Jessica Trautwein is an accomplished oboe player and a 4.0 GPA student. She has won state track titles.
The Fargo South senior has scored 1,000 points in her girls basketball career and holds the school record for career rebounds with 611.
But maybe more importantly, the Fargo South senior has the respect of her teammates.
"She just wants to succeed in everything she does," South junior forward Melanie Hageman said. "She makes me want to be a better person. She makes me want to be like that."
A three-year starter, Trautwein hopes to end her basketball career in style at the North Dakota Class A tournament, which runs today through Saturday at the Fargodome.
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South (16-6) is scheduled to play Dickinson (15-7) at 1:45 p.m. today on the North floor of the Fargodome in the state quarterfinals.
Trautwein is ready for the big stage.
"The more people there to watch, the better I do," Trautwein said. "It just pumps me up more. It seems like there is more pressure."
Trautwein has thrived in pressure situations. She won Class A state long jump titles as an eighth-grader and freshman. She was a key member on the South 2001 state champion girls track team.
"She's a very talented athlete," South coach Craig Flaagan said. "She would be a great volleyball player if she wanted to play volleyball. She would be a great softball player if she wanted to play softball. Obviously she excels in basketball and track."
She has also earned all-state honors in band to go along with her stellar grades in the classroom.
The Class A girls basketball state tournament, however, is one arena that Trautwein hasn't mastered.
The Bruins failed to make state her sophomore year when the tournament was held at the Fargo Civic Center. South went 0-3 at last season's state tournament, held at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.
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"I know what it's like to have state in Fargo and not be playing," Trautwein said. "It's not fun to lose three games either. We have a more experienced team this year. We definitely want to have a better showing."
If South is to have a strong showing at state, Trautwein and Hageman are expected to play key roles. The 5-foot-11 posts have led the Bruins all season in scoring and rebounding.
"I think we feed off each other," Hageman said.
Trautwein is averaging 16.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Hageman is right behind with 15.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest.
Trautwein has reached double figures in scoring 18 times this season.
"She is just so consistent," Flaagan said. "She isn't a 'Rah, Rah' type of player. It's just get out there and get the job done."
That's what Trautwein, the second-leading scorer in South history, intends to do in her last state tournament.
"It's just like we've been climbing higher every year," said Trautwein, who likes the sounds of the band Incubus. "I'm happy with how we've progressed. But it's not done yet."
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Readers can reach Forum reporter Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513
