BETHANY, Okla. - After setting the New York state scoring record as a high school senior, Katrina Springer's phone was ringing off the hook with scholarship opportunities. But as a lifelong Nazarene, she wanted to attend a Nazarene college like her mother and sister had done. "When I heard the name, I knew" - SNU was where she wanted to be.

After Assistant Coach Phil Brown came to New York for a scouting visit, she came to Bethany to see what Southern Nazarene had to offer. She was immediately impressed that the professor whose class she visited prayed before class and knew her name. "I knew that's where God wanted me."

Katrina credits the people here on campus and in the church she attended while in school here with helping her make it through a freshman year filled with homesickness and high expectations. After winning the NAIA national championship as a freshman, being SAC Freshman of the Year, and eventually setting the school record for points and blocks, SNU ended up feeling more like home.

But athletics wasn't the only thing that made SNU feel like home to Katrina. "I had a lot of fun playing basketball," she said, "but it's more than just basketball. The teammates, the relationships that you make are by far the best." She says that she can call up her teammates and coaches and "it's just like no time has passed. We can catch up right where we left off."

After playing basketball overseas and spending time taking care of family back in New York, she found her way back to Bethany. She currently teaches math at Western Oaks Middle School, and won the Teacher of the Year award in 2024. 

As an alumna and donor, Katrina wants the current students of SNU to realize the opportunities they have and make the most of them. "I believe in the program. They're turning out good citizens, good people of faith that are going to continue to make the world a better place."

Thank you for supporting future alumni like Katrina through your gift for SNU Athletics!

Give today at snuathletics.com/givingday.