After an outstanding 4-year playing career at Davenport University, Karlee Despres now begins her coaching career as she joined head coach Mike Williams’ staff for the 2012-13 season.
Despres was a standout athlete in both basketball and softball. On the court, she played 139 games and currently sits in the top 10 in numerous all-time categories. She sits seventh in points (1,214), eighth in field goals (421), fifth in 3-pointers (198), eighth in free throws (174), sixth in rebounds (492) and fourth in blocked shots (64). On the diamond, she owned a .281 batting average with 22 doubles and 12 home runs and as a pitcher she went 48-22 with a 2.61 ERA in 423 1/3 innings of work. She also earned three saves and currently shares the program’s record for strikeouts with former teammate Sam Cole with 454.
Along with being the 2011-12 Davenport Female Athlete of the Year, Despres has earned many accolades in both sports such as first-team All-WHAC, Capital Academic All-American and the NAIA Scholar Athlete.
Despres, who was a dual major in international business and sport management, resides in Grand Rapids.
