She was an All-American point guard at the University of Texas at Austin and won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

The Longhorns were stunned by a buzzer beating shot by Western Kentucky, and lost 92–90 in the Mideast Regional semifinals.

Ethridge was considered very competitive – she once competed in a triathlon, riding the 9-mile bicycle leg with a flat tire for the last three miles.

[2][9] Etheridge was the 1986 recipient of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith award, which is presented by the WBCA annually to "the nation's most outstanding NCAA Division I female basketball player who stands 5'8" tall or under".

This time, the USA team would meet the USSR in the title game and emerge victorious, winning the gold medal with a score of 108–88.

[15] Ethridge finished her USA basketball playing career with a gold medal win in the 1988 Olympics held in Seoul, Korea.

[16] Ethridge was a graduate assistant at Texas in 1987–88 after completing her bachelor's degree, then played professionally in Italy for the team OECE in 1988–89.

[2] Ethridge landed her first head coaching job in 2014 at Northern Colorado,[19] and enjoyed immediate success, leading the Bears to a school-record 22 wins in her first season.