Cleary A Leader Today, Just as She Was for the Scotties

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.