The St. Thomas women’s basketball team will have a special battle cry this week when it competes in the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota — with “cry” being the operative word.
“Do it for Ruth” will be the mantra as long as the Tommies can stay alive in the tournament, with coach Ruth Sinn having announced that she is retiring after leading the program for 21 years.
St. Thomas women’s basketball coach Ruth Sinn. (St. Thomas Athletics)
“She’s given so much to this program,” senior guard Faith Feuerbach said. “To send her off on a high note just adds a ton of fire to us.”
The Tommies (15-15 overall, 8-8 in the Summit) are the No. 5 seed and open play on Friday afternoon against No. 4 Oral Roberts. They’re looking at the game as just the start of something big.
“It would be awesome to go to the championship and send her off on the biggest note since we became Division I,” sophomore forward Alyssa Sand said. “We believe in each other and know that it’s possible, so we just want to make it happen for her.”
Sinn, a self-described basketball junkie, considers March Madness her “favorite holiday.” She’s prepared to savor being a part of it one last time.
“The beauty of this game is twofold,” Sinn said. “No. 1, the person you become. No. 2 is the impact that (the players) have. As a coach, the person I have become because of this program and because of these young women is insurmountable — (how) I have grown, and the impact.”
St. Thomas athletics honored Sinn prior to the team’s final home game on Feb. 25. She has coached basketball for 45 years, and among those in attendance were players she coached in grade school and high school, along with so many former Tommies.
It was an emotional night for all involved.
“As I told them, I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to be in contact and have a journey with such wonderful people,” Sinn said.
Sand spoke for her teammates and undoubtedly for past Tommies players who she said she’ll remember Sinn for her passion and intensity.
“We feed off that,” Sand said. “It’s just so nice to have a coach who cares that much about you as a player you, as a person. It makes you want to be so much more invested.”
Added Feuerbach: “She inspires us off the court, too. That’s a huge thing. She wants us to be strong, confident women. That’s something I’m thankful for and grateful for.”
The Tommies enter the tournament believing they are playing their best basketball of the season, having won five of their last seven games. The roster is young and inexperienced — Sands is the only returning starter from last season — and the Tommies dealt with the predictable growing pains.
Sinn said the difference between the team now compared to what it was at the start of the season is “night and day.”
The Tommies won five straight from Nov. 30 to Dec. 13 in advance of conference play. The inexperience and unfamiliarity of playing with one another started to become less of an issue.
“At this time of year, Coach says that all our freshmen are sophomores now and all our sophomores are juniors,” Feuerbach said, “because we have been playing basically since June together.
“As a leader, I’m just trying to build them up and encourage them. They all have a ton of skill, a lot of talent, and I know with the right encouragement that it will come out this postseason.”
Sands sees a commitment to being more consistent as the catalyst for the Tommies’ improved play down the stretch.
“Everyone says you want to be playing your best basketball in March,” she said. “So, I think that has sort of been coming through this past month. We trust each other and encourage each other, and I think right now that is the biggest thing you can do.”
The Tommies ended the regular season with a 67-52 loss at Oral Roberts. The Tommies beat the Golden Eagles 71-66 at Anderson Arena on Feb. 11.
“We’re really not worrying about them now, just trying to fix our correctives and getting back to how we played the first game, and how we can use that to motivate us,” Sands said. “They’re fresh in our minds, so I think that is going to help a lot.”
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BEIRUT — Traffic was gridlocked in Lebanon ‘s capital on Thursday as panicked residents tried to flee after Israel’s military issued a notice ordering all of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate, apparently signaling plans for a major bombardment of the area.
The notice for the area known as Dahiyeh advised residents to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” and specified which routes residents of different areas could take.
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Since the resurgence of hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, Israel has struck sites in Beirut’s suburbs and issued a blanket warning for residents south of the Litani River to evacuate their homes, but had not previously issued a blanket evacuation order for areas outside of Beirut’s capital.
After the attacks by the U.S. and Israel on Iran triggered a new war in the Middle East, Hezbollah launched missiles and drones into Israel on Monday for the first time in over a year, and Israel has retaliated with bombardment of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The conflict had claimed 102 lives and forced the displacement of more than 83,000 people in Lebanon before Thursday’s evacuation order.
Hadi Kaakour, a resident of Beirut’s southern suburbs who was fleeing said he is not sure that even after leaving he will be safe.
“We don’t put anything past them (Israel), they will strike us no matter where we go,” he said.
Others expressed frustration at Lebanon being pulled into the larger war in the Middle East.
“We got sucked into a mess that we have nothing to do with,” said Yousef Nabulsi, another fleeing resident. “People have been displaced and are now staying on the streets, and this is wrong.”
U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have seen and heard clashes in the area as more Israeli forces have moved across the border, a spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, said Thursday. It was the first confirmation of combat taking place.
“Ground combat was observed west of Kfar Kila,” a village near the border with Israel, overnight, which included “firing of shots,” UNIFIL spokesperson Tilak Pokharel said. In Khiyam, a town about 3 miles from the border, he said peacekeepers saw “air attacks and flares and heard explosions.”
On Tuesday, Israel said it sent additional troops into southern Lebanon. Israeli forces had already been occupying several border points in Lebanon since a November 2024 ceasefire halted the previous Israel-Hezbollah war.
The Lebanese army has pulled back from the border as the Israeli troops moved in, while Hezbollah has issued a series of statements announcing attacks on Israeli troops attempting to advance and published a video showing a tank being struck by a missile. The Israeli army on Wednesday said two of its soldiers were wounded by anti-tank fire in Lebanon.
Here’s a simple, foolproof way to cook fish so it stays moist and tender every time. Gently poach the fillets in barely simmering water for just 4 to 5 minutes. The secret is to make sure the water is at a low simmer. Finish it with a light, flavorful sauce topped with briny capers.
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A vibrant corn and tomato side dish comes together in just 5 minutes in the microwave, making this an easy, colorful, and satisfying dinner.
HELPFUL HINTS:
Any type of white fish can be used instead of cod such as mahi mahi, halibut, tilapia.
COUNTDOWN:
Assemble ingredients.
Mix sauce and set aside.
Microwave the corn and tomatoes.
Poach fish.
SHOPPING LIST:
To buy: 12 ounces cod, 1 container reduced fat sour cream, 1 jar reduced-fat mayonnaise, 1 jar Dijon mustard, 1 small jar capers, 1 container frozen corn kernels, 1 container cherry tomatoes, 1 bunch fresh basil.
Staples: olive oil, onion, salt and black peppercorns
Simple Poached Fish with Caper Sauce
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream possible 1 more
2 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise possible 1 more
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 teaspoons salt
3/4 pound cod
1 tablespoon capers
Mix sour cream, mayonnaise and mustard together in a small bowl and set aside. Fill a medium size saucepan half full of water. Add the salt and bring to a simmer. Place fish in saucepan and simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes. Do not let the water boil. A meat thermometer should read 130 degrees. Remove the fish from the pan to a plate and pat dry with a paper towel. Divide into two portions and place on two dinner plates. Spoon the sauce over the fish. Sprinkle the capers on top of the sauce and serve.
Yield 2 servings.
Per serving: 217 calories (23 percent from fat), 8.1 g fat (2.1 g saturated, 2.0 g monounsaturated), 78 mg cholesterol, 31.4 g protein, 3.3 g carbohydrates, 0.6 g fiber, 395 mg sodium.
Quick Corn and Tomatoes
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 cup frozen diced onion
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons basil leaves
Place corn and tomatoes in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high 5 minutes. Drain any water that may remain. Mix in the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on the basil. Divide in half and serve on the two dinner plates with the fish.
Yield 2 servings.
Per serving: 224 calories (24 percent from fat), 6.0 g fat (0.9 g saturated, 2.5 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 6.6 g protein, 42.7 g carbohydrates, 6.5 g fiber, 16 mg sodium.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Sofia Tepichin was about 30 minutes into her club soccer team practice in October when she spotted a fast-approaching defender. She tapped the ball away and hopped over the defender’s outstretched foot, came down awkwardly and heard a “pop.”
She immediately fell to the ground, pain shooting through her left knee and knew it wasn’t good. It was, she said, “heartbreaking.”
“And I knew personally that I tore my ACL,” Tepichin said.
Tepichin joined the growing ranks of female high school athletes tearing their anterior cruciate ligament, a devastating knee injury that researchers are pressing the sports world to take more seriously.
Decades of research on prevention methods is available, but parents, researchers and trainers say that teams, coaches and leagues aren’t doing enough to protect the girls and educate parents.
High school female athletes are most vulnerable
Sports fans hear often about high-profile athletes like U.S. Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn tearing their ACLs, and many ACL injuries are chalked up to bad luck or a part of sports that will continue to happen at all competitive levels.
Still, high school-age female athletes suffer these injuries at much higher rates than their male counterparts — up to eight times more likely, one study says — and adults, most often in noncontact situations in sports that require fast changes in direction, researchers say.
Biomechanics researchers, trainers and physical therapists say there are pre-workout warm ups and strengthening routines — such as FIFA 11+ or PEP — that can at least reduce the risk of an injury that takes such a high physical and mental toll on young athletes.
But, they say, most coaches lack training or expert help, and high school girls compete in settings with far fewer resources than the professional and collegiate levels. As a result, risk-reduction routines are rarely included in day-to-day coaching curricula and practices.
“The real crime in this is that the data has been out there for 25 years,” said Holly Silvers-Granelli, a physical therapist and biomechanics researcher who advises athletes, professional teams and major sports leagues on injury prevention. “People are clamoring for answers, and the answers are largely there.”
The trendline of ACL injuries isn’t entirely clear, but the National ACL Injury Coalition — formed by the Aspen Institute and the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York — said its analysis of data from high school athletic trainers showed that the average annual ACL injury rate for high school athletes grew almost 26% from 2007 to 2022.
The rate for girls grew more than 32%, compared to 14.5% for boys, it said.
Plano East High School soccer player Sofia Tepichian, right, has her movement analyzed with help from sports biomechanics researcher Sophia Ulman at the Movement Science Laboratory at Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco, Texas, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Plano East varsity soccer player Aliya Jacob’s knee brace, left, is visible as she attacks Rock Hill’s Adalina Flores during a soccer game, Jan. 30, 2026, in Murphy, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Plano East High School soccer player Sofia Tepichian, left, is helped by sports biomechanics researcher Sophia Ulman at the Movement Science Laboratory at Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco, Texas, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Plano East varsity soccer player Aliya Jacob, center, wears a knee brace as she is introduced onto the field prior to a soccer game against Rock Hill, Jan. 30, 2026, in Murphy, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Plano East varsity soccer player Aliya Jacob wears a knee brace as she gathers for prayer with teammates prior to a soccer game against Rock Hill, Jan. 30, 2026, in Murphy, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Cameras analyze Plano East High School soccer player Sofia Tepichian, right, as she walks at the Movement Science Laboratory at Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco, Texas, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Plano East High School soccer player Sofia Tepichian works to strengthen her knees at the Movement Science Laboratory at Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco, Texas, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
A skeletal representation of high school soccer player Sofia Tepichian is seen at the Movement Science Laboratory at Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco, Texas, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Plano East varsity soccer head coach Cristy Cooley reacts during a soccer game against Rock Hill, Jan. 30, 2026, in Murphy, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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Plano East High School soccer player Sofia Tepichian, right, has her movement analyzed with help from sports biomechanics researcher Sophia Ulman at the Movement Science Laboratory at Scottish Rite for Children in Frisco, Texas, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
When they get injured, high school athletes and their parents often find themselves on their own to deal with it. ACL injuries can require surgery and a year of rehab, physical therapy and strength training, which insurance may not fully cover.
Recovery changes their routine and identity: They miss out on the camaraderie of the team and stand on the sidelines, which can be as hard as the physical trauma, parents say.
Many high school athletes who tear their ACL never perform again at the same level, if they even return to the sport, the National ACL Injury Coalition says. And once injured, they carry a heightened risk of another ACL injury and long-term complications like degenerative joint disease, researchers say.
The coalition has urged the sports world to treat ACL injuries like brain injuries, now that professional and youth sports have tried to improve training, rules and equipment standards to prevent and detect concussions.
Sophia Gerardi, a sophomore at Pennsylvania’s Apollo Ridge High School who tore her ACL during a basketball game in December, was told by her doctors that she’ll forever have to wear a knee brace to play sports. She had surgery in January, will miss volleyball season and hopes to be back for next winter’s basketball season.
Like many girls who tore their ACL, she didn’t recall getting any ACL injury-prevention training.
Surveys of coaches show that many don’t know about risk-reduction programs, aren’t trained to do them or aren’t encouraged to learn about them, said Vince Minjares, who leads the Aspen Institute’s ACL injury prevention project. Some coaches tell Minjares that it takes too much time.
He hopes that’s changing.
‘What is the solution’
This spring, the American Youth Soccer Organization — one of major national organizations in U.S. youth soccer — will roll out new age- and stage-based neuromuscular training programs aimed at preventing ACL injuries through warm-ups.
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Coaches will get a regimen of exercises in bite-sized chunks, with video instructions. The goal is to build good habits before preteens age into more physical and demanding competition.
“My biggest shock was that this didn’t already exist,” said Scott Snyder, AYSO’s senior director of programs and education. “Everyone I talk to says, ‘Yeah, that makes perfect sense,’ but nobody’s done it yet.”
Last year, biomechanical researchers at the Scottish Rite for Children hospital in metropolitan Dallas began providing high school teams with resources typically only available or affordable at the professional and collegiate levels.
They created pre-season injury-prevention trainings, tailored for female athletes, to improve strength and movement quality. At the start of the eight-week program, each athlete gets a free motion-capture 3D-level assessment to identify weaknesses in strength, movement or balance. Another assessment at the end determines if the program reduced risk.
Future trainings could include nutrition and sleep, said Sophia Ulman, who directs the hospital’s Movement Science Laboratory.
“My team and I got tired of studying ‘why, why, why’ when there’s so many different possibilities to answer that question. And we wanted to move into the ‘what is the solution,’” said Ulman. Other biomechanics labs in the U.S. are trying similar outreach, she said.
One of the teams that participated was Plano East High School in Texas, where players — including Tepichin — had suffered a rash of ACL tears the past couple years.
Cristy Cooley, Plano East’s coach, said that getting a hands-on demonstration from trained professionals in proper exercises and movement patterns makes a big difference.
“It’s one thing talking about it,” Cooley said. “But it’s a totally different thing to show us.”
‘Something’s got to change’
Like other parents, Tiffany Jacob said she learned a lot about preventing ACL injuries that she wished she had known before her daughter — East Plano sophomore Aliya Jacob — tore her ACL last February. For instance, the surgeon told them three days a week of strength training is an absolute must for soccer players.
“Something’s got to change,” Tiffany Jacob said. “Coaches, clubs, something. They have to do something to prevent this because it’s just such a horrible injury.”
Aliya — who knows at least seven other female soccer players who tore an ACL, her mother said — is back playing for East Plano now. She endured twice-a-week physical therapy, the isolation of rehabilitation and, her mother said, “figuring out who you are when you’re not playing soccer.”
Tepichin, a high school senior, recalls her surgeon telling her to take a couple days to get all her sadness and anger out — and then devote herself to her recovery.
She’ll miss her last year of playing high school and club team soccer. Her next time on a field could be for Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania, where she committed to the NCAA Division III team.
Tepichin has seen a sports psychologist, gotten comfort from others who underwent the surgery — her sister, her father and her friend — and found a new routine after having been constantly busy with two soccer teams and a job.
“There’s not a day that I go that I’m not working out or doing something,” she said, “or getting better for my health and my recovery.”
