Central Dewitt Hall of Fame Induction Class 2014 Jen Brown Central Dewitt Hall of Fame Induction Class 2014

Inducted for Outstanding Contributions as an individual of Central High School

Biography Jen was an All-Big Bend basketball player helping the Sabers win 3 consecutive Big Bend titles from 1999-2001.  in track she was a 5x individual Big Bend champion and ran in 14 State & Drake events.  She placed 3rd in the 200-meter and was a Drake relay team medalist. She ran on 3 State Champion relays, 2000 & 2001 Big Bend and Regional Championship teams, finishing 3rd each year at State. She is a University of  Iowa graduate with a BA in Communication Studies and Psychology.  Jen continues to stay very active in other recreational sports, including involvement on National Championship level Ultimate Frisbee team.

Article from the Observer As far as athletic achievement goes, there really isn’t much more Jen Brown could have done in her years as a Saber. And now, after years of setting lightning-fast sprint times and hoisting trophies on the basketball court, she’s being honored for her achievements. Brown’s high school years went by in a blur. Literally. She is a three-time qualifier at the Drake Relays, including a third-place finish in the 2001 4x100 meter relay. She was a member on three state champion relay teams. And that’s just on the track. On the basketball court, Brown was a two-time member of the All- Big Bend Conference team, a member of the 3A district championship Sabers team in 2000, an honorable mention on the 2001 Iowa Newspaper Association all-state team and the most valuable player from the 2001 Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association all-star game. Brown’s memories as a Saber are of teammates singing on the bus before track meets and soundly defeating foes with the support of Saber fans. At the 2000 district championship game, “the crowd was loud and it was the biggest basketball game I had played in,” Brown said. “It was definitely our night and we ended up winning by over 10 points.”

The Observer (cont.) Brown was well-liked by her coaches for both her on the track and court achievements but also for her leadership off it. “She was an outstanding athlete who was very competitive,” said Tim Ryan, Brown’s track coach and math teacher. “She certainly worked hard. She got to be with a very good group of other athletes and was a great leader. She was an easy person to like for fellow athletes and us coaches.” Former sports editor of The Observer Steve Thiltgen said he got to know Brown during his time covering the Sabers. “She’s a great athlete,” he said. “I really enjoyed my time working with her. She was quite the competitor.” Brown and another track star, Audra Bark, competed in practice and at meets. Thiltgen said their friendly rivalry was positive for Brown, who came out of the meets with a good attitude, win or lose. “She was a very good teammate and I think her teammates in both basketball and track looked up to her. She was always smiling.” Following her high school years, Brown attended the University of Iowa, earning degrees in communication studies and psychology, with a minor in English.

The Observer (cont.) Or course, Brown’s time at Iowa wasn’t only spent in the classroom. She played on the women’s ultimate Frisbee club called Saucy Nancy, which qualified for the national championship tournament in 2005, losing to eventual champion Stanford. After college, Brown moved to Des Moines to play on the Iowa Crush, a women’s tackle football team. However, after suffering a broken arm, she was forced to retire from football. She still plays sports of all kinds, including basketball, softball, volleyball and ultimate Frisbee. She is a member of the Cougars, a Women’s Masters Ultimate Frisbee team based out of Minnesota, and the team has enjoyed success, including a run in the 2014 national championship tournament. Brown still lives in Des Moines with her partner, Nathan McGlynn, and works at ING. In addition to sports, Brown enjoys volunteering for IPTV and Everybody Wins! Iowa, a literacy and mentoring nonprofit organization.

Induction speech Inducted for Outstanding Contributions as an Individual Jen Brown was an outstanding individual and highly decorated multiple- sport athlete that competed at Central in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Make no mistake about it, she was an invaluable part of the foundation that made Saber girls athletics dominant during her era. Over a 4-year career at Central she competed in a total of 14 events at the Drake and State Track meets and was selected as an All-Big Bend basketball player. In basketball she helped the Saber girls program win 3 consecutive Big Bend titles from 1999-2001 including a 37-5 record over those years competing for Hall of Fame coach Pat Meade. She was an individual standout being selected twice to All-Conference teams, a First Team unanimous selection in 2001. She was also recognized as an Honorable Mention selection to the 2001 INA All-State basketball team. She competed in the Big Bend-Big East Girls Basketball Challenge in 2001 and was the Iowa Girls Coaches Association All-Star Basketball game MVP as a senior. Track was her signature sport though, and she found a great deal of success in that sport during her time here. She was a 3X Qualifier for the Drake Relays helping the 4 x 100 relay team place 3rd in 2001. She was a 3X State Champion on 3 Saber relay teams, the 4 x 100 in 2001 and the 4 x 200 in 2000 and 2001.

Speech (cont.) & video She was instrumental in the team winning Big Bend and Regional titles in 2000 & 2001 as well as 3rd place team finishes at the State meet in those years. Individually she excelled. She was a 5X individual Big Bend champion winning the 100 in 1998 & 1999 and the 200 in 1998, 2000 and 2001 setting the Big Bend record with a time of 26.03. She finished 3rd at the State meet in the 200 in 2001. She was also a member of the record setting 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 teams in 2001. The 4 x 100 record still stands today. After high school she attended the University of Iowa graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and Psychology with a minor in English. While there, she got involved in non-traditional sports and became a member of the women’s Ultimate Frisbee Club, which qualified for the National Championships in 2005, and is currently on the Women’s Masters team, the Cougars out of Minnesota. They qualified for the Master’s National Championship in 2013 and plans on making a return trip this year. She is still active in softball, basketball and volleyball and even played for the Iowa Crush, a women’s tackle football team until she retired after breaking her arm. Jen lives in Des Moines and is employed by ING. She enjoys volunteering for IPTV and Everybody Wins! Iowa. Please help me welcome the newest member of the Central High School Hall of Fame, 2014 inductee… Jen Brown.