Farewell to one of Simpson’s greats

INDIANOLA — Whether it was the ovation from the Simpson College fans as she was substituted out of the game with just seconds remaining, or comments from head coach Brian Niemuth at the postgame press conference, there was deep appreciation for Jenna Taylor as the Storm’s incredible season ended Saturday evening.

The fifth-ranked Simpson women fell to Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 64-56 in the second round of the NCAA Division III national tournament on the home court at Cowles Fieldhouse. The game that was delayed nearly an hour after the arena was cleared for fans to take shelter from the deadly storms that hit the nearby Winterset and Norwalk areas Saturday.

Taylor, a graduate student at Simpson from Creston, and Cameron Kincaid, a 2021 senior, both returned for an extra season granted by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (There was no national tournament held in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, although Simpson did play a regular season last year and went 12-0 in the American Rivers Conference.)

Those two, along with 2022 seniors Kia Rasmussen, Hattie Rhodes and Anna Wanek, were the guiding forces of a spectacular 26-2 season that included a second straight ARC championship and the first berth in the NCAA national tournament since 2013.

When she announced she was returning for the extra season despite earning her degree and having the opportunity to work as a full-time accountant, Taylor said the veteran players on the team decided to see what they could do in pursuing a Division III national championship together.

Although Wisconsin-Oshkosh won the bid to play in the Sweet 16 this weekend, Simpson’s accomplishments this season made the decision a good one, Taylor said at the press conference.

“This is what it was all about,” said Taylor, who had a team-high 24 points and six rebounds in her final game. (She shot 6-of-12 from 3-point range.) “This was the motivation behind both of us coming back. We wanted the opportunity to play on a national stage. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but it was awesome to be able to host and play in front of our fans for one last time.”

Simpson got to Saturday’s second round by defeating Gustavus Adolphus of Minnesota on Friday, 73-67.

“This was the goal from day one,” Kincaid said. “Freshman year even, we talked about going to the national tournament. It’s awesome that we were able to do that.”

Taylor, a 2016 graduate of Creston Community High School where she also played volleyball and as the No. 1 player on a state runner-up tennis team, had a storied career at Simpson despite battling two stress fracture injuries in her lower leg and lower spine. One year was a medical redshirt year, so that along with her extra COVID year had her involved in the program for six years.

In the press conference, Niemuth spoke of the advantages of having that veteran influence on his team.

“We would not be in this game without these two people right here,” Niemuth said, pointing to Taylor and Kincaid. “Taking that extra year, I can’t thank them enough for bringing the program to where it should be.”

Both Kincaid and Taylor surpassed 1,000 points in their Simpson careers. Taylor ranks third all-time in program history with 1,647 points and 748 rebounds, just the second Storm player to surpass both 1,600 points and 700 rebounds. She was also in second in 3-point shooting (44.4%), fourth in field goal percentage (54.1) and fifth in free throw percentage (83.9).

“I’ve tried to let the younger players on our team understand that they weren’t this good when they got here,” Niemuth said. “They worked at it. It’s not just by work in practice or with an assistant coach. It’s working in the gym by yourself before we work as a team, or between classes on campus, or after work at your job in the offseason. It’s the work put in during the summers. They were both good players in high school, but our younger players saw their work ethic and how it got them to the next level as college players. They’ve also grown as leaders on our team.”

Kincaid and Taylor said they will miss their relationships with the other players and coaches. Kincaid noted how the team killed time waiting in the dressing room for the storm delay to end prior to Saturday’s game.

“We were playing music and everybody was dancing around, just trying to keep our legs loose. We didn’t know when we would be able to go back down. That’s a memory that I will cherish forever, that family aspect. It will be so weird not going to practice every day with teammates that I loved like sisters. I will miss that.”

That was a big motivator for me in coming back,” Taylor added. “Just being a part of the team and being around people that I love every single day.”

Taylor will soon transition from part-time to full-time work as an accountant for Ernst & Young in Des Moines. She expressed gratitude for the company’s understanding her decision to delay full-time work while pursuing one more season of basketball at Simpson and taking graduate courses.

“Jenna has the respect of everyone here because of the success she’s had in the program and in the classroom,” Niemuth said. “Her work ethic is why she’s an All-American, and an Academic All-American. We will miss her.”