Indiana Wesleyan women’s basketball player and Columbus East grad Koryn Greiwe dribbles the ball up the court in a game against Grace College Jan. 31 at Luckey Arena in Marion.
Submitted photo
Koryn Greiwe is thrilled to be back on the court this season.
The 2022 Columbus East graduate missed of all last year for Indiana Wesleyan University because of a torn ACL. Back on the court this season, Greiwe and rest of the Wildcats will be playing in the NAIA women’s basketball national tournament that begins Friday.
Greiwe suffered the injury during a practice with the team in the summer of 2022. After she spent many months of rehab, Greiwe, the Olympians’ all-time leading scorer, was relieved to finally put that chapter of her career in the past.
“It’s amazing being a part of this culture and being with the girls and the team,” Greiwe said. “When I was able to get on the court, it was an awesome feeling, and I am looking forward to see what the future holds with that.”
Indiana Wesleyan women’s basketball player and Columbus East grad Koryn Greiwe (5) defends against Grace College Jan. 31 at Luckey Arena in Marion.
Submitted photo
Greiwe, who saw action in 19 games and figures to play a bigger role next season, and the rest of her IWU teammates have had one of the their best seasons.
The Wildcats have one of the best records in the country, posting a 27-4 record and a No. 4 ranking in the NAIA Coaches Poll. Three of their four losses have come against Crossroads League foe and top-ranked Marian, twice in the regular season and once in the Crossroads League championship.
Greiwe and IWU won’t have to travel since they are a No. 1 seed and host the first and second rounds of the tournament. The Wildcats will play Fisk (Tennessee) in the opening round at 12:30 p.m. Friday. Should they be victorious, they will play the winner between Rio Grande (Ohio) and Northwestern (Iowa) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
“The NAIA has great competition, so our team has been grinding this year,” Greiwe said. “Being a No. 1 seed is awesome, but we’re going to focus on every game, no matter what the rankings are. We’re really excited to start playing and taking each game to show what we can do and prove that we are truly a 1-seed.”
Koryn Greiwe
The Round of 16 games through the national championship game will be played at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, from March 21-26.
Since IWU and Marian are on same half of the bracket, there’s a chance the conference rivals could meet for a fourth time in the national semifinal round.
“We’re definitely hungry, and we’ll have something to prove this tournament, so each win, we’re trying to make a statement and play our best basketball that we know we can,” Greiwe said. “As a team, we believe that we haven’t played our best basketball. We’re excited to get this tournament started because we’re ready for it. We’re preparing for each game. We’re looking to make a very deep run and win the national championship.”
