Dones-ville: population, seniors

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Robyn Fairbanks, Sandy Wall, Lauren Smith, Hollie Beaman and Jordyn Bowen played their last basketball game for coach Cathy Nixon on March 7.

“They came here when Utah Valley was not respected by anyone on the Division I level and they have invested their heart and soul into the program,” said an emotional Cathy Nixon.

With the many records and milestones that Robyn Fairbanks made during her career at UVU she will easily go down as one of the greatest players to have ever played for Nixon, much less the school.

Fairbanks credits her milestones not just to herself, “I have great teammates. There’s no better way to go out than on top so we’re very lucky and we worked really hard. It’s just a great group of girls to be with and share this with.”

Four years ago these five players joined a team not knowing how their senior season would go and completely turned the program around. “We started out loosing every game and now were winning championships, that’s a big change for us,” said Beaman.

Nixon couldn’t thank her seniors enough for what they have done for her program. “It takes teamwork to be successful and wow what an amazing impact those kids have had on this program,” added Nixon. “I certainly will never forget them and am grateful for their willingness to come and build this program to the level that it’s at.”

Jordyn Bowen spent most of her senior year on the bench assisting the coaching staff due to an injury, but was able to play in the last few games. “It was a great learning experience and a lot of good friendships that are going to last a lot longer than just these four years,” said Bowen.

Sandy Wall’s season has been filled with many high scoring games. “I wouldn’t want to be going through the program with any other seniors,” said Wall. “It was definitely memories and experiences that built that up, and it was a great experience to be able to come in and make a change as seniors.”

Lauren Smith was able to play 17 of the team’s 27 games during her senior season and says, “I learned a lot and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”

“We had a dream of that class of seniors being able to go out as champions because they have been champions all along. It certainly is great to see them be able to celebrate that, cut down nets, and to celebrate what they’ve accomplished since they’ve been here. It’s just been a great ride for me as a coach,” concluded Nixon.