Sports

WOLIKOW LEAVES IT ALL ON COURT

Trynty Nail, Sports Writer

March 11, 2026

Natalie Wolikow, senior, wrapped up her last season for the Lady Cats.

Natalie Wolikow is a senior at Struthers High School. She has been playing basketball for almost 12 years now. Wolikow is the type of person who gives it her all and always goes the extra mile.

The athlete has known that she loved basketball since the day she first touched a basketball in first grade. Throughout all the rocky practices, dreadful games and the feeling of being tired, the one thing that kept her going was that she knew no matter what was wrong that day, the next she could come back better. Wolikow always looked at the bright side of things, making herself push through the bad times because she knew a good mindset will change it all.

Wolikow knew when she had a bad practice that the next day she’d come back better than before.

“No matter what practice was going to end and I was going to be able to reset my mind and come back better tomorrow,” said the basketball player.

As Wolikow continued to play basketball in high school, she learned many important lessons. For one, that teamwork is everything, meaning without her teammates she doesn’t know where she would be today. Her teammates have not only helped her grow as a player but also made her love the sport even more. The senior has also learned true sportsmanship. It taught her how she can’t treat someone a different way due to how they are, she needs to be by everyone’s side just like she’d want them to for her.

Wolikow learned the importance of sportsmanship throughout her years of playing basketball.

“I’ve learned true sportsmanship. Everyone is playing for the same goal, don’t treat someone like they aren’t,” said Wolikow.

The basketball player didn’t just play school basketball but also travel. Playing travel basketball with her best friends has opened her eyes to different things she didn’t see during school basketball. Wolikow was happy that she stuck with basketball through her whole school life and cherished it as much as she could because she never realized how fast it went by. The senior was the type of player that wasn’t just a filler but a role model to others on and off her team.

Wolikow can’t believe how fast her high school years went by.

“Stick with it, cherish it. It goes by faster than you think. You’ll even miss the 9am practices when it’s over,” said the senior.

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About the Contributors

Trynty Nail, Sports Writer

Trynyty Nail is a freshman at Struthers High School. She’s a Sports Writer for her first year of Journalism. Trynyty is a part of the Struthers Volleyball team and clubs such as Interact Club, Pep Club, and the Art Squad. Outside of school, Trynyty plays club volleyball for MVP, being different from school volleyball due to the traveling and competitiveness. Her favorite part about school is the new opportunities she gets and the new friendships she’s able to make. Trynyty’s favorite part about Journalism is being able to write about the deeper level of sports than people see. She also loves to write, making this a great class for her. She hopes to grow better with writing and Journalism.

Baylee Miner, Entertainment Writer

Baylee is a senior in Journalism III. She is the Opinion Editor for this year. Baylee’s favorite part of the school year would be going to the football and basketball games to support the school. Another thing she enjoys about this school year is that it’s her last year to make memories in high school. She is in Pep Club, Art Club, Future Teachers, Medical Careers, and Interact Club. She tries to stay as active in her school as she can. She’s also a part of the National Honor Society. Her favorite thing to do in her free time out of school would be any kind of community service because she enjoys helping others when she can. Baylee’s favorite part of Journalism was writing about entertainment because she always liked to rate stores and things they added. She liked doing this because she really wanted others to know how she truly felt when it came to some of the additions some businesses made. Some expectations she has for the year is to try to have better attendance, have better grades and try to make some new friends. She wants to become more involved this school year since it’s her last year at Struthers High School. A big goal she has for work would be just trying to work as many hours as possible but also just working hard enough to earn a raise. She already luckily got promoted this year, but she still wants to work towards more and more earning a raise. One main goal she would like to accomplish with her life away from school would be to just go to the gym more often, try to go every day after school, and just try to become the best version of herself.