Its official, Nickol an Ursuline Arrow
Another year, another name on the Hiland girls basketball scholarship ledger.
Natalie Nickol became the 34th player under Hiland Lady Hawks head coach Dave Schlabach to gain a scholarship, the senior heading to Ursuline College on a full ride.
Every name on here has got an interesting story, said Schlabach of the ever-growing list of Lady Hawks who have received scholarships to play collegiately.
Whether they are undersized, superstars or whether they are like Natalie, kids who blossomed over the last couple of months heading into their senior season, they all have something unique attached to their stories.
Nickol is certainly a unique story, and would have been a long shot to be signed to a Div. II full ride scholarship following a season in which she played sparingly and scored fewer than 50 points.
Regardless of how it transpired, Nickol will be heading to Ursuline College having received a $144,000 education, and Schlabach said she has earned it this offseason.
A lot of people will say that she is a product of the system, but Nat has earned this herself, said Schlabach. She has put in the time. Its a great accomplishment for her and great for her family to be able to relax about that financial burden. I think Natalie can relax now and focus on basketball. The work ethic has always been there for her, and it has always been a matter of confidence.
Nickol came to Hiland when her family moved in from Ridgewood to begin her junior year. Adjusting to Schlabachs intense practices and demanding workouts has been a challenge, but Nickol has never backed down or shied away from the hard work.
Having earned sparing minutes as a junior as she learned the system, she bided her time, and now will take on a much greater role for the Lady Hawks.
I knew she would get it, but I wasnt sure she would get it in time, said Schlabach of Nickol. I am surprised not by the scholarship but by how far she has come in less than two years.
As Schlabachs 34th scholarship recipient, Nickol is honored to be on that list, and she said that the scholarship is a dream come true for her.
I am super-excited, said Nickol. It just shows that faith and hard work can make your dreams come true.
Nickol watched other recent Lady Hawks take their turn at the podium at the Reese Center, most recently McKenzie Miller who signed with Ashland University.
The idea that she might someday be the one sitting with her parents signing the papers that would mean a free education made her work all that much harder this offseason.
That work paid off, and she shone brightly on several occasions when members of the Ursuline staff were on hand to scout.
Nickol said that she went through a lot of practice on her own, working with individual trainers to hone her skills.
It was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it, said Nickol. Playing for Coach (Schlabach) has improved me a great deal both as a player and a person.
Nickol will be stepping into an entirely new system at Ursuline next season, a new coach, a new staff and a huge turnover in personnel. That means opportunities will be there for her. With the kind of work ethic she has, anything is possible.
I know they use the same summer program there (Ursuline) that we use here, so I am excited to see what takes place at the next level, said Nickol.