Scoring 22 points in a big conference win against Lakeland Community College is just another day in the life of 20-year-old Katie Von Lehmden.
The second-year Sinclair student, who is double majoring in Dental Hygiene and Business Management, has been a talented basketball player from a very early age.
“I’ve played basketball since I was two,” she said, “I’ve always had a ball in my hand.”
The Fort Jennings graduate said her father played collegiate level basketball and her brother was who she played with growing up.
The point guard’s second year on the team has been drastically different from her first. She said there is a lot less drama, but having to play with a shortened roster throughout the season has been a big adjustment.
“We’ve all had to be in pretty good shape, if not it kind of controls the game,” Von Lehmden said.
But despite all the adversity, she said that it has helped bring the team closer together and has taught her some important lessons.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is just to not underestimate someone,” Von Lehmden said. “Edison for example, though they were going to kill us, but we ended up beating them.”
“Big Kath,” as some of her teammates call her, said her experience at Sinclair thus far has been very positive. Her nickname, which has carried over from her high school days, comes as a joke of implied sarcasm. Von Lehmden is one of the smallest players on the team measuring in at 5 feet 6 inches tall.
However, her height doesn’t stop her from performing on the court. In fact, her play may be why the nickname is sticking with her. Von Lehmden is averaging 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for the Tartan Pride, according to National Junior College Athletic Association statistics.
Despite her high scoring average, Von Lehmden isn’t planning on continuing her basketball career after Sinclair. She plans on finishing her Dental Hygiene degree and working in the field soon after.
Von Lehmden said her goofy personality is one of the ways she manages to get through her classes.
“I get along with everybody here,” Von Lehmden said. “It’s really easy to talk to anybody.”
And as most people know about her love for the game of basketball, she said she also enjoys singing.
“I’m horrible at singing,” she said, “But I just like to do it anyway.”
She said she likes to sing in the car or when she is with friends, but don’t expect her to be on next season’s edition of American Idol.
You can see Von Lehmden and all the Tartan Pride players in action at home, on Feb. 15, against Edison State Community College.