Julie McChesney

Basketball, Class of 2010

Julie McChesney was one of the most accomplished female athletes in Warren Area High School history, excelling in basketball, track and field, swimming, and other sports. A 6-foot guard/forward, she scored a school-record 1,436 career points for the Lady Dragons, becoming the all-time leading female scorer at Warren Area High School. A four-year varsity player and three-year starter, McChesney helped lead Warren to the District playoffs every season and three Tri-County Athletic Conference championships. During the 1989–90 season, she scored 570 points while averaging 23.75 points per game. As a senior in 1990–91, she averaged 20.6 points per game and helped the Dragons finish with a 20–5 record. She earned first-team honors on the TCAC Division One All-Star Basketball Team in both her junior and senior seasons and recorded a remarkable 41-point game during her high school career.

Her athletic accomplishments extended well beyond basketball. As a young swimmer, she qualified for district and state competitions with the Warren YMCA Swim Team. At age 10, she won the running long jump at the regional ARCO Jesse Owens Games in Buffalo, New York, with a leap of 12 feet, 1½ inches, earning an opportunity to compete in the national competition associated with the 1984 Olympic festivities in Los Angeles. At Warren, she continued to excel in track and field, specializing in the triple jump, long jump, and 400-meter relay. She qualified for the state championships during both her junior and senior years and still holds the school long-jump record at 17 feet, 5½ inches. She was also a member of Warren’s school-record 400-meter relay team.

Heavily recruited after high school, McChesney accepted a full basketball scholarship to Mercyhurst College, where she became a four-year starter for the Lady Lakers. She averaged 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and finished her collegiate career ranked third in program history in scoring with 1,486 points, third in rebounds with 799, and second in blocked shots with 136. Her 1994–95 team advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight and finished with a 24–6 record. McChesney’s passion for athletics continued after graduation, including completing the Chicago Marathon in 2000.

After meeting her husband, Chris, and moving to Green Bay, Wisconsin, she became the first female athletic director of the Green Bay Boys and Girls Club. She also returned to school to earn her teaching degree, allowing her to continue working with and supporting young people. Now living in Green Bay with her husband and son, Drew, McChesney’s legacy reflects not only her outstanding athletic achievements but also her dedication to education, leadership, and helping the next generation succeed.