Greentown, IN — With the upcoming graduation of Goshen’s all-time leading scorer and second-best rebounder in just a few months, Goshen head coach Steve Wiktorowski knew he had some major shoes to fill in putting together next year’s squad.

And while losing 6-0 Erin McDugle (1,776 career points, 727 career rebounds as a Leaf) will be a major blow to the program, Wiktorowski hopes that Kendra Fights can help make the transition period a smooth one.

The Goshen women’s basketball program announced its first official signee of the 2005 recruiting period on Tuesday, inking the Eastern (Howard) High School senior to a letter of intent and giving the team a much needed inside-outside presence for next season. Fights, a 5-11 forward/center, averaged over 10 points and over five rebounds per game in four seasons of starting for her Lady Comets varsity team, earning all-area and all-conference accolades in each of her final three seasons of play. This year, Fights averaged 11.9 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game in leading Eastern to a 15-8 overall record, and was named a Hoosier Basketball Magazine Third Team All-State selection in addition to being selected as a Top 100 senior in Indiana.

“We are really pleased to have Kendra be our first signing of this recruiting class,” Wiktorowski said. “We have focused our recruiting efforts on her for a long time. She brings size, strength, inside and outside scoring ability and very strong passing and rebounding skills. With the graduation of Erin McDugle, we identified bringing in those types of skills and traits as our main priority. Like any player, Kendra will have to adapt to a higher level of competition, but we feel very strongly that she has the ability to compete and contribute to our team right away.”

Fights scored on over 45 percent of her attempts from the floor as a senior while recording five double-doubles in the process. Wiktorowski was benefited by Eastern head coach Mike Springer’s advice on Fights, as Springer served as Mid-Central Conference foe Marian College head women’s basketball coach for three years. Since returning to the high school circuit, Springer has coached Fights for the past two seasons, leading her team to a combined 29-15 record during that span.

“Coach Springer informed us that he felt Kendra could be a very solid MCC player,” Wiktorowski said. “With his college experience, especially in this conference, we had to take a look. After recruiting her at length, I feel the same way.”

Fights made several on-campus visits to Goshen College throughout this season, and she said that on each trip she became more attached. She plans to study sports management once on campus as a student.

“The girls on the Goshen team are just awesome,” Fights said. “You can tell they really like each other, and enjoy hanging out off the court just as much as they like playing together. I had a blast hanging out with them each time I visited. The coaches all seem to really care a lot about the girls, and that’s something I was looking for. From the very start I’ve known what I was stepping into, and it’s like I’m gaining a whole new family. Everything just feels right. I know it’s where I want to be.”

Fights will help lead a relatively youthful Goshen squad in 2005-2006, as standouts Candice Williams and Kortney Hanson graduate alongside McDugle. Wiktorowski said he believes that Fights will be a great addition to the program on all levels.

“As much as we like her physical skills, we think she is an even better fit for our program because of her personal skills and character,” Wiktorowski said. “She is a great person who is highly respected in her school. She is a good student from a great family. Most of all, she has a great passion for the game which will make her work diligently and improve throughout her career. She is very anxious to begin her career with the Leafs, and we can't wait to start working with her.”

Check back to this website for the most up-to-date recruiting information and team news. To contact Steve Wiktorowski, call him at (574) 535-7492 or click here to send him an email.