For some high school students, their athletic careers and dreams don’t end at graduation. Several of Benilde-St. Margaret’s alumni from a wide range of sports have taken their passion and talents to the next level and are now competing at colleges across the country.
Zahara Bishop was an influential part of the 2025 BSM girls basketball team and is now playing at Seton Hall University, which is a Division I university. Averaging 8.4 points per game as a freshman, she is making an immediate impact. Bishop played 4 years with the BSM girls basketball team. In an email, Zahara describes how her experience at BSM prepared her for the next level. “Being part of a team like BSM that worked together as one showed me that success is about holding each other accountable and supporting one another. Having unity taught me how to communicate and lead which help me not only on the court, but also for the responsibilities and expectations I would have off the court as a student,” Bishop said.
Along with Bishop, Kendall McGee was another key player on the 2025 BSM girls basketball team. McGee is playing at Creighton University, another Division I school, and is averaging 5.3 points per game as a freshman. McGee had three full seasons here at BSM due to a knee injury her junior season, tearing her ACL, LCL, MCL, MPFL and both meniscuses. After overcoming this injury, McGee returned her senior year and won a state championship. She is now playing as point guard for Creighton. In an email interview, McGee explains how she has preserved through her injury to find success at the collegiate level. “As I’ve been in college, it’s still been a work in progress even though I’ve been playing basketball for a year now. It’s a bigger stage, and I need more confidence than I did before. Luckily, I have a great group of teammates and coaches who believe in me and help build me up,” McGee said.
Head Coach of BSM girls basketball, Tim Ellefson, coached Bishop and McGee together for three seasons. The relationship between Coach Ellefson and his players is truly remarkable, and he still keeps in touch with his players beyond their years at BSM. In an email interview, Ellefson expresses what he enjoys about watching Bishop and McGee at the college level. “It is so fun to watch Kendall and Zahara excel at the next level. I often find their games on television and watch them enjoy playing the game we love. It is truly rewarding to see them having success,” Ellefson said.