Eureka's Martin to be Honored by Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame
PEORIA, Ill. – Eureka College women's basketball head
coach Taren Martin
has received an annual award from the Greater Peoria Sports
Hall of
Fame, according to an announcement from the organization. Martin
was named
Tri-County Female Coach of the Year for 2012.
Martin will be honored the GPSHOF's 32nd annual induction
banquet on April 14 at the Peoria Civic Center. Past Tri-County
winners
include current professional athletes Sherrick McManis (Chicago
Bears),
Zach McAllister (Cleveland Indians) and Shaun Livingston
(Cleveland
Cavaliers). Current Eureka softball pitcher Jodi Rebholz
(Metamora,
Ill./Metamora H.S.) was selected as the 2010 Tri-County Female
Athlete of
the Year after leading Metamora to the 2010 IHSA 3A softball
title
Since her arrival two years ago, Martin has transformed the Red
Devils into
one of the top women's basketball programs in the SLIAC. Eureka's
21
victories in 2011-12 marked just the fourth 20-win season in
program
history. Her efficient and up-tempo style allowed EC to average
76.2
points per contest, tops among SLIAC schools and sixth-most in
NCAA
Division III. The Red Devils tied for second place in the final
2012 SLIAC
standings to qualify for the league's annual postseason tournament
for the
first time. Eureka's semifinal victory over Fontbonne helped the
Red
Devils advance to the conference tournament championship game and
marked
the first conference tournament victory of any kind since EC played
for the
Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference Tournament crown in 2005.
Additionally, Eureka's 12-win improvement from 2010-11 to
2011-12 proved to
be the largest single-season improvement in program history, as
well as the
largest jump in NCAA Division III last season. The Red Devils' 13
wins in
SLIAC action were the most league victories by a Eureka women's
basketball
squad since EC began conference-affiliated competition at the
Division III
level in 1996-97.
Courtesy Eureka College sports information
