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Swink to be inducted into SFU Hall of Fame

By Jim Downey jdowney@heraldstandard.Com 5 min read
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Beth Swink is shown during her playing days at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. The Connellsville graduate will be inducted into the Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame this Saturday.

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Connellsville graduate Beth Swink reaches for a loose ball in a game during her playing career at Saint Francis University of Loretto.

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Beth Swink

Beth Swink was watching her niece Madison Wiltrout compete in the javelin at the PIAA Championships in late May when she received a call from Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa., her alma mater.

She let the call go to voicemail, figuring it was a “please send money” request.

Swink checked the voicemail later that day to find out the call was from the university’s athletic director, informing her she was to be inducted into the SFU Athletics Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held on Saturday evening.

“I didn’t answer right away because I thought it was for money. It was a good surprise,” Swink said of the news.

Kristen Arnott (women’s soccer), Kevin Donner (cross country/track & field head coach), Clarence Hopson (men’s basketball), Nick Leasure (men’s basketball), Michele Raymond (women’s golf), William “Billy” C. Ryan, Jr. (baseball), Brian Sell (men’s cross country/track & field), Lindsey Stefan (women’s track & field) and the 1990-91 men’s basketball team will also be enshrined in the Class of 2015.

An athlete must be 10 years removed to be considered for the hall of fame honors, something that also caught Swink by surprise.

“I guess, maybe, I was hoping (to be enshrined). I wasn’t anticipating it. I hadn’t realized it was 10 years,” explained Swink. “It was more ‘it’s been that long already.’ It seems like yesterday.”

Swink’s numbers for the Red Flash provided quite a resume for enshrinement.

She was the Northeast Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in 2003-04. Swink played on four consecutive NEC Championship teams, which led to four straight appearances (2002-05) in the NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

“We were a No. 16 seed my freshman year and played UConn. They had Diana Taurasi and Swin Cash. I played against Swin Cash (a McKeesport graduate) in high school,” said Swink. “We played at UConn. It was a surreal experience. They loved their UConn.”

Swink ranks third with 2,127 points, trailing only Jess Zinobile (2,338) and Alli Williams (2,170). She ranks fourth in rebounding with 957, fifth in blocked shots (87), sixth in steals (204), and is the all-time leader in field goals made with 831.

Swink was NEC Rookie of the Year in 2001-02 and two-time NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player in 2003 and 2005. She was selected to SFU’s 25th Anniversary Team.

“I wouldn’t be the player I was without my teammates,” praised Swink. “The camaraderie was great. I still keep in touch (with some of her teammates).

“The experience of who I played against was great.”

Swink hit the Red Flash program at the right time.

“The year before they didn’t make the NEC (tournament) playoffs. We had a great group of freshmen coming in with great attitudes.”

Swink was an outstanding softball player for the Lady Falcons (the softball field behind the high school bears her name), so she was drawn to the sport on the diamond, as well.

“Saint Vincent was going to let me play both. Saint Francis was Division I, but I would only play basketball,” said Swink. “Then, an assistant coach at Saint Francis saw an article in the Post-Gazette, only a paragraph, that I scored 40 points. She found me.”

Loretto and most NEC opponents were close enough to allow her family see Swink play in a lot of games.

Swink looked to continue her career in the WNBA, attending the Connecticut Sun camp.

“I was invited. It was an experience. It was a job. It wasn’t fun anymore,” said Swink. “The game is so much taller in the WNBA. They wanted me to be a (three) guard, dribbling the ball up the floor. I played center and forward at Saint Francis.”

But, after hiring an agent, Swink found her way to Sweden, a decision she doesn’t regret.

“I played two seasons for Jamtland. I was six hours from the Arctic Circle. It was cold and dark,” remembered Swink. “But, it was a great decision. The game was a little rougher, more physical.”

The transition to Sweden was not that difficult, especially for someone who was blond and fair-skinned.

“Everyone spoke English,” added Swink.

Swink was an outstanding athlete, but she also excelled in the classroom. She was a two-time NEC Scholar-Athlete and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America selection.

Swink also received the Wallace Athletic Award in 2005 that is “presented annually to the outstanding senior female student-athlete. Criteria includes: Value to Team, Athletic Ability, Dedication, Attitude, Athletic and Academic Accomplishments and Sportsmanship.”

Swink planned to play a couple years in Sweden (although the team wanted her to return) and then go back to school, which she did. She was awarded a post-graduate scholarship by the NCAA to help with her studies.

Swink earned a Master’s in Physician Assistant Science to become physician’s assistant.

Swink recently moved to Evansville, Ind., to take on a new position that allowed her to cut the miles away from her “long-distance relationship.”

“It’s a lot different. I was in urgent care in Mount Pleasant. Now, I work in spinal surgery,” explained Swink.

Looking back, Swink never thought her future would include all the honors and accomplishments in basketball.

“If you had told me in eighth grade …,” Swink trailed off momentarily. “I had to be persuaded to play basketball. It was just something I did. I was all about softball. Softball was my life. My intention was to play softball through my senior year.

“That experience (playing basketball at Saint Francis) was amazing.”

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