WNBA star Maddy Siegrist Returns to Hudson Valley for Breakfast of Champions Event

Dallas Wings player joins Special Olympics New York athlete Morgan Trautmann for an important fund-raiser

 

By Randy Robertson, Hudson Valley Regional Storyteller

Poughkeepsie, NY – When the Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA championship in October, Hudson Valley star Maddy Siegrist watched with keen interest. Siegrist played for the Dallas Wings this past season and came within a few points of knocking out the Valkyries in the first round.

On December 1, Siegrist will team with Special Olympics New York athlete Morgan Trautmann for an important fund-raiser. Siegrist and Trautmann will share stories about basketball and determination at the first annual Breakfast of Champions fund-raiser in Wappingers Falls. The Breakfast will be a celebration of inclusion, achievement and the incredible impact of Special Olympics New York throughout the Hudson Valley.

The event will run from 7:30-9:30 am at the WMC Health Club Lounge at Heritage Financial Park. Tickets are available online via the link below. Funds will support year-round sports, health, leadership and inclusion programs for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Siegrist set scoring records at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie as well as at Villanova University, where she became the Big East Conference’s all-time scoring leader. At 6-foot-2, Siegrist is tall enough to score inside while also shooting a remarkable 42% on 3-pointers this past season, second-best in the WNBA.

“At Villanova, we did some Special Olympics events on campus and I really enjoyed it,” Siegrist said. “Our team manager R.G. has Down’s Syndrome and was really involved in Special Olympics so I like being a part of it. When I was invited to participate in the Breakfast of Champions I was really interested. I’m excited to be there.”

Siegrist, 26, is also excited to be competing in the WNBA these days. These are joyful times for the 30-year-old professional league, as the WNBA smashed records for attendance and television ratings.

“I feel like I got in the league at the perfect time,” Siegrist said. “Seeing the league grow so much the last four years has really been great. This year I felt the league was pretty open and a lot of teams had a chance to win so it was really exciting.”

Special Olympics New York coach Dawn Marie Nasi leads Butch’s Eagles basketball team in Poughkeepsie. The squad competed at the Summer State Games in Utica this year and leaned heavily on Morgan Trautmann, the team captain. She’s a point guard with a love for the game and is a real leader for the team.

“Morgan is very responsible, she shows up and she helps direct the athletes in practice,” Nasi said. “She’s tough too. She’ll play as much as we need her to play. If she falls down she just gets right back up and keeps going.”

Get your tickets today for this inspirational new Breakfast of Champions fund-raising event.  Information and tickets: https://e.givesmart.com/events/Qyp/

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