Meet the Panthers: Redshirt Freshman Moran Lonning

Everyone has a reason for the sports the play or the activities they participate in, and Moran Lonning's reason for playing basketball is pretty simple - because her friends did.

Lonning, a native of Decorah, Iowa, is in her second year at Northern Iowa, but will be stepping on the court for the first time this season in a UNI uniform after redshirting last season.

Lonning's favorite part about the game of basketball is playing defense, which is fitting since she holds the school record at Decorah High School in career steals with 265.  She also was the 3A leader with 117 steals during the 2010-11 season.

Lonning led Decorah with 14.8 points per game and averaged 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.9 steals per game as a senior. She ranks fourth on Decorah's all-time scoring list and was named to the first team all-conference squad as a junior and senior.

Basketball wasn't the only sport that Lonning participated in during high school. She was also a letter winner in track and field, volleyball, cross country and softball. She was the state champion in the 3,000 meter run in track and medaled nine different times at the state meet along with being the state runner-up and third place finisher at the state cross country meet her junior and senior years, respectively.

She was a starter for the volleyball team before switching to cross country and earned all-conference, all-district and all-state honorable mention during her career on the softball team.

Lonning has personal and team goals for this season, including getting better personally and contributing positively. As a team, she hopes that the Panthers can be the most physical team that the opponents on the UNI schedule face.

Getting to know Moran:

Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Blue

Q: What is your favorite athletic team?
A: USA anything

Q: What is your favorite sport to watch besides basketball?
A: Volleyball

Q: Who is your favorite athlete?
A: Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Q: What is your favorite sport to play besides basketball?
A: Dodgeball

Q: Who is the funniest person on the team?
A: MoNae, which equals Moran Lonning and Sharnae Lamar together.

Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: Step Brothers

Q: Who is your favorite actor/actress?
A: Will Ferrell

Q: What is your favorite type of music?
A: Anything you can dance to.

Q: What are the top-five songs on your iPod?
A: Home, Its Tricky, Gangnam Style, Country Girl, Sexy and I know it.

Q: If an actress would play you in a movie, who would it be?
A: Rebel Wilson

Q: What would the theme song to your life be?
A: Gangnam Style

Q: Do you have any hidden talents?
A: I can play the harmonica.

Q: What is your favorite post-game food?
A: PB&J

Q: If you could choose to have dinner with three people, dead or alive, who would they be?
A: Will Ferrell, Jesus and Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Q: If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?
A: Buy a nice pair of slacks.