WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) gave the following tribute in recognition of Baylor University women’s basketball forward and Benton Harbor native Destiny Williams. The Baylor Lady Bears are the recent champions of the 2012 NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament. A graduate of Benton Harbor High School, Williams helped lead the Lady Tigers to their first ever state basketball championship in 2009.
Upton made his tribute in the Congressional Record on April 16, 2012. The full text of Upton’s remarks follows below.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Benton Harbor’s Destiny Williams of the Lady Bears of Baylor University on her team’s victory in the NCAA women’s basketball championship. She is an outstanding young woman who helped lead her team to a perfect season, a rare and timeless accomplishment. Our entire community could not be more proud of Destiny and the remarkable basketball career she has made for herself. This is only the second time her team has won the championship and is a testament to her great success.
Winning a national championship is something that will last a lifetime. It is a remarkable achievement that few athletes ever experience, and is a legacy that will live with Destiny and the Lady Bears forever. Destiny knows that hard work, discipline, and teamwork helped her team win this championship. These same qualities brought a big 2009 victory to the Benton Harbor Lady Tigers in the state championship game. Nobody outworked the Lady Bears and nobody could beat them in the tournament or the regular season. Ending their perfect season with an NCAA championship speaks to Destiny’s abilities as a leader and team player.
Destiny’s 12 points and 6 rebounds in the championship game helped her team to victory. She is such an inspiration for young women back home and we are all so eager to see what the future holds in store for our Lady Tiger, now Lady Bear.
On behalf of all the residents of southwest Michigan, congratulations again to Destiny Williams. You make all of us here in Michigan very proud.
