Lucas Gebhart

Sports Editor

From the moment Anna Lee Polichicchio stepped on the court, she made an impact on the ISU women’s basketball team.

By the time Policicchio was a sophomore, she had appeared in 37 games for the Bengals. But none of it was handed to her.

With post players like Ashleigh Vella and Jessa Jeppesen, playing time was hard to come by in Policicchio’s freshman season.   

“Having to work as hard as [Vella and Jeppesen] and learn from them was key,” Policicchio said. “Anytime you can get on the court and get experience is going to help you later on.”

Policicchio played sparingly her freshmen season, appearing in just six games.

However, during her sophomore campaign, Policicchio’s playing time increased significantly. With the help of head coach Seton Sobolewski, and grueling summer training, Policicchio appeared in 31 games during her second season in a Bengal uniform.

“[Coach] has pushed me to be a better player as well as a person,” Policicchio said. “He never lets you settle in what he calls the ‘comfort zone’.  People tend to rest where they feel okay but he is very good at getting me to go beyond that level. Without him pushing me, I don’t think I would have gotten to this point.”

Now in her senior season, Policicchio is the vocal leader for Sobolewski. The 6-2 forward has embraced the leadership role.

“I have been focusing on being more vocal,” Policicchio said. “Get all the girls on the same page and keeping communication up is definitely key. This year I’m taking that step to help guide and teach others, especially the freshmen to get them to perform at the same level as the older girls. That comes by getting everybody on the same page vocally and good work ethic.”

Originally from Ontario, Canada, Policicchio made the Canadian U-19 national team during the summer between her freshman and sophomore season. However, Policicchio did not compete in international play due to injury.    

“I wanted to come back from that and not dwell on it,” Policicchio said. “Using the things I learned as a leader on that team helped me coming in as a sophomore. It pushed me to keep proving myself.” 

Policicchio is at her best when she is vocalizing and encouraging her teammates to push them to the next level. By pushing herself and the younger players, even when she is not having her best day, Policicchio makes the Bengals better.

“I’m tall, I’m supposed to get the rebounds,” Policicchio said. “On days when defense is lacking, I focus on talking to others and helping others.”

Keeping a high level of intensity is what Policicchio describes as being a key.

“We are going to do things at a high level but not force the issue,” Policicchio said.

As Policicchio wraps up her senior season, she plan on attending med school while keeping basketball a part her life.