Bria Medina sat down with WGIL for a wide-ranging conversation about what the Des Moines Register called one of the most unlikely stories in college sports — her journey from Knox College in Galesburg to the University of Iowa and the Big Ten.
Medina, Knox College’s all-time leading scorer, committed to the Hawkeyes on May 13. Iowa is one of the premier women’s basketball programs in the country, and Carver-Hawkeye Arena has sold out three straight seasons.
Bria Medina joined Jay Redfern for a full-length interview on Galesburg In Focus. Listen to the full conversation above.
Medina finished her junior season averaging 23.6 points per game, ranking second in all of Division III. She leaves Knox as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,524 points in three seasons, and was named Midwest Conference Player of the Year — the first Knox women’s basketball player ever to earn a Division III Region 9 First Team honor.
The Iowa call
She said the decision to enter the transfer portal was driven in part by the financial realities of Division III.
“Initially I just sent out a few emails to schools that I wasn’t necessarily expecting to respond,” Medina said. “I might have sent it like two weeks before they actually replied, so I kind of forgot about it.”
Iowa assistant Randi Henderson reached out by text. Medina said she was playing ping pong at a friend’s house when the message arrived.
“I read it and I was kind of like, I’m not sure if this is real or not,” she said. “I had to search it up. I was like, okay, yeah, this is actually the Iowa that I’m thinking of.”
Medina visited Iowa City on May 12 and committed the next day.
What she brings to Iowa
She said the biggest adjustment at Iowa will be physicality — everyone is bigger, stronger, and faster at the Division I level. But she is already preparing, training six days a week and working out with the Knox men’s basketball team.
“I love to play fast,” she said of her style. “I love to push in transition, I like to take pride in my on-ball defense. Playing fast with an upbeat tempo — that’s my style of play.”
Iowa recruiting coordinator LaSondra Barrett called Medina a sleeper, adding that just because you hear Division III does not mean a player is far off from Division I.
Medina will wear No. 50 at Iowa — the first Hawkeye to wear that number in 17 years.
On the Caitlin Clark era at Iowa, Medina said she followed along like most basketball fans.
“Everyone’s a fan of Caitlin,” she said. “She’s one of the best players, if not the best women’s basketball player, at least in this time.”
How she ended up in Galesburg
Medina grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and came to Knox after her cousins, Mae and Kylie Callahan, encouraged her to join the team. She said she was not a huge fan of the Midwest initially, but came to love it — in part because of the people she met, including her fiancé, Joshua Stewart, who plays basketball at Knox.
“Once I met my group of people and really got familiar with the Midwest, it was super easy to stay,” she said. “I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Stewart will remain in Galesburg for his final season while Medina heads to Iowa City.
Life after basketball
Asked what she will miss most about Knox, her answer was immediate: the people.
Medina said she intends to pursue nursing after basketball — inspired by her mother, who is a nurse and nursing professor at the University of Arizona.
“I would love to work with people, helping people in whatever way I can,” she said.
Her one word to describe the opportunity: exciting.
Read our original story on Bria Medina’s commitment to Iowa here.
