LEBANON, Ill. – Head Women’s Basketball Coach Kari Kerkhoff has announced on Thursday, August 21st, the addition of Michaela Cloonan and the return of Lindsey Eimers as the program’s newest graduate assistant coaches.
“I am thrilled to join McKendree Women’s Basketball as the new Graduate Assistant,” said Cloonan. “My playing career showed me firsthand the impact great coaches can have, and that is what drew me to the opportunity to learn from Coach Kerkhoff and Coach Helm. They have built a strong culture that challenges players to excel on the court while also growing as individuals. I am excited to keep developing as a coach, support our players, and continue helping to build something special at McKendree!”
“I am so excited to be back with the McKendree Women’s Basketball program as a Graduate Assistant,” said Eimers. “I look forward to learning from the coaching staff and contributing to a successful season.”
Both the new hires will help lead the bench under Kerkhoff, who is in her 11th season with the Bearcats, along with her assistant, Terra Helm, who is going into year number three.
MICHAELA CLOONAN
Cloonan has spent five years playing collegiate basketball with most recently playing one year as a graduate student at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she averaged 4.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in a 27-7 season where the Sharks made the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) title game and advanced to NCAA South Region Championship where they concluded their season. They finished at No.18 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches Poll.
Prior to her time with the Sharks, she spent four years at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio, playing a total of 95 games and officially starting 90 of them. Cloonan finished with 1,239 points on a 13.0 stint scoring average as she gave the Arrows 50 wins in her tenure, including an appearance in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament in 2023.
Cloonan accumulated several athletic achievements and recognition in her five years on the court, as in her lone year at Nova Southeastern, she was a Shark Scholar Athlete while appearing in 20 games.
She will be in the top 10 in the record books – 18 to be exact – for years to come at Ursuline, as she made her mark by…
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