Fifth-Year Macy Beinborn has joined history by becoming the 14th player in the women’s basketball program to achieve a 1000-point career. On Nov. 26, Beinborn achieved a 1000-point career at Augustana during their game against Fontbonne University. Beinborn scored a layup early in the third quarter of their game against Fontbonne pushing her past the 1000-point mark. Achieving a 1000-point career is not an easy task to accomplish, though Beinborn’s dedication to the sport allowed her to succeed on an individual level.
“It was very rewarding,” Beinborn said. “It’s very validating when you get an achievement like that. It’s like I’m here for something.”
This has been a long time coming for Beinborn, as she has been playing basketball for years and has constantly been practicing to improve her game.
“I knew that once I started playing as a freshman, once I got here, that I wanted to get the 1000-point achievement,” Beinborn said. “That was something that I became serious about during my freshman year when I went to a new gear and how I worked towards basketball.”
The commitment to her training is a key factor as to how Beinborn was able to succeed in her 1000-point career record. Teammates like sophomore Cali Papez have praised Beinborn for her dedication to the sport.
“It requires a lot of consistency,” Papez said. “You could be a talented senior, but you can’t score 1000 points in a season if you haven’t been consistent throughout all your seasons.”
Head Coach Mark Beinborn also believes that some of Beinborn’s success can be attributed to her teammates.
“She’s a shooter,” Coach Beinborn said. “Somebody’s got to get her the ball and set some screens and do all that, so there’s been a lot of great team basketball to help find her and open positions and clearly. She’s put in a lot of work throughout the years to be a shooter and continue to work on our game.”
Beinborn’s toughness over the years has also helped her succeed in her sport and achieve the feat of a 1000-point career.
“I think her mentality has changed from past years, where if she didn’t shoot well, she might not play well,” Coach Beinborn said. “The other night she had a first bad shooting night of the year. She still played a good game, she played hard, she did other things.”
As a leader, Beinborn’s positive attitude is recognized throughout the team. One of Beinborn’s most defining qualities is that she isn’t afraid to be herself when it comes to her team which allows for the team to feel more comfortable with one another.
“Macy is just herself,” Papez said. “She’s not afraid to be herself whether it’s singing in the locker room or other small things. By doing that, it helps us to step out of our comfort zone sometimes and just helps us be ourselves.”
In a fast-paced game like basketball, trust is something that the team needs to succeed, so Beinborn’s ability to allow other teammates to feel comfortable with one another is a valuable characteristic.
“It makes it easier for us to trust each other,” Papez said. “Especially when we’re in the middle of a game when things get hard, [we know] that we have each other’s back, that we’re not in it for ourselves, that we are in it for the team.”
Despite Beinborn’s high individual achievement, her goals are still heavily team-focused. Currently, the team is looking to place high in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) championship.
“Our goal from day one is to be in a position like last year where we are in a position to win the conference and fight for that spot,” Coach Beinborn said. “Regardless of a few losses to start, we played some good teams that are ranked in the region. We’ve lost some pieces that we’re figuring out with a lot of younger players. But I still think we can accomplish every goal that we set out to do.”
The Viking’s next match-up will be on Dec. 9 against North Park at 5 p.m. in the Carver Center.