lthough Cheryl (Cota) Hanson will best be remembered as one of the greatest offensive players in school history, she also will be thought of as one of the hardest working athletes to attend Viterbo College.

After leading her high school (Fall Creek) to the state championship three times and runner-up once, Cota came to Viterbo and produced right away. As a freshman, she scored 211 points and dished out 7.1 assists a game.

As a sophomore, Cota helped lead the V-Hawks to the school's first-ever appearance in the semifinals of the District 14 tournament. The 5-foot-5 guard averaged 12.7 points and 6.2 assists a game and was named 2nd Team All-Conference.

Cota's offensive prowess peaked during the 1990-91 season when she scored 603 points. She led the V-Hawks with 20.8 points a game average and dished out 7.6 assists a game while garnering 1st Team All-Conference, NAIA All-District and NCBT All-American awards.

Cota finished her career at Viterbo as the all-time leading scorer with 1,719 points. She helped lead Viterbo to the District 14 Finals while averaging 18 points a game. She was named 1st Team All-Conference, NAIA All-District Player of the Year and NCBT All-American.