Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Dru Gylten: Finding Her Tools To Success
6/29/2019 1:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Utah women's basketball fans know Dru Gylten as an athletic point guard with a knack for dishing out assists from baseline to baseline – and if they follow the Utes on social media, they know she enjoys riding her horses back in South Dakota.
While Gylten plans to have a long career in basketball, there will come a day when fans of Gylten's will be calling her by a different name though – Dr. Gylten.
"Playing basketball is such a unique opportunity, especially for women since the WNBA is growing and you can have the chance to travel and play overseas," Gylten said. "But with that being said, basketball will not last forever and it is important to have a strong academic base for when that time comes."
Gylten, who will be a sophomore on the team this fall, has already planted that strong academic foundation through just two years at Utah. After redshirting in 2017-18, Gylten sprung on the scene on and off the court last year, earning Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and Pac-12 All-Academic second-team after holding a 3.93 GPA.
Although her major is currently undeclared, there is one field of study that has peaked her interest for as long as she can remember – medicine.
"I've always been interested in medicine and learning different things about the human body, so I am just trying to figure out what field I want to go into now," Gylten said. "I want to learn about the different jobs within the health care system and how I might be interested in them."
Getting to learn about different fields of study within medicine could be a difficult journey to manage, but Gylten credits the support of the Utah women's basketball coaching staff for helping her navigate through it.
"Our coaches are so understanding that you are here for four years and are here as student-athletes, but that you will have a life outside of basketball," she said. "When I told them that I am interested in medicine, they immediately started asking me what I wanted to do and how they could help."
It was those kinds of conversations that led to Gylten getting her first experience in the world of medicine. Recently, the women's basketball staff linked up Gylten with long-time women's basketball supporter and professor in the anesthesiology department Dr. Harriet Hopf for a job shadow.
For Gylten, experiences like her first job shadow in the medicine field will go a long way, and is something she hopes to continue to do during her time here at Utah. Along with the coaching staff, Gylten attributes her early academic success to the resources she has here at Utah, like the women's basketball academic advisor and former Ute gymnast, Kyndal Pond.
Whether it is helping student-athletes explore career fields, setting them up with learning specialists for their courses, expanding their personal development through workshops, or helping them get involved in student groups on campus, Pond and the other academic advisors are with the athletes every step of the way to ensure the best student-athlete experience in the country.
"As a former gymnast here at the U, I like to think that I have a unique perspective when working with the current student-athletes," Pond said. "My best advice to students is to take advantage of all the resources we offer. At the U, we really strive to develop the whole student-athlete and ensure they are well-rounded humans when they graduate. We provide an abundance of resources and I really encourage our students to take full advantage of all Utah Athletics has to offer."
Gylten is a prime example of what Pond tries to embed into her student-athletes, especially since Gylten's first year in college athletics didn't go as planned. Gylten tore her ACL in her final game of her high school career, forcing her to sit out the 2017-18 season at Utah, and take a different approach into her first season as a collegiate student-athlete.
"It is one of the reasons why I take academics seriously, especially going through an injury and having basketball taken away from you for a year," Gylten said. "It kind of opens your eyes. You don't know what life is going to throw at you in the future, so I feel like having a good background in academics is important because that is what you are going to have to fall back on when basketball is over."
It didn't take long for Gylten to bounce back from her injury on the court, starting all 30 games in 2018-19 as a redshirt freshman. She ranked in the top-30 nationally (first among freshmen) and fourth in the Pac-12 in assists per game (5.7) while also averaging 8.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
With basketball being back in her life, Gylten made it a point of pride to make sure she stayed on top of her academics, something her parents instilled in her at a young age.
"The way my parents brought me up, they wanted me to focus on being organized and knowing what I am doing – not feeling lost," Gylten said. "If you have those things set, it is easier to be successful and stress free."
While Gylten does try to focus on her career path, she also realizes that she is just a sophomore and time is on her side. Whether it is anesthesiology, or something else in the medical field, Gylten is focused on making sure that the balance between school, competition, and just having fun is pointed in the right direction to make her college memories last forever.
"I think it is hard to find a career that you love and enjoy going to every day and I think finding the balance between school and competition is difficult, but I also think that is what college is for," she said. "Finding those life lessons and experiencing a great four years that you will never forget."
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While Gylten plans to have a long career in basketball, there will come a day when fans of Gylten's will be calling her by a different name though – Dr. Gylten.
"Playing basketball is such a unique opportunity, especially for women since the WNBA is growing and you can have the chance to travel and play overseas," Gylten said. "But with that being said, basketball will not last forever and it is important to have a strong academic base for when that time comes."
Gylten, who will be a sophomore on the team this fall, has already planted that strong academic foundation through just two years at Utah. After redshirting in 2017-18, Gylten sprung on the scene on and off the court last year, earning Pac-12 All-Freshman Team and Pac-12 All-Academic second-team after holding a 3.93 GPA.
Although her major is currently undeclared, there is one field of study that has peaked her interest for as long as she can remember – medicine.
"I've always been interested in medicine and learning different things about the human body, so I am just trying to figure out what field I want to go into now," Gylten said. "I want to learn about the different jobs within the health care system and how I might be interested in them."
Getting to learn about different fields of study within medicine could be a difficult journey to manage, but Gylten credits the support of the Utah women's basketball coaching staff for helping her navigate through it.
"Our coaches are so understanding that you are here for four years and are here as student-athletes, but that you will have a life outside of basketball," she said. "When I told them that I am interested in medicine, they immediately started asking me what I wanted to do and how they could help."
It was those kinds of conversations that led to Gylten getting her first experience in the world of medicine. Recently, the women's basketball staff linked up Gylten with long-time women's basketball supporter and professor in the anesthesiology department Dr. Harriet Hopf for a job shadow.
A BIG shoutout to Dr. @HarrietHopfMD for allowing @druu_marykayy and @CorbinMaurane to job shadow in the anesthesiology department today!!
— Utah Women's Basketball (@UTAHWBB) June 25, 2019
They had so much fun and we are all thankful for you and all you do. ?? #GoUtes #Elevate pic.twitter.com/MY2nLO7TBB
For Gylten, experiences like her first job shadow in the medicine field will go a long way, and is something she hopes to continue to do during her time here at Utah. Along with the coaching staff, Gylten attributes her early academic success to the resources she has here at Utah, like the women's basketball academic advisor and former Ute gymnast, Kyndal Pond.
Whether it is helping student-athletes explore career fields, setting them up with learning specialists for their courses, expanding their personal development through workshops, or helping them get involved in student groups on campus, Pond and the other academic advisors are with the athletes every step of the way to ensure the best student-athlete experience in the country.
"As a former gymnast here at the U, I like to think that I have a unique perspective when working with the current student-athletes," Pond said. "My best advice to students is to take advantage of all the resources we offer. At the U, we really strive to develop the whole student-athlete and ensure they are well-rounded humans when they graduate. We provide an abundance of resources and I really encourage our students to take full advantage of all Utah Athletics has to offer."
Gylten is a prime example of what Pond tries to embed into her student-athletes, especially since Gylten's first year in college athletics didn't go as planned. Gylten tore her ACL in her final game of her high school career, forcing her to sit out the 2017-18 season at Utah, and take a different approach into her first season as a collegiate student-athlete.
"It is one of the reasons why I take academics seriously, especially going through an injury and having basketball taken away from you for a year," Gylten said. "It kind of opens your eyes. You don't know what life is going to throw at you in the future, so I feel like having a good background in academics is important because that is what you are going to have to fall back on when basketball is over."
It didn't take long for Gylten to bounce back from her injury on the court, starting all 30 games in 2018-19 as a redshirt freshman. She ranked in the top-30 nationally (first among freshmen) and fourth in the Pac-12 in assists per game (5.7) while also averaging 8.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
With basketball being back in her life, Gylten made it a point of pride to make sure she stayed on top of her academics, something her parents instilled in her at a young age.
"The way my parents brought me up, they wanted me to focus on being organized and knowing what I am doing – not feeling lost," Gylten said. "If you have those things set, it is easier to be successful and stress free."
While Gylten does try to focus on her career path, she also realizes that she is just a sophomore and time is on her side. Whether it is anesthesiology, or something else in the medical field, Gylten is focused on making sure that the balance between school, competition, and just having fun is pointed in the right direction to make her college memories last forever.
"I think it is hard to find a career that you love and enjoy going to every day and I think finding the balance between school and competition is difficult, but I also think that is what college is for," she said. "Finding those life lessons and experiencing a great four years that you will never forget."
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Players Mentioned
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