In her 21st year of coaching and eighth year at Dowling Catholic High School, head coach Kristin Meyer led the varsity girl’s basketball team to the state championship. The Dowling Catholic team last made it to the state championship in 2015. In her first year at Dowling, Meyer coached former Iowa women’s basketball star guard Caitlin Clark during her freshman year.
Before Dowling, Meyer was head coach for six years and assistant coach for eight years at Nevada High School. At her school now, she leads many positions such as a technology integrationist, new teacher mentor, co-teaches an education class, and teaches an athletic coaching and officiating class.
Meyer believes the greatest strength of Dowling’s program is its rich girl’s basketball tradition. Previously, Bob and Sharon Hansen were head coaches at Dowling for 30 years cultivating a “powerhouse” and were one of the main motivations for Meyer to come to the program.
“It’s easy for me as a coach to sell how important it is and how unique it is to get to wear a Dowling Catholic girls basketball jersey to our current players. Obviously, Caitlin only enhances that,” Meyer said.
Similar to Meyer, Clark also believed in the strong tradition of Dowling as her mom had attended Dowling and her grandpa was a coach at the school for several years. A few notable Dowling alumni are head coach of the Oklahoma women’s basketball Jennie Baranczyk, former Drake guard and coaching assistant Becca Hittner, and Creighton forward Audrey Faber.
“I’ve been very lucky to coach some incredible young women, both talented athletes but just really neat, responsible, respectful young people,” Meyer said. “I hope to continue to sustain and build on the Dowling Catholic girls basketball legacy through my career here. To help them not only grow as basketball players but as people and leaders.”
This photo essay and others are featured in the book “More Than a Moment” created by the Daily Iowan Documentary Workshop, University of Iowa journalism school, and The Daily Iowan. The book documents the 2023-24 Iowa women’s basketball season, and can be ordered here.
