She's got game: Former Morningside power forward explores life after basketball

"I graduated from Morningside College with a biology degree in May," said the Bancroft, Nebraska native. "It wasn't until August that it hit me that my days of balancing practices with classes were over."

You can't really blame Tietz.

After all, the 6-foot, 2-inch forward was the top scorer for the Morningside Mustangs and played in three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II Women's Basketball National Championship tournaments.

Not only did Tietz win NAIA Division II All-American honors, she graduated cum laude in her class.

In other words, she's had her share of accomplishments both on and off the basketball court.

Tietz credits her competitiveness and hard work ethic to her family.

"Everybody in my family is pretty athletic, and growing up on a farm you learned the value of hard work at an early age," she said. "Just because you're a girl didn't mean you couldn't move that bale of hay."

However, Tietz admitted to experiencing a bit of culture shock after leaving her hometown of 495 people for life on an urban college campus.

"Believe me, Sioux City is a big city when you compare it to Bancroft, Nebraska," she said, laughing.  

After making the move, Tietz said her life changed dramatically in college.

"I began working with organizations like Opportunities Unlimited (a Sioux City-based organization that provides residential rehabilitation services for people with disabilities) and STARS," she said. Siouxland Troopers Adaptive Riding School utilizes horseback riding as a form of rehabilitative therapy.

"Both organizations are close to my heart since my sister gave birth to a baby with Down syndrome," she said.

Sharing both the highs and lows in her life were Tietz's Mustang teammates.

"As soon as I entered college, I discovered my second family," she said. "The girls have become like sisters to me." 

Tietz continues to make periodic trips to Sioux City from her home in Bancroft.

"Catching up with my teammates while we eat wings from Bob Roe's Point After to discuss what's going on in ABC's 'The Bachelor.' That alone makes the 50-mile trip worthwhile," she said with a warm chuckle.

Such simple pleasures are sometimes hard to plan because Tietz currently has a job back home.

"Right now, I'm a rural mail carrier with the U.S. Post Office," she said. "I like it a lot." 

Yet Tietz will soon be relinquishing her "mail lady" duties to go back to school.

"I've enrolled in the Occupational Therapy Master's program at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri," she said. 

So, let's get this straight. Tietz thought Sioux City was a big city in comparison to Bancroft. Yet Kansas City is even bigger.

"Am I worried about culture shock? Nah," she said. "I need a new challenge and this is it. To be honest, I can't wait!"