For many young and upcoming athletes the process to playing any NCAA D1 sport is well a confusing and interesting process.
Major NCAA schools look for
1 – Good students
2 – Excellent athletic skills
3 – Quality family background that will cause no issues
Boissevain’s Danika Nell has done what many seek and that is going to school at Boston University plus as an added bonus playing Softball for the Terriers.
BDNMB had a chance today to fire some questions at her.
BDNMB – How does the process work to play softball at the NCAA level
Danika – So, my college recruitment process started a few years ago which is later than most American players. I was in ninth grade when I began playing for Nebraska Gold, a travel softball team that competes at a high level. With the team, I have travelled all over the states and had the opportunity to play against elite athletes that I will most likely face again at the collegiate level! One of my Team Manitoba teammates played for the travel team and mentioned my name to her coaches which resulted in a phone call and ultimately playing with them. Other than playing in front of coaches at tournaments in the states, I’ve had to be active on Twitter by posting videos of my skills and updates on my journey and performances. I would send emails to coaches on a regular basis to keep in touch with them up until September 1 of my Grade 11 year, which marked the day D1 coaches could finally actively recruit my graduating class.
BDNMB – Did you get many offers?
Danika – I was very fortunate to have various universities express their interest in me from that day on and kept an open mind throughout the process. Being from Canada disconnected me from the process to an extent as I wasn’t able to go to as many tournaments or attend as many college camps as my American teammates and opponents. When I received the amount of interest I did, I was thrilled, and took several months to get to know coaches and programs and figure out what was the best fit for me academically and athletically. In the end, I mainly narrowed it down to Boston University and University of California Santa Barbara.
BDNMB – Why Boston?
Danika – I was extremely surprised to receive the offer from Boston University as Coach Waters hadn’t seen me play in person and still hasn’t seen me play in person. She came across a video of me pitching on Twitter and continued onto my Sportrecruits page to watch more clips and game footage. We instantly connected during our first phone call and I’m very grateful to have the opportunity she has given me!
BDNMB – Major in school?
Danika – I plan on majoring in Health Sciences on Pre-Med track to eventually follow in my dad’s footsteps of pursuing a career in Medicine. It’s a long road ahead but I couldn’t be more excited!
Good luck Danika and thank you for your time today.
