The Baller of the Month award is an award given monthly to a player voted on by their teammates to recognize all the hard work they have put into the team throughout the month. February’s winner is Hollie Wheeler! Here are her responses to some brief interview questions.
How does it feel to be recognized by your teammates in this way?
I feel very proud of my accomplishments that led to my teammates voting for me. I know they are always encouraging me to strive to be better and there’s no other team I’d want to be on going into nationals.
How do you hope to perform at Pinch Nationals this year?
Honestly, anything better than my first nationals will be enough for me. Last year, I joined the club in late February. I attended a home tournament and one other game before nationals. I was just beginning to pinch throw and barely knew what I was doing. I’ve seen a lot of improvement since then, and I am hoping to reach 20 catches for the season. I’m also hoping I can avoid getting headshot.
How do you hope the women’s team performs at no-sting nationals?
I have high hopes for women’s nationals because I know my team has what it takes to compete. They have all grown so much and they are some of the best rookies I’ve seen across many tournaments. I’m hoping we can make it to the championship game and go all the way to bring the trophy home.
What are your hopes for the women’s team next season?
I believe if we don’t win nationals this year, we will have an even better chance at winning it next season. I’m hoping we can recruit a B team next year and have them be the best of the B teams in the league. I want to continue to have all of our female players play both no-sting and pinch because I think it’s very important for the NCDA to have strong female players that can dominate in both styles. I want to show the other teams in the league that if UW-Platteville, a school with a student body that’s around 70% male can recruit a women’s team, then they can too.
We are extremely lucky to have such a dedicated player like Hollie on the team to help build the women’s team and keep pushing the co-ed team to its highest potential. We are excited to see where she goes with this team!
