A student of exercise science, UMN Duluth honors sophomore Maizie Deihl has had an enviable lab: the basketball court, where she shines as a guard for the Bulldogs. This spring, she also performed in a different arena, playing and singing Sister Mary Lucy in a UMD Theatre musical production of “Sister Act.” She was one of only four cast members who weren’t theatre majors, and probably the only one to slip up and refer to the show’s intermission as “halftime.”
When this New Prague, Minnesota native was growing up, basketball, a sport she’d played since first grade, temporarily crowded out performing. But Deihl found time for both in high school.
“I love basketball because it’s a team sport, and it’s so competitive,” she explains. She came to UMN Duluth for the basketball, but the chance to excel in athletics, academics, and the arts was an unexpected bonus. “I didn’t think it would be an option to be in plays and play basketball,” she says. “I wouldn’t be able to do this at a huge school.”
“Sister Act” director Bill Payne says her participation highlights the extraordinary opportunities at UMN Duluth. “She’s a perfect example of what makes UMD the right fit for so many students,” he says. “She is pursuing her education and staying engaged with some of her extracurricular passions.”
Noting her stamina, Women’s Basketball Coach Mandy Pearson calls Deihl “a phenomenal ‘team first’ player who brings a ton of positive energy every day to our team during practices and in games.” Also, “She’s fun to be around because she has such a positive and creative spirit; she just brings everyone around her up.”
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