11/19/2010 Michelle Harrison faces her old team, S… Michelle Harrison faces her old team, Stanford By Sarah Thomas Deseret News Published: Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010 11:55 p.m. MST SALT LAKE CITY — Michelle Harrison is looking forward to a unique experience this evening. The 6-foot-3 forward, who transferred to play on Utah's women's basketball team for her senior season, will reunite with her old team when the Lady Utes take on the Stanford Cardinal Friday night at the Huntsman Center at 7 p.m. Harrison, a graduate of Mountain View High and former MVP and Deseret News Ms. Basketball, headed out west after high school to play for Coach Tara Vanderveer and the notable Stanford women's program, which is currently ranked third in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches' polls. She has since graduated from the Pac-10 school and, due to an injury, still had a year of eligibility left. "Utah was my first choice, my last choice, I wanted to be here," Harrison said. "I was going to do whatever I needed to make it happen." A torn ACL during her sophomore season sidelined Harrison, allowing her to use a medical redshirt. Two years later, Vanderveer pulled Harrison aside to talk to her about space on the roster. "She sat me down and said with the recruits coming in and the number of people we had that wanted to stay, we were short one scholarship," Harrison said. "There were no hard feelings, but she let me know that the position they really needed were point guards, so she gave me the option of looking and seeing what I wanted to do." While most athletes who transfer from one Division I school to another Division I school are required to sit out a year, Harrison fit into a category most student-athletes do not. "Through research (we found) if you can get accepted into a graduate program that isn't offered at the school you're already at and (that school) is not in the same conference, there's an opportunity to be waived for that year and not have to sit out," explained Harrison, who graduated from Stanford last May with a bachelor's degree in studio art. She was accepted into the University of Utah's Education, Culture and Society master's program, which she could eventually use to teach art and coach basketball at the high school level, and the NCAA cleared her to play. Now in Utah crimson and white, Harrison made her first career start when the Utes traveled to play SMU in the season-opening victory and her second in a win at Weber State on Tuesday. Tonight's matchup against Stanford will be her first home-opener at the Huntsmen Center, as well as an powerful reunion. "It's going to be really emotional, but it's going to be a lot of fun," Harrison said. "This is such a unique opportunity for someone to transfer, get to play (immediately), and get to come back and play their old team — and on good terms." She added that she is especially pleased to have Stanford on the schedule so she can reunite with the friends, and relive some of the memories she made over the past four years. deseretnews.com/…/Michelle-Harrison… 1/2 11/19/2010 Michelle Harrison faces her old team, S… "It was a really good experience. The injury certainly made it a hard road, but I think through those knocks you learn lessons that aren't learned anywhere else," she said. "And school was challenging, but to walk out with a degree, that's going to open up a lot of opportunities when basketball is all said and done." As for the game, she expects her current team to hold its own against her old one. "I know (when I was) at Stanford and we came and played Utah, Utah always played us really well," Harrison said. "I know (interim head coach) Anthony (Levrets) and these girls really want to take this program to another level, and to do that you have to be able to compete against top-5 teams. "I think it's going to be an interesting matchup. They're really big, they're really athletic — they always are — and with the newcomers they have coming in it mixes things up. But I expect it to be really competitive. We'll all be happy to see each other, I know it's going to be all smiles, but when tipoff comes, we want to play." The Cardinal, last season's NCAA runner up, is 1-0 after winning its first game of the year, a 63- 50 victory over Rutgers. They are led by junior All-American Nnemkadi Ogwumike, who averaged 18.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game last season, and her sister, freshman Chiney Ogwumike, who had a game-high 12 rebounds and nine points against Rutgers. Ute women on the air No. 3 Stanford (1-0) at Utah (2-0) Today, 7 p.m. Huntsman Center TV: The mtn.; Radio: 700 AM e-mail: [email protected] © 2010 Deseret News Publishing Company | All rights reserved deseretnews.com/…/Michelle-Harrison… 2/2 11/18/2010 Hard work pays off for Messer - The D… AD RATES CLASSIFIEDS TR AV EL BUSINESS MOVIES WORD NEWS OPINION SPORTS ARTS MULTIMEDIA BLOGS LOGIN REGISTER CONTACT ABOUT Search ARCHIVE SUBMIT NEWS TIP FACEBOOK TWITTER RSS Hard work pays off for Messer By Kelsey Price Published: Thursday, November 18, 2010 Updated: Thursday, November 18, 2010 03:11 On the court, sophomore point gaurd Rachel Messer has proven to be a tremendous asset to the Utes, starting in 27 games last season as a true freshman. However, when she was growing up, sports didn't come easy to Messer, who, in preparation for this year, pushed herself to new levels athletically during the offseason. Nathan Sweet "I'm not the most athletic person there is," Messer said. "I really had to work hard over the summer to get to where I am right now." Despite struggling with clumsiness in other youth sports, Messer continued to pursue basketball. Her older brother, Joseph, also played and Messer was determined to be as good, if not better, than him. Growing up, they liked to mess around on the court, which kept Messer playing ball through high school. Messer came to Utah as one of the team's highest-ranked recruits from the high school class of 2009. The Utes recruited her alongside Diana Rolniak, who was the No. 83 player in the country and the No. 15 forward in the nation, according to ESPN. Rolniak played on the same club team as Messer, Mile High Magic, an Amateur Athletic Union squad based in Denver. "(Diana) and I played on the same club," Messer said. "(Utah was) following her very closely and came out a lot, which is how they really saw me, too." Messer came to Utah ranked as the No. 51 guard according to Scouts, Inc. Messer, in addition to being named to the first team All-Continental League, was named to ESPN's Top Gunners, an honor given to the best shooters and scorers in high school basketball. As a freshman, Messer didn't initially start for the Utes, struggling with her speed early in the season. However, determined to contribute in any way possible, Messer was eventually worked into the rotating lineup of point guards and soon began to start. "(Rachel) is probably our most solid, versatile player," said head coach Anthony Levrets. "Last season her biggest weakness was definitely her speed and overall physical fitness. That held her back a bit." Despite her setbacks, Messer continued to work hard throughout the season. "I ended up starting over 20 games or so, which was pretty great to be able to play that much as a freshman," Messer said. During the summer, however, Messer was determined to train harder than ever, taking advantage of the resources the athletics department offers to its students. dailyutahchronicle.com/…/hard-work-p… 1/2 11/18/2010 Hard work pays off for Messer - The D… The women's basketball team returned to campus for conditioning during the summer semester. Messer's primary focus was losing weight and building lean muscle mass to become faster on the court. Messer also took additional optional practice time to work on her shooting, so her production would increase during the season. "She's made the most progress during the offseason than probably any other player I've coached on a college level, which is fantastic," Levrets said. During the summer, Messer's typical training schedule began at 7 a.m., when the team would start conditioning for about an hour and a half before lifting in the weight room. Afterward, the team often went to the gym to shoot and run various offensive drills. About twice a week, the Utes also scrimmaged against either local club teams or other colleges. In all, Messer averaged between two and three hours a day in the gym with the team plus additional individual workouts. "Rachel really took advantage of the summer resources we have as a team," Levrets said. "She really worked hard and the results really paid off and are showing. She's already contributing in more ways than before." In addition to workouts, Messer made an effort during the offseason to work with the team's nutritionist, a worthwhile resource in which many college athletes don't invest their time.