Abby Lundquist made her mark on the Rochelle Lady Hub basketball program with her scoring and shooting, setting several records including the all-time career scoring record. But it was Lundquist’s defense and facilitating that allowed her to stand out during her second season of collegiate basketball and her first with the St. Ambrose University Fighting Bees.

After transferring from Division II Daemen College, Lundquist found an immediate role with the NAIA St. Ambrose women’s basketball program, appearing in 18 games and averaging over 15 minutes per game. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lundquist and her teammates saw constant schedule cancellations and adjustments, but persevered to finish with a 12-8 record.

“It was a challenging year,” Lundquist said. “It was difficult because we weren’t allowed to see other people outside of our team, but that made us rely on each other and we grew as a team. I was a defender this year and I really prided myself on my defense. I was always a scorer throughout my high school career, but since we have strong post players, I’m not needed to score as much. My coach put me on some of the best scorers in our conference and I thought I contained them well. I drew several charges and I worked a lot on defensive techniques.”

Lundquist shot 39.1 percent from 3-point range this past season and started six games for the Fighting Bees, who went 6-5 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Lundquist’s notable performances include a nine-point effort in St. Ambrose’s 52-48 win over Indiana University Northwest and a 13-point spurt in a 77-59 victory against Trinity International. Now with more focus on defense and passing the ball, Lundquist said she plans to move from shooting guard to point guard, where she played in high school, for the upcoming season.

“My goal for next season is to just enjoy basketball,” Lundquist said. “I have two years left and I want to cherish the time I have playing the game. We want to win the conference as a team and I think we have the tools we need. I have loved my time playing collegiate basketball and the most important thing that has come out of my experience is the relationships I’ve built. I’ve built great relationships with my teammates and coaches at both Daemen College and St. Ambrose and it’s such a blessing to be around people who have turned into another family for me.”