Seniors on the St. Thomas women’s basketball team have showcased their skills on the court and in the classroom over the past four years.

Along with averaging a 3.5 GPA, some of the women are majoring in subjects like exercise science, biology, pre-physical therapy and neuroscience. Coach Ruth Sinn said her players are determined in all facets of their lives.

“My players are really greedy,” Sinn said. “They want to be great at everything. They want to be good in the classroom. They want to be professionally developed. They want to have a social life. They want to have an athletic experience.”

Guard Beth Wittry, an exercise science major, leads the team members in the class of 2015 with a 3.93 GPA. In high school, Wittry was as “greedy” as a player could get. While attending Kuemper Catholic High School in Iowa, she earned 10 varsity letters, was female athlete of the year and was Academic All-Conference and All-State.

When she wasn’t playing sports, she also participated in student council, National Honor Society and ranked second in her graduating class. Wittry said time management plays a crucial role in her life.

“Just knowing your priorities of what classes and when are tests and managing that with practice and games and stuff can be hard,” Wittry said.

This past November, the team traveled to California to square off against Redlands and Occidental. During their down time, the team focused on its homework rather than enjoying the West Coast weather.

“We’re in sunny California, here are all the girls out on the patio, sunny and 75, and they’re studying,” Sinn said.

Jesse Krull can be reached at krul7386@stthomas.edu.