BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – One high school student athlete is taking her talents to the next level and staying in state to do so.
Woodrow Wilson senior Olivia Ziolkowski has signed her letter of intent to play basketball at Marshall University.
The Beckley forward was an all-state honorable mention this year and helped lead the Lady Flying Eagles to the Class AAAA Regionals.
Ziolkowski plans to major in exercise science and go to med school at Marshall one day. She says at the beginning of her recruiting process, staying close to home wasn’t necessarily an important factor, but she is excited to be just a few hours from friends and family.
“The whole Marshall thing was kind of last minute. My very first time even on campus was last Friday, and as soon as I got there, I loved it and knew that’s where I wanted to be,” Ziolkowski explained.
“Obviously, they have very nice stuff, but what really drew me in was how family-oriented they were. All the coaches were very nice to me and all the girls, specifically, walked up to me and asked my name and shook my hand. That just made me feel really welcome that they really wanted me to be there.”
Ziolkowski added, “I’ve learned a lot–not only in basketball, but in life. Coach Nabors has always been my number one supporter.”