Valley's Secrest Leaves Winning LegacyAKRON – After breaking her arm in eighth grade, Anne Secrest says she didn’t know what to expect of herself. She healed just fine, and over the last four years she’s put a hurting on Tippecanoe Valley’s opponents and shattered the Lady Vikings’ scoring record. Secrest, a 6-foot senior who will play NCAA Division I hoops at Youngstown State University, is in the twilight of her high school career – and what a spectacular one it has been. A four-year starter for coach Chris Kindig, Secrest has led the Lady Vikings to new heights ... like a 2015 state finals appearance, and three consecutive Three Rivers Conference titles for example. Entering Friday’s Class 3A West Noble Sectional semifinal against either NorthWood or Wawasee, Secrest has scored a program-best 1,539 points, breaking the previous record of 1,420 held by 2004 graduate and former University of Evansville player Rebekah Parker. Secrest scored a modest 245 points as a freshman, followed by 486 as a sophomore, 450 as a junior and 358 so far in her senior campaign. This season she’s averaging nearly 15 points per game, to go along with seven boards, three assists, three steals and two blocks. And those are just the numbers. Secrest, who shoots nearly 70 percent from the field, means so much more to the Lady Vikings. Secrest is Valley’s leader on and off the court, and for the fourth time – something only 2002 Miss Basketball Shanna Zolman has done – she has been named the Times-Union Area Player of the Year. “When I was a sophomore, it felt like high school was going slow,” Secrest said in an interview last week after practice. “You don’t realize how fast it really does go until you get down to your last game at home, and then all your emotions hit and you realize this is it. “It’s been the best four years I could have asked for ... from the great teammates that I’ve had, the community support, the coaches, and the success that we’ve had.” With Secrest and Co., the Lady Vikings have had plenty of success. Over the last four seasons, Valley has an overall record of 83-16, which includes a mark of 30-2 in the TRC. Valley has won three-straight TRC titles and will take a 28-game league win streak into next season. Secrest says she didn’t know what to expect when she stepped onto the court for her first varsity game. “I had no idea. At that point I was still playing volleyball and basketball,” she said. “I was still trying to figure out what I really wanted to do. “I played volleyball as a freshman, and I would go from volleyball to basketball. From the standpoint of what I was expecting to accomplish, I had no idea. My first game, I started, and I was like a typical freshman. I just went out and played my hardest, and here I am now.” When they?Lady Vikings suit up this week for the 42nd annual state tournament, they’ll be in search of their third consecutive sectional championship, something Parker and her teammates accomplished in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Coaches, teammates, fans and opponents will remember Secrest for a lot things. What does Secrest want to be remembered for? “I wanted to put Valley back on the map,” said Secrest. “I think for a while there it was like ‘oh, it’s Valley, it might be an easy win.’ I think that, now, people see us as a target, and they wanna play their best game against us. “Winning the TRC hasn’t been easy the last three years. There’s quality teams in our conference. And I want that to be part of the legacy my teammates and I leave. I want us to be remembered for having a winning attitude, and that we did things the right way.” Success breeds success, it’s been said. And Kindig, now in his seventh season as Valley’s head coach, said that Secrest and her teammates have established a culture for the Lady Vikings’ program. “One of the things about Anne and this senior class, and I talk about this all the time, is they’ve really established a culture here,” said Kindig. “I think that’s going to be a lasting legacy for a long time. “It’s the type of person Anne is, and the type of people they are. It’s the way Anne is in the classroom, the way she communicates with people in the community, and how the kids look up to her. You’re not going to find anybody better than her as an overall person. She’s a great example, on and off the court, and the girls follow that lead.”
