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Kotchman getting satisfaction from ‘real’ senior season

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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

Fairmont State’s Sierra Kotchman (14) looks for a baseline path past California’s Shauna Harrison. Kotchman, a Washington native and Trinity graduate, is the Mountain East Conference’s all-time scoring leader. She is playing a fifth season of college basketball this year.

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Mark Marietta

Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter

Fairmont State’s Sierra Kotchman steers the offense from the top of the key as the Falcons play at California University last week. Kotchman, a Washington native and Trinity graduate, is playing a fifth season of college basketball.

Sierra Kotchman had just finished her senior basketball season at Fairmont State last March and was only months away from graduating magna cum laude with a business marketing degree.

Everything was looking good for Kotchman, a Washington native and former standout player at Trinity High School.

There was, however, one thing that was bothering Kotchman. She believed there was something missing from her college experience – she wanted to experience a real senior basketball season.

Yes, Fairmont State and the Mountain East Conference had played basketball last winter during the pandemic, unlike the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, which shut down athletics. Fairmont State managed to play an abbreviated schedule against only conference rivals, and in front of few fans because of attendance restrictions. That was to be Kotchman’s senior year.

“Last year, we only played half a year. It just didn’t seem like a real senior season. We played only 17 games,” Kotchman said. “I wanted a real senior season and experience the things that come with it.”

With the NCAA granting all athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, Kotchman opted to utilize the additional season. She plans to make the most of having a rare fifth college season this year, all while working toward another undergraduate degree.

Nobody is happier about Kotchman returning than Falcons head coach Stephanie Anderson, a former standout player at California University. Having a fifth-year senior is what Fairmont State needs because the Falcons are an otherwise very young team. More than half of the players on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores.

“I think, returning, that was always the plan for her,” Anderson said. “We never really discussed it. You can’t get a better senior leader than Sierra. We expect a lot from her as both a player and a leader. Every day she has to carry the younger ones on her back.”

Kotchman, a sharp-shooting guard, has carried the Falcons for several years. She is the Mountain East’s career scoring leader with 2,085 points. She set the Fairmont State scoring record in the Falcons’ second game this season. She also holds school records for career three-pointers and highest per-game scoring average for a career.

One thing that is missing for Kotchman is a Mountain East championship. The Falcons are off to a 2-2 start that includes a loss at California last Tuesday when the Vulcans held Kotchman to only seven points. She was back in double figures Saturday night when Fairmont State won its Mountain East opener over Davis & Elkins, 89-63.

“The best thing about Sierra is she’s all about winning,” Anderson said.

“I want to win,” Kotchman said after the loss to California. “We’re a young team, four freshmen, so we’re going to have nights like this.”

Kotchman has been helping teams win big games since her days at Trinity. She was the leading scorer on Trinity’s team that reached the PIAA Class 5A finals in 2017. That season, she averaged 19.3 points per game, shot better than 50 percent from the floor and 84 percent from the free-throw line. She was named the Observer-Reporter’s Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

During the 2020-21 season, Kotchman averaged 23.5 points per game, which ranked third in the country. She was named Academic All-American of the Year, headlining the Division II women’s team.

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