As a midfielder for the Lipscomb Lady Bisons soccer team Danielle Bethke knows how to weave her way around the opposition. And she has proven she knows her way around a balance sheet as well.

Bethke, from Inver Grove Heights, Minn., spent this past summer working as an intern for Deloitte, one of the “big four” accounting firms. They were so impressed with her work that she has a job waiting for her there as soon as she finishes her requirements for a Masters of Accountancy (MAcc) degree from Lipscomb.

On Oct. 7 Bethke assisted on a goal by Katie Wood that gave the Lady Bisons a 2-1 win over Belmont, the first ever in the history of the program. In the classroom Bethke has a 4.0 grade point average.

Lady Bisons’ coach Jon Ireland has been impressed with Bethke as a true student-athlete.

“Our players have to have a lot of discipline to maintain their grades, especially during our playing season,” Ireland said. “To have a good GPA during the fall season is very difficult because there is so much that is demanded with all of the practices, games and travel.”

Ireland spends a great deal of time talking to his players about the importance of academics. Those talks begin when players are recruited.

“We don’t want kids in our program who are not going to give everything they can,” Ireland said. “We want them to give their best in everything they do in life. If they are doing well in the classroom it is going to carry over to the field.

“In our preseason meetings we talk about academics. We are always staying on top of them with what they are doing academically.”

Ireland admits that Bethke is a special person to be able to have the success she has enjoyed in soccer and her abilities in the classroom.

“The thing that makes Danielle special is that she never complains,” Ireland said. “She always has a positive attitude. And she will always work hard.

“You can count on Danielle every day. She is going to be the same person day in and day out. She has been a great asset, not only to our program, but to the school.”

Bethke has been starting since her freshman season. She has shown versatility on the field lining up at forward and an outside position at midfield.

“The thing I love about her is that she will play anywhere on the field,” Ireland said. “She goes all out from the weight room to the field.”

Bethke credits time management for her success.

“You don’t slack up on anything ever because you will get behind,” Bethke said. “There are some days that are so tight. There are weeks that you just have to get through and you do.”

Accounting is one of the more challenging majors at Lipscomb. Bethke credits her professors in the department for helping her stay on top of her class work.

“The professors are really great,” Bethke said. “They are easy to work with and they understand our schedule.

“I took an accounting class my senior year in high school and I liked it. I knew I wanted to do something in business. That accounting class made me think that was the direction I wanted to pursue.”

Charles Frasier, chairman of the Lipscomb accounting department, has been impressed by Bethke’s academic ability and her commitment to hard work.

“Accounting is a challenging discipline,” Frasier said. “It is important to be in class to get as much as you can from the way the teacher presents it. She is a very good listener and a great note taker.

“Danielle makes every effort to be in class. And when she isn’t she is really good about contacting her teachers. Her analytical skills, her drive and her initiative allows her to budget her time well. She has a good mind for business and accounting. She is an outstanding student.”

Written by Mark McGee, Senior Publisher/Director of Media Relations.