Koski with her two brothers. Jordan (left) ran for UWS from 2015-18. Kevin (right) currently runs for Illinois State University. Photo provided by Ann Koski
Nicole Koski, a junior on the women’s cross country and track and field teams at UWS, owes a lot of her character to her unique childhood upbringing.
A native of Park Falls, Wisconsin, Koski grew up without WiFi or cable television for her entire childhood; spending most of her time with her parents and two brothers, Jordan and Kevin. “I think a lot of my creativity and willingness to go out was due to that,” Koski said. “We spent a lot of time writing poems, going outside and having family movie night.”
Because of her outgoingness, Koski experimented in eleven different sports growing up until she found her biggest passion to this day: running.
Running competitively since fifth grade, the Park Falls native continued her career at UWS through the women’s cross country and track and field teams, following in her brothers’ footsteps. Her eldest brother, Jordan, ran for UWS from 2015-18 and her second brother, Kevin, is currently running for the Illinois State University track and field and cross-country teams.
So far in her running career, Koski has been named UMAC Academic All-Conference two years in a row and placed fifth at the 2019-20 Indoor UMAC Championship, continually beating personal bests along the way.
Koski running for UWS. The Park Falls native has been named UMAC Academic All-Conference each of the past two years.
Photo provided by Gary Koski
Recently, due to meet setbacks due to COVID-19, Koski has ben focusing on her writing when it comes to academic work, stemming from her love of writing as a child. As a writing minor, Koski has been submitting work and helping review papers for the Nemadji Review, the student-run literary journal at UWS. Koski hopes to continue her creative writing throughout her UWS journey and plans to use it in her future career.
When she’s not running or writing, Koski can be found in her favorite building on campus, the Marcovich Wellness Center (MWC). “Most of the cross country team hangs out there in our free time. We like to play ping pong or do homework together before practice.”
When she’s not with her teammates, Koski can be found at one of her two jobs in the MWC. She works as both a building manager at the front desk and as a student assistant in the back.
To find out more about Koski or future UWS cross country or track and field meets, visit www.uwsyellowjackets.com. The 2021 Indoor UMAC Championship takes place on Friday, Feb. 26 at the Dr. Lydia C. Thering Fieldhouse. More info about UMAC athletics can be found at www.umacathletics.com.
