Market Data 
The scene – colorful leis, a Tiki Bar, Polynesian dancers, tropical-decorated deserts, personalized surfboards and a cheery marimba band. No, it was not a Trader Vic’s flashback, but a unique adult party for Xavier College Preparatory’s unique leader, Sister Lynn Winsor, BVM. It was a festive Golden Jubilee celebration on the occasion of her 50th anniversary at XCP as a renowned athletics coach, vice principal for activities, athletic director, and legendary influence on women in sports.
A standing-room-only crowd of colleagues, family, friends, admirers and alumni gathered in Founder’s Hall to honor her remarkable career at Xavier, a private, Catholic all-girls school in central Phoenix. Rather than the traditional 50th anniversary gift of gold, Sister Lynn received accolades and honors befitting her accomplishments creating and overseeing an exceptional athletics program that has produced 162 state championships in 11 different sports. That includes a record 39 Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) 6A Division I girls state golf titles since 1980, with Sister Lynn as head golf coach for 37 of those XCP Gator titles.
She never met a sport she didn’t like and, even today, looks for new sanctioned and club activities to offer students. She was instrumental, for example, in developing programs in lacrosse, soccer, flag football and beach volleyball, as well as robotics, eSports, (clay target) shooting, archery, mountain biking and pickleball. Over half the 1,200 Xavier student body participates in at least one sport or activity.
It is no wonder that Xavier renamed their activity center after her. Now forever known as the Winsor Activity Center, it came as a complete surprise to Sister Lynn when it was unveiled during the student-led daytime events in her honor.
She is also now a pop culture icon with her own bobblehead, created especially to commemorate her anniversary. It is more than fitting for the Hall of Famer who has been inducted into the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Hall of Fame and the National High School (NHS) Hall of Fame. She was also the inaugural recipient of the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Lifetime Achievement Award.
Like the 81-year old nun, humor and good-natured ribbing characterized the evening festivities. Above all, keynote speakers offered heartfelt tributes that expressed their love and admiration for the dynamic woman whose impact on high school athletes and athletics is unmatched.
The Thrill of Victory
It’s no secret that Sister Lynn loves competition.
Said former LPGA player Cheyenne Woods-Hicks (XCP ’08), who played on winning Xavier golf teams, “She is one of the most competitive people that I know and during my time there, all we knew was winning.”
Woods-Hicks, a two-time All-American at Wake Forest University and inductee into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame, recalled her initial surprise upon meeting her high school golf coach.
“I expected a very mild-mannered, soft-spoken golf coach and, as we all know, that is not necessarily how we would describe Sister Lynn,” she joked. “I would best describe her as enthusiastic, energetic, passionate, filled with fire and filled with faith.”
Added the current Golf Channel and GolfPass media personality, “Although she never played golf, she somehow had all the qualities we needed as a coach. Her enthusiasm and energy taught us what it meant to be a team and have fun doing what we love. Her passion and fire taught us what it took to be dedicated to something we believe in and always bring our best selves to compete. Her faith taught us what it meant to play for something that was much more than just ourselves.”
A self-described non-athlete, Sister Lynn nevertheless has demonstrated not just exceptional coaching expertise, but also an impressive ability to hire and keep the best staff of coaches who fit seamlessly into the Xavier culture.
Varsity basketball coach Jennifer Gillom, an original member of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury (1997), exemplifies the XCP winning spirit. After playing professionally for 17 years and coaching in the WNBA for seven years, the Olympic Gold Medalist (Team USA, 1988) originally joined Xavier in 2004, departing after four years to pursue other opportunities.
Her current tenure began in 2016, and in 2024, she led the Gators to their first-ever state basketball championship, finally adding the previously-elusive basketball trophy to the massive collection of Xavier titles.
A 2009 inductee into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Gillom credits Sister Lynn for establishing a “winning is contagious” environment that supports student-athletes and their coaches.
“Her continuous passion rubs off on you, and you have that passion to win, to do your best, to just build and build,” she explained. “She’s literally taught me to believe in myself and to just be the best.”
Head golf coach Tui Selvaratnam was also hand-picked by Sister Lynn, originally for a “temporary” three-month assignment as assistant golf coach. That was 19 years and many victories ago.
“I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be working with her, working beside her,” said the 14-time Arizona Women’s Golf Association “Player of the Year.”
In 2023, Selvaratnam assumed the head coaching position when Sister Lynn stepped down from that role. She has continued the golf team’s successful run, winning state again in 2023 and 2024. Following the 2023 victory, she was named the Arizona Republic’s All-Arizona Girls High School Golf Coach of the Year.
Like Gillom, Selvaratnam is a star athlete with an impressive resume. After graduating from ASU, the Sri Lanka native won 11 national amateur championships in seven months throughout Asia, including the Sri Lanka Amateur, her third victory in that event. She notched her first victory in that event at the age of 12, an achievement that landed her in the Guinness Book of World Records.
She follows the winning formula she learned from Sister Lynn, essentially to be patient and “let the players do what they’re supposed to do.”
The Power of Persuasion
It’s no secret that Sister Lynn is exceptionally persuasive.
Said Gillom about her tenure at Xavier, “Sister Lynn is very convincing, believe me. The enthusiasm this lady has, I’m telling you, it’s contagious. And it’s just her passion for sports in general. It convinced me to stay and I’ve been here ever since because of her tutelage, her mentorship, her enthusiasm, all of that has kept me here this long.”
She added, “I want to retire sometime, but she’s like, ‘no, Jennifer, you’re not done. You got to keep coming. You got to keep winning.’ So that’s just who she is. You know, she keeps convincing you to come back, and you can’t say no.”
Sister Lynn’s power of persuasion extends beyond the playing field.
Xavier President Sister Joan Fitzgerald, BVM, has watched Sister Lynn in action for 50 years and credits her with the expansive build out and upgrade of athletic facilities, having to convince an ocassionally skeptical administration and stakeholders.
“She would say, ‘If I build it, they will pay for it,’ Sr. Joan joked. And build it, they did, resulting in Xavier boasting some of the finest athletic and training facilities in the state.
A lesser-known, hilarious story was shared by Father John P. Dolan, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. He recalled Sister Lynn’s complaints that priests often served adult beverages at their gatherings, but nuns did not. Always an advocate for equity, Sister Lynn questioned the seeming double standard.
That recollection resulted in a tongue-in-cheek proclamation issued by Father Dolan and shared at the 50th Anniversary Celebration. It reads in part:
WHEREAS, Sister Lynn is not only a woman of discipline and achievement, but also with a boundless charm known throughout the diocese and beyond for her legendary gift of gab, extraordinary sense of humor, and indeed her spirited willingness to raise a glass or two in good company and joyful celebration. Therefore, I, Bishop John P. Dolan, Bishop of Phoenix, do hereby recognize April 4th, 2025, as Sister Lynn Windsor Bicker for Liquor Day.”
The ensuing laughter rocked the room.
Care and Compassion
It’s no secret that Sister Lynn is a sincere, caring person.
Her fierce advocacy for Title IX is legendary. She was one of the founders of the Arizona Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (AIAAA), and the executive board Girls Equity and Sports Committee that evaluated schools for parity. She remains passionate about leveling the playing field.
Said Woods-Hicks, “When hearing her impressive resume, one would assume she accomplished this by knowing everything there is about the game of golf or the golf swing. I think the most impressive thing about her is the fact that Sister does not play one ounce of golf. But what makes her so special is her heart. She cares about her student athletes as people and fully supports them in whatever their dreams are.”
Gillom added, “She never meets a stranger, you know. She’s very loving, she’s passionate and she’s dedicated. And there’s not a person who meets her that doesn’t like her.”
“I don’t think I know one person who has as much enthusiasm, as much energy, and as much passion as this woman consistently on a daily basis. No one. I’ve never seen it in my life and don’t think I’ll ever see it again.”
Cheers to Sista Lynn, winner in life and MVP for women’s sports.
