Before Don Mulhern became the head women's basketball coach for UW-Superior in 2006, the Yellowjackets won nine games in the previous two seasons combined and averaged five wins per season in the past decade. Mulhern was devoted to turning the program around, and despite the tall task, he set himself as the all-time wins leader with an overall record of 149-142 while shattering a slew of program records.
 
Mulhern worked tirelessly to recruit the next generation of Yellowjackets. One of those players, whom he describes as a trailblazer for the transformation of the program, was Connie Sinz (Urmanski).
 
A native of Edgar, Wis., Sinz was a guard recruited ahead of the 2009-10 season. While in the recruiting process, she learned that just like herself, Coach Mulhern grew up on a dairy farm. The lessons she learned on the farm would help her transition seamlessly to the Twin Ports.
 
"That is still one of those random facts that I'm always proud to share," Sinz said. "There are countless lessons I've learned over the years. While my brother will always tease me that my sisters and I got off easy compared to him, pitching in as a family was the expectation. We didn't know any different. It taught us how to balance a full schedule, which made the transition to college smoother than originally expected."
 
"On a busy summer day of baling hay, everyone pitched in wherever it was needed. It didn't matter what job you were given, you just did it to help make sure everything got done. All of this translates easily into being a team player – you didn't care who got the recognition, but you simply 'got the job done' for the good of the team."
 
Once she got to campus, Sinz immediately contributed to the team, starting every game during her freshman season. She led the Yellowjackets in various statistical categories, including minutes played, three-pointers made and points per-game, leading to her first honorable mention nod from the WIAC.
 
"I think that year was a big learning opportunity for us – it opened my eyes to a different level of competition," Sinz said. "It was fun to be surrounded by a group of other guards that were constantly competing against each other in a positive way."
 
During her sophomore season she'd once again lead the team in major offensive categories. In 2010-11 she'd log more minutes than anybody in the conference, on her way to being named the team's defensive player of the year while picking up her second honorable mention citation from the WIAC. Despite the individual success, the Yellowjackets finished 8-17 in Sinz's first two seasons.
 
"Our record that year doesn't reflect the slow transformation happening, but we were guided by some great upperclassmen that really set the tone of what we would eventually build upon."
 
And of course, bringing the aforementioned players together in the same program was Mulhern.
 
"Coach recruited good people. He truly cared about you as a person. He wanted his program to reflect high integrity and high values – and that flowed over into production on the basketball court."
 
Speaking of production, enter the 2011-12 season.
 
The Yellowjackets finished with an overall record of 12-14, the first double-digit win mark since the 1983-84 campaign. Superior would finish sixth in WIAC standings and earn a spot in postseason play for the first time in nearly 10 years. Sinz, who earned the distinction of team captain, would once again play in every game and log the most minutes of any player in the circuit.
 
Not only was her performance on the hardwood exceptional, but Sinz showcased a strong academic career, as well. She earned spots on the Dean's List and picked up four WIAC Scholar Athlete nods. Additionally, she received a pair of academic scholarships while studying at UWS.
 
On top of leaving her mark on the team's record book, she successfully completed her student teaching requirement with an internship position during her athletic season.
 
"I was used to balancing a full schedule, but even I will humbly admit that those 2 months balancing basketball with student teaching was not easy," Sinz said. "I remember we had a game on a Wednesday evening. I was so exhausted that I asked Coach if I could go home to take a nap instead of making shoot-around. His response was, 'What will make you play better tonight?' Needless to say I wasn't at shoot-around – hopefully I played well that night!"
 
Her senior year Sinz put forth her best season yet, setting new career-highs in several offensive categories and joining the 1,000-point club. She etched her name into the Yellowjacket record book in several categories, and to this day, she ranks first in career three-pointers made with 197 while still ranking inside the top 10 in others.
 
As for the team, the Yellowjackets finished the year 19-8 overall, setting a new program record for wins in a single season and advancing to the WIAC Championship game for the first time in program history.
 
Sinz had various postseason awards come in during her banner year. She was named to the All-WIAC First Team alongside teammate and fellow Hall of Fame honoree Sally Linzmeier, CoSIDA (currently College Sports Communicators) Capitol One Academic All-District First Team, the D3Hoops.com All-Central Region Second Team, and was named a finalist for the Jostens Trophy Award, which honors the most outstanding men's and women's Division III basketball players of the year.
 
"I'm really grateful that I had the opportunity to be surrounded by the teammates I was blessed to have," Sinz said. "My own graduating class is full of some of my best friends to this day and we were lucky to have classes above and below us that brought talent to the basketball court, but more importantly, we had an unselfish team that was fun to be around and worked tirelessly for each other. I know this sounds cliché, but what our team accomplished in my junior and senior years is what really matters. We accomplished things that this team had never been able to do, and it speaks to a group of young ladies who pushed each other, worked for the good of each other, and now have endless positive memories to look back on."
 
The 2026 UW-Superior Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, July 18 in the Great Room of the Yellowjacket Union. For more information on the ceremony, including purchasing tickets, visit our Hall of Fame page.