Lana Sitterud, the senior shooting guard on the U women’s basketball team, will make her final home appearance as a Ute Thursday night.
As the sole senior on the women’s basketball team and a three-time captain, Sitterud leads by example.
Sitterud is currently the top-ranked three-point field-goal shooter on the Utes with a 42 percent average-good enough for second in the Mountain West Conference. Sitterud is the third-leading scorer on the Utes with 9.6 points per game and has started every game this season. Her 56 total steals are the most of any Ute this season and currently ranks as the third-most in the MWC.
Sitterud’s best performance this season came when it mattered most for the Utes. Having lost their last two against ranked teams, the Utes were desperate for a victory when then-ranked No. 23 Texas Christian University came to town in early December. Sitterud responded with a career-high 27 points and led her team to its best victory of the year.
Junior point guard Shona Thorburn said the team will sorely miss Sitterud’s contributions as a player.
“It’s going to be hard to fill Lana’s shoes. She’s been a three-time captain and there’s a reason for that,” Thorburn said. “She brings a lot of spunk and aggression and excitement to the floor and that’s something we will definitely miss next year.”
Sitterud has played an integral role for the Utes since she arrived at the U. During her freshman year, she worked her way into the starting lineup three times. By the time she was a sophomore, she had already been named a team captain-a title she has kept for the remainder of her career.