Two Palmyra-Eagle athletes have made history this basketball season, accomplishing feats that only a few other people can claim they have done. Devin Patrick and Teagan Koutsky each passed the 1,000-point mark in their basketball careers, and Patrick also broke the boys’ basketball all-time scoring record! The milestones are a testament to 4 years of hard work and dedication by both athletes to their respective programs.
Devin Patrick broke the all-time scoring record for the Panthers boys’ varsity basketball team on February 10th, 2025. The record, which had stood since 1988, was set by Tim Viegut at 1,022 points. Patrick came into the matchup against St. Ambrose Academy needing only 8 points to become the all-time leading scorer, and he took little time in the game to accomplish his goal.
“Hitting the record on our home court was surreal. When the shot went in my mind went to, ‘Holy cow, I just did that.’ I didn't really celebrate though. Just a bunch of high-fives. Never really been one too,” said Patrick about breaking the record. “But being at home, there was a packed crowd, good vibes, and many friends and family there to witness it. It is a moment I will never forget.”
He and Viegut now stand in the Panthers record books as the only two players to eclipse 1,000 points in their careers, a mark which Patrick set a few games earlier at Williams Bay on February 4th.
“It means a lot to me to have coached Devin these past 4 seasons. He is an unbelieve talent that has developed and gotten better each year. He has earned every bit of the recognition that he has gotten this year through his hard work and dedication to the program,” said Panthers boys’ basketball head coach Brandon Wilde. “It was an unbelieve experience knowing that Devin and I have shared the same journeys, and all the hours we spent together in the offseasons were now allowing him to put his name in the history books.”
The impressive feat came just one month after Teagan Koutsky of the Panthers girls’ varsity basketball team also surpassed 1,000 points on January 9th. Koutsky came into that game against the Deerfield Demons needing just 10 points and passed the mark by draining a 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go in the first half.
“Hitting 1,000 points has been one of my biggest goals, as I looked up to Lauren Stefanczyk since I was in elementary school. That’s why I wear the number 24 to this day,” said Koutsky, speaking about her milestone. “I’ve always dreamed of hitting it since I was little, but I never thought I’d get anywhere near that. It’s such a special experience and a surreal feeling.”
Lauren Stefanczyk was the last Lady Panther to hit 1,000 points, doing so back in the 2018 season. As one of Koutsky’s biggest idols for basketball, Stefanczyk returned to Palmyra-Eagle to congratulate Teagan and present her with a commemorative ball. The two now stand in the record books, alongside Tracy Kapela who was the first to accomplish the goal in 1999-2000, as the only Palmyra-Eagle girls’ basketball players to pass 1,000 career points.
Both Devin and Teagan also said they would not be where they are today without the help and support of their coaches, teammates, and their families. As the season has progressed, both Panther basketball teams will now be looking forward to competing in the WIAA Regionals in the coming days.
While the individual achievements are amazing, both athletes are looking forward to trying to make a deep run in the playoffs. No matter what, though, both Devin Patrick and Teagan Koutsky will forever be remembered as record-setting athletes in the Palmyra-Eagle basketball programs.