Ann Cleary has not changed much since her days at The College of
Wooster.
As a ninth grade earth/space science teacher at Medina High School
today, Cleary sets the highest of expectations for herself and her
students. Back in the mid- to late-1970s, she was doing the same
thing, leading her teammates to help the Scotties reach
unprecedented success in basketball and tennis.
It took Cleary a semester to discover Wooster was the right place.
The Akron native transferred from Rollins College in Florida during
her freshman year, but as soon as she stepped on the basketball
court that January, she never looked back.
Cleary, a 5-6 point guard, guided the Scotties to three winning
seasons in her four years, including a 10-7 record as a senior,
which tied the team record for most victories at the time. Overall,
Cleary scored 533 points in 57 games, which put her No. 4 on the
career scoring list at graduation, but to her dismay, the statistic
she was most proud of wasn’t tracked consistently back then
— assists.
However, legendary Wooster coach Nan Nichols confirmed that Cleary
led the squad in that category every season, and added that she
"had a very good understanding of the game … (was the)
unquestioned floor leader … and, of course, an excellent
passer."
Nichols also described her as "at least equally good" on the
tennis court.
A "hard-driving, aggressive net player," Cleary was the
Scotties’ No. 1 singles player from 1976-78. And with her at
the top of the doubles lineup as well, Wooster went 24-12 during
that three-year period, capped by a magical final season. The
Scotties went 10-1, shutting out six of their opponents, won the
Ohio Small College Tournament, placed second in the Midwest
Regional Championships in Chicago, and then finished 11th of 29 at
the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women National
Championships in Santa Barbara, Calif. — Wooster’s
first and only such national appearance.
The consummate teammate, Cleary pawns off her individual
successes.
"I loved playing both a team sport and an individual sport.
Ironically, it was the tennis team that excelled. The strength of
the No. 2 through No. 6 players made us a great team."
Academically at Wooster, Cleary was a physical education major,
geology minor, and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate with a 3.78 GPA. She
has converted her college successes into a highly-acclaimed
teaching career.
Although awards were one thing she missed out on during her
athletic career (they didn’t exist for women during that
era), she has more than made up for it since graduation. During the
last decade, Cleary received the Excellence in Teaching Award in
1997, earned National Board Certification in 2000, and the highest
honor within her school district, the Distinguished Service Award
in 2002.
Prior to her ongoing 17-year stint at Medina, Cleary, a former
president of the "W" Association (the first female to hold that
title), spent six years in the Cleveland Catholic school system,
including a stretch at Magnificat where she also coached basketball
and tennis.
