May 17, 2006
Women's Basketball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MELANIE HALKER RESIGNS TO ACCEPT POSITION AT DAYTON

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head women’s basketball coach Jim Wiedie announced this evening (May 17), the resignation of assistant women’s basketball coach Melanie Halker to accept the top assistant’s position at Dayton. Halker recently completed her second year with the Sycamore women’s basketball program, working primarily with the post players.

Under the assistance of Halker, the Sycamores reached the finals of the State Farm MVC Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. Although, ISU dropped that contest, the Sycamores received its fourth berth into the WNIT, defeating Eastern Michigan before falling to Indiana in the Sweet 16.

Halker made an immediate impact on the inside presence of the Sycamore program one season ago, led by the emergence of Ashley Clark. Clark led ISU to several key conference victories in 2005, and was named to the MVC’s All-Conference team and was the league’s Newcomer of the Year.

Halker was a key component for ISU as the Sycamore out-rebounded each of their last eight opponents heading into the conference tournament. The Sycamores lost just once during that stretch and advanced to the WNIT, where they advanced to the second round.

She had worked as an assistant coach for the previous two seasons with the Siena (N.Y.) women’s basketball program. At her alma mater, she helped lead the Siena program to back-to-back MAAC Conference Championships in 2002-03 & 2003-04.

Following her graduation from Siena in 1999, Halker spanned the globe playing basketball before returning to Loudonville. From 1999 to 2000, she played in Luxembourg. In the fall of 2001, she made a brief stop to play in Israel.

She is the only player in school history, male or female, to record 2000 points and 1000 rebounds. She led the Saints in scoring in each of her four years and also posted the top two single-season rebounding totals in school history. Halker was inducted into the Siena Athletics Hall of Fame during the fall of 2005.

“We are certainly sad to see Coach Halker leave the program,” head coach Jim Wiedie said. “At the same time, we are happy to see her advance in her career. At Dayton, she will experience a promotion to the women’s basketball program’s top assistant and will receive an increase in salary. The success she helped lead us to here is a big reason for this opportunity. Coach Halker also has the chance to move closer to hometown. I wish her nothing but the best in the future.”

With the departure of Halker, third-year assistant coach Heather Cassady will move into the second assistant’s spot that oversees the summer camp series and is a key on-the-road recruiter for the program. A nation-wide search has begun for the spot on the staff held previously by Cassady.