VIDEO: Horstmeyer 2019 WCC Hall of Honor Induction | STORY: Horstmeyer WCC Hall of Honor Profile
LAS VEGAS - Caren Horstmeyer saw her induction into the West Coast Conference Hall of Honor made official on Saturday.
The former standout player and successful coach for the Santa Clara women's basketball program was one of 10 inductees recognized in a ceremony at the Orleans Hotel held in conjunction with the league's annual postseason tournament.
Then known under her maiden name of Choppelas, Horstmeyer ended her career in 1984 as the leading scorer (now third) in school history with 1,496 points and remains in the top 10 in a number of categories.
Not one moment stuck out in here illustrious playing career, but the Bay Area product was proud of her accomplishments.
"Making all conference with some great players and great teams," Horstmeyer said of what comes to mind of her playing days. "My experience as a player was so great all-around that I enjoyed the entire experience."
"The people, the camaraderie, everything could not have been better at @SantaClaraUniv and my time was fantastic." Congratulations to Caren Horstmeyer on being inducted into the @WCCSports Hall of Honor!
— Santa Clara Women's Basketball (@Santaclarawbb) March 10, 2019
FULL VIDEO ▶️ https://t.co/8nZLeqX9O2#StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/kMlKPa9J3v
Horstmeyer went on be named Santa Clara's head coach at just 25 years old and led the program through its most successful period. Her 12-year run began with the 1988-89 season and featured six regular season WCC titles and two league tournament championships. The Broncos made four NCAA Tournament appearances and two more in the WNIT, including earning the 1991 crown.
The Larkspur, California, native posted a 221-124 (.641) career record. After the program was a combined 16-38 in her first two years, the Broncos burst on the national scene with a 28-3 mark in 1990-91, a season that ended with a WNIT Championship.
"That is clearly my most memorable moment even through the NCAA (appearances), but with that turnaround and the players and winning the NIT after having no respect Santa Clara got put on the map," Horstmeyer said of the program's lone WNIT title.
Horstmeyer's teams never suffered through a losing season the remainder of her career.
BYU's Tiffany Lott-Hogan (track), Gonzaga's Adam Morrison (men's basketball), Loyola Marymount's Tara Welling (Erdmann) (cross country/track), Pacific's Jayne McHugh (volleyball), Pepperdine's Gualberto Escudero (tennis), Portland's Stephanie Lopez Cox (soccer), Saint Mary's Trevor Newquist (soccer), San Diego's Ali Cox (rowing), and San Francisco's Orlando Smart (basketball) joined Horstmeyer as WCC Hall of Honor inductees.
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