Sister Lynn Winsor, BVM, who was recognized in April 2025 by Bishop John Dolan and the Xavier community for her five decades of service to the school, announced in late January that she will retire in June (photo by Rylee Weaver).
Sister Lynn Winsor, BVM, Xavier College Preparatory’s longtime vice principal and athletic director, will retire in June after 52 years of service to the school. She announced her decision to Xavier’s faculty and staff in late January, noting that “after prayer, reflection and meetings with my Sisters at the Xavier Convent and our BVM leadership” (the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary), she concluded that it is time to “pass the baton – and to support Xavier from the sidelines.”
She served as Xavier’s athletic director for 49 years before stepping down in August and naming the school’s associate athletic director, Tui Selvaratnam, to the position. She currently serves as the school’s vice principal for Activities and Athletics.
A proud alumna of both Xavier and Arizona State University, Sister Lynn has dedicated more than five decades to building the top women’s high school athletic program in both the state and the nation; advocating for Title IX opportunities for female athletes; serving the Arizona Interscholastic Association, the Arizona Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, and the National Interscholastic Administrators Association in numerous capacities; and incorporating the Catholic faith, kindness and sportsmanship into athletics and activities across the state and the nation, the school said.
Because of her dynamic leadership throughout the decades, Xavier was recognized by Niche.com in both 2025 and 2026 as the best all-girls high school for student-athletes in America – and the fifth best among all of America’s high schools. Her astounding record of state and regional championships in the school’s numerous sports has brought national recognition to Xavier’s teams, securing many millions of dollars in athletic scholarships for the school’s student-athletes.
Throughout her tenure, Xavier’s teams have won 163 state championship titles and 73 state runners-up honors. Xavier’s golf team, which Sister Lynn coached for 47 years, holds the national record for high school state championship titles (40). Among the most recent highlights of her myriad awards and recognitions were her inductions into the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National High School Hall of Fame (2023) and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame (2021). She was also honored as the USA Today Studio IX Trailblazer Award (2025), the Arizona Republic’s Most Influential Woman in Arizona Sports (2022), and as the NFHS Title IX Woman Trailblazer of the Year (2021). She is the first religious Sister in history to receive these awards.
Sister Lynn concluded her announcement to the Xavier community by saying, “I love you all, and I will always be a part of Xavier College Preparatory. God Bless and Go Xavier Gators!”
