University of Texas at Dallas senior Blythe Williams has an enviable collegiate highlight reel, including winning the American Southwest Conference (ASC) women’s basketball championship last season. This year, the software engineering major is elevating her leadership role as a team captain while managing expectations for herself and her teammates. “We’re trying to see if we can do what we did last season by taking it one game at a time,” she said.
Echoing that sentiment, the Comets head coach, now in his second season, confirms that hard work allows results to take care of themselves. Coach Joseph “Joe” Shotland describes Williams as a Swiss Army knife who can play guard or power forward. A good rebounder and defender, he likens her ability to that of a well-known player on the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team.
“Blythe exemplifies that you can be wildly effective when you’re authentic to who you are,” Shotland said. “Allowing her to be good at the things she’s good at has been hugely helpful to our organization.
“Like the NBA’s Luka (Dončić), she dictates the pace of play in a controlled way that’s unique to Blythe. She leads by example and is very thorough in her approach on the court and in the classroom.”
For one who often lets her performance do the talking, the soft-spoken Williams is working to become a more vocal leader on the court and with her software project teams in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. She credits her diligence and determination to military parents who set a high bar.
Blythe Williams takes a shot at game against Concordia University Texas.
“My dad always says, ‘If you don’t want to be satisfied with just OK, you’ve got to put in the work,’” she said. “After telling me that for so long, it’s become something I do subconsciously.”
A place where she does flex her voice is on social media — which includes her own “Blythe Williams” YouTube channel and “Real Talk” podcast. On YouTube, she shares everything from basketball-handling drills to recipes. On her podcast, she talks about everything from recent books she’s read, to artificial intelligence to interviewing Shotland and sharing life advice on the transition from high school to college.
The University of Texas at Dallas women’s basketball team celebrated its American Southwest Conference championship in February 2023 at the Mabee Athletic Complex in Abilene. Members of the team include (front row, left) Blythe Williams;(second row, from left) Lucy Rogers, Raylee Cave, Maggie Delascurain, Jordan Maxwell, Diane Hurst, Amanda Crowninshield, Maddie Edler, and Kaylee Boykin; (third row) Kyra Samuels, Raven Busby, Trystan Clark, Lauren Fulenwider, Anna Yellen, Cierra Trigg and Jackie Layng; and (back row) Kyung Suk Oh, Joe Shotland, Mia Rudin and Jordyn Hofmann.
“I use it as a way to share my opinion in the most authentic form possible,” she said. “Sharing what I think is right might help others or give insight.”
On a recent podcast, Williams’ character and genuineness shown through as she expressed gratitude for the education she’s receiving at UT Dallas where she is ASC Academic All-Conference.
“ I’m very thankful for the people I’ve met at UTD and all the relationships.”
— Blythe Williams
“Not everybody has an opportunity like this, and my parents have invested a lot in me,” Williams said. “I’m about to take the next step, and I’m very thankful for the people I’ve met at UTD and all the relationships. You don’t get here by yourself.”
UT Dallas, the largest school in the American Southwest Conference, is moving from Division III to the Lone Star Conference and NCAA Division II after next season. Embracing the change, Coach Shotland reflected on the purity of Division III athletics that balances the competitive pressures of athletics with the demands of rigorous academics.
“It’s a crazy time in college sports, the landscape is changing rapidly, and I feel blessed to be at UTD and to work with such high-level kids,” Shotland said. “You know that you can count on them to be engaged and work hard while at the same time take their education seriously.”
With an extra year of eligibility, Williams is weighing her options. After her expected graduation in December 2024, she says she’ll consider entering the job market or perhaps pursue an advanced degree in computer science and play for the Comets.
In the News
ASC Sports
Comets Capture Fifth Women’s Basketball Title
BVM Sports
UT Dallas Women’s Basketball Dominates Linfield 77-59 in NCAA Division III Regional Game
Discover More
SERVICE AT SCALE
SERVICE AT SCALE
THE POLYKARP KUSCH LECTURE SERIES
ROBOTICS PAST | present | futureRobots are becoming ubiquitous. Food delivery robots roll casually throughout The University of Texas at Dallas campus. Lawn-mowing robots crisscross the field outside the Administration Building. Drone racing is now a team sport with...
Collective Data, Individual Health
Distinguished Lecturer Discusses Expanding Genomics to PhenomicsFragments of data about our health are collected continuously by our watches and smartphones and then transmitted to our electronic health records. How can these loose data points...
Empowered Learner
Q&A with Mercy Chelangat Koech Mercy Chelangat Koech, an electrical engineer from Kenya, has relocated to The University of Texas at Dallas to pursue a PhD in electrical engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer...
RACING TO THE TOP
In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, The University of Texas at Dallas added track and field to the existing cross country team, firing the starter’s gun on a program racing to the top of the American Southwest Conference (ASC). Two of the most decorated members of...
BUILDING A BETTER DESIGN COURSE
BUILDING A BETTER BIOENGINEERING DESIGN COURSE: PREPARES STUDENTS FOR CAPSTONE