Jordan Holmes ’17 is quietly assembling one of the most dominating careers in the history of Division III women’s basketball. A 6’1” junior center from Pittsburgh, Pa., Holmes burst onto the scene in 2013-14 by leading the nation in blocked shots. She did it again as a sophomore, and after a dominant junior season, she’s on pace to become Division III’s career leader in blocked shots early next season. She recently was named Division III and NCAC Player of the Year. Holmes’ calling card may be swatting shots, but her growth as a well-rounded basketball player can be directly correlated to Denison’s 23-5 record. Holmes is currently second in the nationin rebounding at 17.8 rebounds per game. She also is scoring a career-high 15.9 points per game while shooting a staggering 68 percent from the field. “In basketball, Jordan has accomplished more at the conference and national level than any other player I’ve had in my 27 years at Denison,” says Denison head coach Sara Lee.
That’s saying a lot. Lee has won more than 400 games at Denison and is currently enjoying a streak of 19 consecutive seasons in which the team has finished .500 or better.
Holmes is on pace to become the only player in Division III women’s basketball to score 1,000 points, grab 1,000 rebounds, and block 500 shots. Barring injury, she should have that feat wrapped up early next season.
At press time, another sports story was breaking. The Denison men’s swimming & diving team won the program’s third national title and the women extended their streak of top-six national finishes to 25 years. We’ll bring you additional coverage in the next issue, but in the meantime, you can read about the meet and watch highlight videos at denisonbigred.com.