backyard - Wheeling Jesuit University's McDonough Center. And no one was happier than Maggie, who displayed a wide smile as she took to the floor for pregame warm-ups prior to Findlay's season-opener against West Liberty in the WJU Tipoff Classic.
"It's great because Findlay is so far away and this allows most of my family to see me play," Maggie said. "And it's also great because it's my senior year."
It's been quite a run for Maggie, who has gone from an all-OVAC performer for Coach Dee Davis and Wheeling Park to one of the top players on Coach Katie Cummings' Oilers squad.
After starting 16 of her first 49 college games, Maggie has started Findlay's last 28, including Tuesday's 71-52 victory at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
The Oilers stand at 3-0 on the season and its Maggie who is leading the way with a team-high 12 3-pointers. She is second on the team averaging 13.7 points per game.
The Oilers host Rio Grande Saturday in their home opener.
Findlay was picked to finish third in their division of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. But Maggie believes the team has the talent to prove the pundits wrong.
"I think we're going to have a good season, and I'm not really worried about where they picked us," she said after scoring 11 points in an 81-56 victory against the Hilltoppers.
"When I first got (to Findlay) a lot of our players were freshmen and we had a new coach. Now, we have a lot more experience."
Maggie followed up her season-opening effort with a season-high 21 points, including seven 3-pointers, in a 101-62 triumph against Wheeling Jesuit.
Adjusting to college basketball was a bit rough in the beginning. Being in a new part of the country can do that to you. But she had some insight on what to expect from her older sisters, including Julie, who was playing just 20 minutes up Interstate 75.
"It was great having Julie close by my freshman year,'' Maggie said. "She helped me a lot."
Julie's college career was cut short because she began suffering from eosinophilic fascitis, a rare disease that caused her skin to become inflamed and swollen and eventually harden.
Despite her condition, Julie remained a part of the Falcons basketball family until she graduated. Now, she is in medical school.
Maggie believes being close to each other was comforting to see and Julie.
"She supported me a lot more than I supported her," Maggie said.
As for her own future, Maggie is on track to graduate in the spring with degrees in pre-law and political science. Then, she's "pretty sure" it's off to law school.
In the meantime, she will help the Oilers in their drive to achieve what the Findlay men's team did last season, win a national championship.
"We have a great program," Maggie said. "It's been a great decision."
