As Caitlin Clark continues to capture the spotlight in NCAA women's basketball, Grace Beyer, a fifth-year senior at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, has quietly surpassed her in the scoring race.

On a night when Clark was adding to her NCAA record, Beyer scored 40 points in a game on Thursday against Cottey College, pushing her career total to 3,842 points—249 points ahead of Clark. The following Saturday, Beyer secured 32 points against Hannibal-LaGrange, not only breaking Miriam Walker-Samuels’ NAIA record but also placing Beyer fifth in college basketball scoring history, in both NCAA and NAIA divisions.

The paths of Clark and Beyer have been notably different despite their shared passion for basketball. Clark, a bankable star, has seen her games become a must-watch event, with fans enduring long waits and high ticket prices to witness her play. Her success has also translated into significant NIL deals. In contrast, Beyer's journey has been more understated. Choosing to pursue a demanding academic field in pharmacy, Beyer's college choice was influenced by her desire to balance basketball with her studies, leading her to the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy—a decision that deviated from the traditional Division I route due to her academic aspirations.

“It’s amazing to be mentioned in the same breath as her (Clark),” Beyer said with a smile, per Dave Skretta of the Associated Press. “I had a lot of conversations with my parents and they urged me to prepare for the 40 years of my life rather than the four years of college. It’s kind of a big concept to grasp when you’re in high school, but I just knew that I wanted to be happy and have a career in something I’m going to enjoy. And basketball? I’ll enjoy that wherever I play.”

Beyer's impact at her NAIA school has been profound, leading her team to improve their record (15-13, 10-8 in conference) and draw larger crowds. Her scoring achievements, often reaching 40 or more points per game, underline her dominance in the sport at the NAIA level. At her current scoring rate per game, it will take six postseason games for Beyer to surpass the all-college women's scoring record of 4,061 points, set by Pearl Moore.

“Our program is academically rigorous,” UHSP athletic director Jill Harter said, “and it really takes a special type of athlete to be successful here, because you have to be able to achieve in the classroom in order to be able to excel competitively, too.

“Grace,” Harter added, “checks both of those boxes.”

Despite the differences in their college experiences, Beyer holds no regrets about her path, focusing on the accomplishments and the unique experience her choice has provided.

“I definitely don’t have any regrets coming here,” Grace Beyer said, “but everyone has those what-if thoughts, you know? What it would have been like if I went to a bigger school. But those are all what-ifs. I’m never going to know how my career would have ended up at a different school. I can only know for sure what I have accomplished here, and what I’ve accomplished here is not something that anyone can take away from me. I can’t have any regrets when I know what I’ve left behind.”