By Kristine Thomas
Elise Kuenzi finds it surreal when people congratulate her on being a national champion.
A junior and team captain for the George Fox University Bruins, Kuenzi and her teammates won the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Championship in March by defeating the Washington University-St. Louis Bears 60-53. The team had an undefeated season – 32-0.
“Winning a national championship and going undefeated is a huge accomplishment,” she said. “It’s a lifelong goal accomplished. It’s hard to put into words what it all means.”
Kuenzi said many people predicted her basketball team wouldn’t accomplish much.
“We had four returning players and 10 freshmen on the team. We had graduated seven seniors,” she said. “None of the four returning players were starters last year.”
A 2006 graduate of Silverton High School, Kuenzi’s team played against others with players who were better athletes. But “our team has heart and we all are extremely competitive,” she said.
The turning point came when the Bruins defeated both Whitworth and Whitman colleges. “They were ranked number one and number two in our league,” she said. “Our team embraced the challenge and decided that was a chance to prove ourselves as a team. We swept both games.”
Kuenzi said in Division III only 20 of the 428 teams are from the West Coast. George Fox University is the only team west of the Great Plains to win the national women’s basketball title. Unlike Division I players, Kuenzi and her teammates don’t get scholarships to play basketball – which they do from late August to late March.
“We all truly have a love for the game,” she said. “We all understand you have to put both the time and effort into something if you want to reap the benefits. We were willing to work hard because we wanted to be successful.”
Being an athlete has required her to be “super disciplined,” she said, making sure she balances school – she’s majoring in business with emphasis on marketing – and basketball. It’s also meant making sacrifices.
“We have a saying on the team that is ‘Where the team is you are,’” she said. “As a freshman, at first I didn’t get what it meant. Now as a team captain, I explain to the freshmen being on the team isn’t about them anymore. It’s about the team. It’s remembering wherever you go, you not only represent yourself but also your teammates.”
She’s grateful of the support from her parents, Loyal and Shellie Kuenzi, and her siblings, Dustin, Brandon and Clarissa.
Kuenzi is confident the team will rise to the challenge next year.
“What makes our team unique is we truly love one another and we would do anything for one another,” she said. “We believe the key to winning is to invest in one another, connect with each other and have fun.”
