'Still setting in': Hatcliff reaches 1,000 point milestone quickest in Doane history

CRETE, NE — A southeast Nebraska native making history at Doane.

"You know I've always dreamed of coming and playing college basketball so as a little kid, I worked really hard and every opportunity I had to get in the gym I did," Doane sophomore Guard Mak Hatcliff said. "Knowing that hard work not only led me to Doane but to succeed here is a very good and rewarding feeling."

Beatrice alum Mak Hatcliff eclipsing the 1,000 career point mark for Doane women’s basketball. She hit the milestone on December 29, in the Tigers 81-77 win over Bellevue University in a 20 point effort. 

She accomplished the feat in just 43 games, the quickest any player at Doane, man or woman, has done it.

"People come up to me and say, 'Oh, Congrats!' but it's still starting to set in and it's definitely amazing and I couldn't have done it without my coaches or teammates," Hatcliff said.

Last year's GPAC Freshman of the Year — a season in which she set a school record for points in a single-season — Hatcliff is now a is a captain for the Tigers in her sophomore year. Hatcliff says she’s proud to have the title and the responsibility that comes with it.

"All my coaches have just put a lot of trust into me and given me the confidence to be able to do what I'm doing," she said. "I also couldn't do anything on the court without my teammates. It is a team game so without them, I wouldn't be able to score how I do."

With 1,000 points in the books, Hatcliff is on pace to reach over 2,000 by the time her college career wraps up. It's something only one other woman at Doane has accomplished. That would be Lindsay Anderson, who scored 2,012 points in her career which spanned from 2005-09. 

Hatcliff isn’t focused on that though. She just wants to help get the team somewhere they haven’t been in over 15 years.

"I'm just trying to focus on this year and one of my biggest goals this year is to get to the tournament," Hatcliff said.

She's referencing the NAIA National Women's Basketball Tournament. Doane has reached that tournament nine times in program history, most recently in 2006. 

The Doane women take the next step in that mission Saturday against Briar Cliff.