Christa Hammel wraps up record-breaking freshman year at Upper Iowa University

By all accounts, Christa Hammel made the jump from high school to college basketball very easily. The Waukon native had a record-setting year during her freshman season at Upper Iowa University.

Hammel, a 2004 graduate of Waukon Senior High and daughter of David and Karla Hammel, helped the Peacocks finish 8-19 during their first NCAA Division II season.

Listed as a 6’1” forward, Hammel finished second on the squad with 263 points. She paced the Peacocks with 202 rebounds and a school record 53 blocks. She also picked up 30 steals and dished out 34 assists while starting 24 of Upper Iowa’s 27 games.

She scored in double figures 13 times and finished with a season-best 18 points on three occasions. She pulled down ten or more rebounds in five games, including a season-high 14 at Nebraska-Kearney on Jan. 5. She blocked at least three shots in ten games.

Head coach Bill Wilson had high expectations for the Waukon graduate. “Christa has good size and is very athletic, which we identified during the recruiting process. She has a great ability to move to the ball when rebounding,” he said.

The coach was pleasantly surprised by Hammel’s shot blocking ability. “We didn’t foresee her being the type of shot blocker she is. That’s probably her strongest attribute. She has the great timing a player needs to be a good shot blocker.”

Wilson credits Hammel’s work ethic for her success. “She’s attended camps at Upper Iowa when she was younger. At that point no one projected her to have Division II abilities. She didn’t really impress at the Division II level until her last year. I think that is a reflection on her work ethic,” he said.

The Peacocks are counting on Hammel’s work ethic to take her game to new levels. “We’ve asked her to do some things she’s never done before. She’s working hard on her ball handling and shooting on the perimeter,” Wilson said. “During one of our very first practices in September, we asked our posts to shoot threes and Christa looked at me like I was nuts. I don’t think she’d even attempted a three in high school.”

Another skill the Peacocks focus on is the hook shot. “We teach the old-fashioned hook shot and Christa showed her improvement with that move near the end of the season at North Dakota State. She had a great deal of success with it against a Division I team that was undefeated at that point,” Wilson mentioned.

Hammel’s efforts this year are giving the Peacock’s high hopes for the remainder of her career. “We’re encouraged by her season and excited about her future,” the Peacock coach stated. “We’re really pleased Christa’s here.”