Brenda Simon-Niehaus (‘87)

Brenda Simon emerged as one of the leading figures in women's basketball history at Thomas More College. She immediately made an impact as a freshman, leading the team in scoring in 10 games and in rebounding in 18 games. During her first season in 1983-84, Simon scored a career-high 27 points against Great Lakes Bible College on January 21 and set a school record with 27 rebounds on February 4 against St. Mary's College (IN).

Simon continued her success as a sophomore finishing the year second on the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game and led the team in rebounding with 10.6 per game, ranking her as high as second in the nation. She totaled 20 or more rebounds in back-to-back games against Urbana University and Earlham College. In 1985, Simon was named Honorable Mention All-American by the American Women's Sport Federation (AWSF).

As a senior, Simon totaled 206 rebounds, becoming the first player in school history to eclipse the 200 rebound mark in a single season, a feat accomplished only by three other players at Thomas More at the time of her induction as she was tied for fourth in program history. Simon finished her career with 1,051 career points and, at the time of induction, was one of only 11 players in school history to score 1,000 points.