JACKSON, Tenn. — Joy Wynn may have never taken a shot for the Union University women’s basketball team, but she was still an integral part in the Lady Bulldogs’ NAIA championship title Tuesday.

Wynn, a graduate of Adams County Christian School and the daughter of Dan and Bobbye Wynn, is a senior student assistant for the Lady Bulldogs, which meant whatever the team needed all year, it was her job to get.

This season, her job has included laundry duty, practice set ups, water, statistics and various other duties.

But all the sweat and long hours were worth it when Union defeated Lambuth University 73-63 in the NAIA title game at Oman Arena in Jackson.

While this is not the first Union championship team Wynn has been a part of, she said this one was more personal.

“I felt more a part of the team,” she said. “It was kind of bittersweet to go out a champion, knowing that it was my last game. This is my last time to officially be with them as a family.”

And Wynn does consider the team family. She lived with coach Mark Campbell and five international players after a Feb. 2008 tornado tore through the Union University campus and damaged residence halls.

“I was transporting them everywhere and doing a lot of laundry,” she said. “We couldn’t practice at our school, so we had to practice at a local high school. When we came back together as a team for the first time, there was a sense of relief to know we were all OK, and it was the first time we said how much we loved each other.”

And she’s woken up with the team and set up for their early morning practices for the past four years. When the team had to be at the gym at 5:30 a.m., Wynn had to be there 15 minutes ahead of them.

But it’s all been worth it, she said.

“I just think of how much work we’ve put into the season, starting back in September when they were waking up at 5 a.m. to go run and do conditioning” Wynn said. “ All year we prepare to play our best in March, and now here it is and we reached our goal. We realized we’ve got a platform here to be able to glorify God.”

Wynn said she was actually calmer before last night’s game than she was the previous time the Lady Bulldogs were in the title game.

But there was a different air to the matchup. The game was between cross-town rivals.

“It was a near-sell out,” she said “It’s the most packed I’ve seen it since my sophomore year when we lost to the same team in the (Fab Four). The crowd was amazing; there were ‘LU’ and ‘UU’ cheers going on all night. I think the town was really excited because it was really a Jackson versus Jackson championship.”

Wynn said she grew up wanting to play college basketball, and even told friends she would get a scholarship to play at Union, but she said being the student assistant to the team turned out to be the best job.

She said a hug and a thank you from one of the players on the team after the game reminded her of everything she will miss.

“I think more than anything I’m going to miss the people, and I’m going to miss serving them,” Wynn said. “I’ve been able to go to Salt Lake City and Chicago and Los Angeles and Oklahoma City with this team. It’s places I probably would never have gone. But I will miss being able to be with them, and I’m going to miss being challenged by my coach to grow deeper in my faith.”