SOUTH WAYNE — Tara Wellnitz announced her commitment to play basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Initially, Wellnitz was unsure if she would continue her athletic career in college, so when Stevens Point and Loras contacted her, she kept their offers on the back burner. That all changed on Nov. 28 when Wellntiz tore her ACL in a game against Shullsburg.

“I really didn’t know whether I wanted to play basketball [in college] or not,” Wellnitz said. “I kept UWSP and Loras in Dubuque in the back of my mind and went on visits. I started thinking I would like to play in college, but after my injury I just knew that I was going to play in college.”

Although Wellnitz had made a name for herself — playing on varsity for four years where she averaged 8.6 ppg, including a career-high 25 points her junior season — she was still nervous that her injury would ruin her plans.

“When I suffered my injury, I was nervous about how I would never be able to play again and my career was over,” Wellnitz said. “After I let the different coaches know what I was going through, they were all super supportive. They told me that, just because I was injured, nothing would change their want for me. It made me really relieved.”

Ultimately, with the support and advice from her family, Wellnitz chose Stevens Point for their coaching staff and direction of the program.

“The thing that really made me choose UWSP was how great the coaching staff was,” Wellnitz said. “I really liked heir goals for the program and how I could be successful there.”

Tara joins her sisters Kim and Jen as collegiate athletes. Kim played for Platteville—also a member of the WIAC — while Jen went to Division I Green Bay.