Sydney Affolter was a crucial player this season and helped her team make it to the NCAA women’s basketball championship game for the second year in a row. As a Marist graduate, she is generating excitement and support from the school community.
Affolter is the daughter of Shellie and Ed Affolter. She grew up in Chicago, in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood. Her father Ed played basketball at the University of Illinois Chicago. She has one brother, Trey, who plays basketball at St. Ambrose University.
She is a current University of Iowa student. In addition to being a great student, Affolter is on Iowa’s Dean’s List and a member of the Hawkeye women’s basketball team, coached by Lisa Bluder
Affolter has played basketball for about 14 years. She played in grade school for the St. Christina Cardinals. She was also a Marist RedHawk from 2018-2021.
She has also helped young neighborhood girls with their basketball skills when she was home for the summer, including the Queen of Martyrs girls basketball team.
“She helped me increase my basketball skills, and she pushed me to do hard work,” said Mia Schmitt, a young basketball player.
Affolter’s high school basketball career at Marist was a great success and helped her prepare for her college career. She played on the Marist varsity girls basketball team under head coach Mary Pat Connolly.
She averaged 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 steals, 2.3 assists, and 13 blocks per game during her junior season. She also scored her 1000th point and got her 500th rebound during her junior season.
During her sophomore season, she averaged 17.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 25 steals, and 16 blocks per game. As a freshman, she averaged 12.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 26 steals per game. She also is a three-time all-state, all-region, and East Suburban All-Conference first team honoree and named to the Dean’s List and was a student ambassador for Marist.
She also played on many travel teams.
Affolter is finishing her junior year at the University of Iowa and just finished her third year playing basketball for the Hawkeyes. She started this year after Iowa’s Molly Davis had a season ending injury.
She is credited with helping her team win the Big 10 championship and was key in the NCCA tournament, too. In the rematch with LSU during the Final Four, she scored 16 points and had 5 rebounds which helped the Hawkeyes win and make it to the NCAA championship for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, the Hawkeyes lost to the University of South Carolina Gamecocks this year, but she played well scoring 12 points and getting 3 rebounds.
Affolter is just getting started. Marist will be watching as her journey continues.
