Leadership, service, and commitment are three words that epitomize Beth Vacek both on and off the basketball floor.

"I recruited Beth to Viterbo specifically because of her leadership and hustle," commented head coach Bobbi Vandenberg.  "As a player, Beth's trademark was leading the fast break and making the perfect pass to an open teammate.  When asked to score, her jump-shot was deadly.  Defensively, she was aggressive, hard-nosed and proud to guard the opponents' top scorers."

Vacek was named Second Team All-Conference twice and Academic All-Conference once.  Her senior year, she was named Conference Player of the Year, and NAIA II All-American Honorable Mention.  She also earned the prestigious campus wide Viterbo College Leadership Award.

Vacek holds the school's all-time record for assists (743) and single season assists (216). She is also ranked 13th in career scoring with 1,090 points. She was the "quarterback" of the 1997-98 team that finished 25-5, second place in the MCC, and earned the program's first ever top 25 ranking at #23 in the final NAIA II national poll.

Since graduation, Beth has been teaching and coaching in inner-city Milwaukee.  Soon after September 11, 2001 she felt the need to help in our country's time of crisis.  She joined the Army National Guard and was called to serve in Iraq for fifteen months.

A picture of courage, Beth Vacek has continued to demonstrate the same leadership, service and commitment in life that fans observed on the basketball floor at Viterbo.