Grace Waggoner was born to lead Rivet basketball to success

Kyle Sokeland
Evansville

VINCENNES – Only nine schools that compete in the Indiana High School Athletic Association have a lower student enrollment than Vincennes Rivet.

Vincennes Rivet's Grace Waggoner looks to pass in the Class A state championship game on Feb. 24 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

That means the Patriots are starting behind other schools, even in Class 1A. Still, the school has been represented at the state finals a handful of times in different sports this decade.

But it might not be a stretch to say that Rivet has never had an athlete quite like Grace Waggoner.

After leading the Patriots to a state runner-up finish in basketball, the junior has now competed at state level in three different sports. Waggoner, who also excels in golf and track, is believed to be the first athlete in school history to accomplish that feat.

“Hopefully, I get to state in track this spring so I can do it all in one year,” she said. “It means a lot, especially since two of the sports that I compete in are no class. To make it in two of my three sports, playing against all the competition in the state, it is quite an honor to be at the state finals.”

But it is the game of basketball where Waggoner is starting to leave her biggest mark. Standing at 6-feet tall and wielding more athleticism than most Class 4A players, the guard/forward has become one of the best players in Indiana.

Just this season, she set the school-record for points in a game and cracked the 1,000-point career mark. Waggoner, who averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds, was named an Indiana Junior All-Star and one of the Supreme 15 underclassmen by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

For her efforts this year, Waggoner is the Courier & Press All-Southwestern Indiana Player of the Year. The team was chosen by the C&P staff.

“Grace means a lot to the program,” said Rivet coach Rick Marshall. “State in three different sports. Tremendous athlete. Along with that, she is an outstanding player that wants to get better for the next level.”

Grace Waggoner

The fact that Waggoner has become a premier athlete can be traced back a generation. Her father, Charlie, was a solid basketball player for Vincennes Lincoln, while her mother, Kristi, was a collegiate gymnast.

Not to mention that she grew up with a pair of older siblings, Carly and Robbie, that were good athletes in their own right. Competing and excelling is built in her DNA. So is Patriot basketball.

“It started early with golf, basketball and even soccer. She was an active kid,” said Charlie Waggoner. “She was a junior manager when I started coaching over 10 years ago with Rivet basketball. From the get-go when we started our first tournament run in 2009, she was on the bench. She took her job serious even as a junior manager.

“It is exciting to see her play at that level and stage. I was very proud.”

More:Vincennes Rivet is already looking forward to next season

If there was a sport their children wanted to try, Charlie and Kristi Waggoner (the Rivet girls' golf coach) let them give it a go. That nurturing environment has helped produce two collegiate athletes (Carly and Robbie in golf) thus far with Grace set to play at the next level in due time.

“They didn’t keep me back from anything,” said Grace, who also competed in gymnastics as a child. “We inherited their talents and their competitiveness that’s for sure, whether it be basketball outside or playing a family golf scramble. Sometimes it gets too competitive, but it is all in good fun.”

Rivet girls basketball coach Rick Marshall talks with freshman center Lauren Carie during a practice at Vincennes Rivet High School on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018.

That competitiveness showed up on the court this season. If Rivet ever needed a big play, it turned to their co-captain in crunch time.

Even in the state championship loss to Marquette Catholic, the junior had 14 points and 11 rebounds while playing top-notch defense. She and the rest of her teammates had something to prove this season. Rivet finished 26-3 under Marshall, who is the All-SW Indiana Coach of the Year.

“To gut it out as far as we did, I don’t think a lot of people expected that,” said Waggoner. “They thought it would be a down year for Rivet after losing our head coach (Tim Young). Coach Marshall stepped up and we were so lucky to have him. We played so well as a group and as a unit.”

More:Marshall came out of retirement to coach the Patriots

Next up for the super athlete is track season – she made it to state in the hurdles the past two years – and AAU basketball. Luckily, this week was a mandated dead period at Rivet. No official practices.

But Waggoner will get back to the daily grind shortly with a four-hour AAU workout Sunday. She has more history to make.

“I have just been grateful to count my blessings,” she said. “Everything could have always been worse. I was healthy the whole season and I played consistently. I didn’t have too many dry games. I am grateful for my teammates and coaches that helped me be that player throughout the season.”

Joining Waggoner on the All-Area first team is Heritage Hills senior Abby Wahl, Gibson Southern junior Tabatha Klem, North Knox junior Makinzi Meurer and Vincennes Lincoln junior Alison Hein.

2018 COURIER & PRESS ALL-SOUTHWESTERN INDIANA GIRLS TEAM

First Team

Name, School, Ht., Year, Points

Grace Waggoner, Vincennes Rivet, 6-0, Jr., 20.0

Abby Wahl, Heritage Hills, 6-1, Sr., 20.2

Tabatha Klem, Gibson Southern, 5-9, Jr., 15.0

Alison Hein, Vincennes Lincoln, 6-1, Jr., 13.0

Makinzi Meurer, North Knox, 5-5, Jr., 17.0

Second Team

Tia Tolbert, Vincennes Rivet, 5-10, So., 14.0

Erika Hendrixson, Pike Central, 6-0, Sr., 15.0

Kiare Young, Princeton, 5-6, Jr., 17.6

Kimberlyn Weaver, North Posey, 5-9, Sr., 16.4

Reeva Hammelman, North Knox, 5-8, Sr., 14.8

Meredith Raley, Gibson Southern, 5-11, So., 13.0

Taylor Bayer, Forest Park, 5-9, Sr., 9.8

Player of the Year: Grace Waggoner, Rivet

Coach of the Year: Rick Marshall, Rivet