Removing the Dark Clouds - Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

F E AT U R E |hoop dreams
“A lot
20
of people think that athletes just come
to college just to play sports,” she said,
“but a lot of us are working really hard to
pursue a career, and not just some easy
major. It’s important that people know
that you can do both. It doesn’t have to
be one or the other.”
Wirth, who grew up in Mesa, Ariz.,
came to the School of Nursing via the
health and human services track in
Human and Organizational Development,
and although her first-year nursing courses
required a bit of rearranging to accommodate
her basketball schedule, her adviser,
Terry Witherington, M.S.N., C.P.N.P.,
was more than willing to do that.
“She is an exceptional candidate, and
we didn’t want to lose her. We worked
hard to make this work,” Witherington
said. “She appeared to know what she
wanted to do and was willing to take the
steps to do it. She didn’t choose the easy
way out. She wanted to get in the field as
quickly as possible.”
During the spring semester, first-year
nursing students usually rotate through
different clinical units every five weeks,
and Wirth’s frequent travel to away games
would have been a detriment. Instead, she
focused on the didactic portion and
resumed her clinical rotations when basketball
season was over.
“This isn’t something that I’m doing
because I have to. I’m excited about it,”
Wirth said, but she admits that balancing
athletics with a challenging academic program
can be exhausting at times.
For example, when the team played
an away game at Alabama, they returned
to campus at 1:30 a.m. Because the team
was scheduled to lift weights while she
was in class, Wirth lifted before class at
7:30 a.m., and then attended class from 8
to 4. Then she had practice from 4 to 7
and spent the evening studying.
It’s that work ethic that has made
Christina one of the leaders of the
women’s basketball team. She is the 30th
member of Vanderbilt’s 1,000-point club
and ranks in the SEC’s Top 10 in scoring.
She received top honors in the
Southeastern Conference postseason
awards, being named Scholar-Athlete of
the Year and a unanimous pick for the All-
SEC first team. She was also nominated
for the State Farm Wade Trophy Division
I Player of the Year, considered the
Heisman Trophy of women’s basketball.
“Christina is a very skilled, hardworking
basketball player,” said Head
Coach Melanie Balcomb. “Her threepoint
shot is her biggest strength, but
what sets her apart from other players is
her versatility. Her unselfishness, commitment
to the team, and being a leader by
example stands out the most.”
There is no doubt that athleticism
runs deep in the Wirth gene pool, and
the family of eight could easily field a
team for most sports. Dad Alan, who
played nine seasons of professional baseball,
including a major league season with
the Oakland A’s, says his wife Diane is
probably the most athletic of the pair. She
stays active lifting weights and exercising