Nichole Streete '18 Recruiting Profile

Sports have always played a starring role in my life. It did not matter if I was in the stands, on the field, or simply sat in front of the television as a little girl, I have alway been drawn to the energy and excitement that surrounds the world of sports. So, as I prepare to embark upon the next phase of my young adult life, I am putting forth every effort to ensure that I can have a guaranteed future in collegiate field hockey.  I joined my very first competitive sports team when I was barely at the age of three. My mom signed me up, suited me up, and then dropped me off. It did not matter to me that my uniform was bright pink, nor did it matter that room was filled with loud music.  Never one to backdown from a challenge even at that age, I danced competitively for nearly a year until my mom signed me up for soccer.

My mom is one of my greatest influences. She is a firm believer in exposing kids to sports from an early age. She has often told me that music has always made me dance, and sports always made me sparkle. That is why she encouraged me to keep dancing and to keep playing soccer. I am very grateful to her for exposing me to both worlds.

Both of my parents are athletic, and they each played sport at a college level. They always spoke highly about their playing experiences and hoped that each of us would develop the love of sport that so greatly shaped their lives. When I was younger, my mother would take me to my brothers’ games—the whole family would be there. I watched them work hard at their sport and excel while being part of something greater than themselves—being a team. I knew without a doubt that this was what I wanted, too. I took great strides in making sure that I could outperform my brothers. I ran harder, kicked harder, yelled louder—whatever it took to be the strongest player for myself and for my team. I started as out as a defensive back, but when we lost our goalie near the end of the first season, I decided to step up. I had never even thought about playing goalie before that.  I fell in love with the position immediately. Needless to say, I had to work harder than ever before to defend our goal, but it was worth the blood, sweat, and even some tears. Over the next couple of years I helped lead the team from third to first place in our league. I was voted as the Most Valuable Player and promoted to team captain. 

My success on the soccer field quickly spilled over to the basketball court, as I was promoted to team captain yet again in my AAU leagues. This same success would later fuel my continued interest in field hockey, as well.

My sophomore year, I changed schools and had the opportunity to go to their summer field hockey camp. I wanted to try it, my aunts, grandmother, and mom had played, but my other high school did not offer it. Probably because of my height and fearlessness, the coach put me in goalie. I felt confident at the position having played soccer goalie for many years but goalie pads, a helmet, gloves, a stick and a hard little ball was out of my league. Before I knew it, she asked me to go out for the high school team, and within weeks I was brought up to starting Varsity goalie. I was scared having only played hockey for a week, but quickly learned that the most important thing in playing hockey goalie was to be aggressive which I was good at. My first game was difficult we are in division 1, but each game got easier and the shut outs followed. I received MVP for the team, and got league recognitions. I continue to play Varsity basketball, but hockey has a special place in my heart. This year I continued to grow, and even got to coach the JV goalies as well as the Freshmen goalies. I learned a lot from doing that.  I led the league in saves and was awarded Most Valuable Player. 

Sports has made who I am today. Whether I am on the court or on the field, sports keeps me motivated in life. I am looking forward to bringing this same motivation to the collegiate level.