Viki Muench | Staff Reporter
Published April 7, 2015, 2:15 p.m.

A lot of girls dream about being a model some day, but only few think that they actually have what it takes. The women of LU’s women’s basketball team proved that mindset wrong when they bravely took the stage at the Lindenwood University Cultural Center Auditorium on March 26 to model for the Hoops ‘n’ Heels Fashion Show.

The women’s basketball program collaborated with LU’s fashion department and organized a fundraiser event that featured the designs of local boutiques and designers, all presented and modeled by the girls of Lindenwood’s basketball team. The proceeds went entirely to supplement funds of the basketball program.

The event showcased five rounds of fashion for different occasions like athletic wear, business professional, evening gowns and designer exclusives, which were created by LU’s fashion design students and alumni. Lastly, the girls came out in their Lady Lions official uniforms of the 2015 season.

Sherry Farmer, a St. Louis radio personality and Lindenwood alumna emceed the event and gave detailed descriptions of all outfits as the girls walked the runway.

In between rounds, basketball coach Tony Francis spoke to the audience. “As a coach it is always about winning, but to me a well rounded education has always been important. So we were very grateful when we got the opportunity to experience something that would help promote education and support our program and the girls,” said Francis. “This is a big endeavor to me and I appreciate everyone’s support.”

Dr. Chajuana Trawick, assistant professor of the LU fashion program, helped put the show together. “This is something we’ve never done before and it was great to see the excitement on our models’ faces. Usually we work with professional models and that can be difficult sometimes but the girls were so great. It was great a learning experience for all of us.”

Some outfits were also sponsored by local clothing stores and were available for purchase after the show. The stores that participated were Oh La La, Jake’s on Main, Moss, Joys by Austin Warren Design and Brown Shoe Co. Jewelry and Styling were provided by Yolanda Newson.

Sophomore and basketball player Kassidy Gengenbacher was proud of her team.

“We were all pretty nervous because we have never done anything like this before, but it was a great experience. We usually wear sweatshirts and comfortable clothes so we were kind of out of our element, but it was great to see the girls excel in this.”

“I hope we can continue this and can grow even more. It was so much fun to do,” said Gengenbacher.