Lacrosse: Loyola’s Maggie Nick may face tough decision

Updated: June 25, 2012 6:10PM

Basketball was the big sport in the Nick household when Maggie was growing up.

Soon, it may be lacrosse. 

A rising junior at Loyola, Maggie Nick plays both basketball and lacrosse, but her future beyond high school mostly likely will be with lacrosse. 

“I am trying to figure it all out,” said Nick, one of six siblings. “It’s hard because I love both of them. I might have better opportunities with lacrosse.”

A basketball player most of her young life, Nick, a Chicago resident, picked up lacrosse in middle school, the same year Loyola started its run of four consecutive state championships. 

“I didn’t realize that,” she said. “Cool.”

Nick was on the sideline as a freshman when the Ramblers won the state title in 2011. This spring, she worked her way into the starting lineup and became a major contributor on offense, ultimately helping the team beat New Trier in the state final for the program’s fourth title in a row. 

In the winter, Nick played for a Loyola’s girls basketball team that reached the state tournament for the first time since 1999. The Ramblers finished fourth. 

“Last year exceeded all of my hopes, for sure,” she said. “It was such a cool opportunity to be able to do those things for both teams. It was a really awesome to be part of those teams.”

Loyola is lucky enough to have Nick back for two more years. What’s more, she will spend one more school year with soon-to-be senior Anna Schueler, also a standout in both basketball and lacrosse. Schueler recently verbally committed to play lacrosse at Michigan.

“We are looking forward to next year,” said Nick, who’s working out with both teams this summer. “It’s been a very busy summer.”

This weekend, Nick, along with several other Ramblers, will travel to Baltimore as part of Under Armour’s All-America series. 

Katherine Eilers, Dede Snediker, Mary Kate Vanecko, Grace Foley, Karina De Hueck and Schueler also are making the trip to the East Coast. 

“It’s going to be some great competition for us,” Nick said. 

Nick also plays for Wildcat Elite, a club team based out of Northwestern. The Wildcats, under coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, have won seven of the last eight national championships. The club team is coached by Northwestern’s coaches and players.

“I went to Stony Brook in New York for the (tournament) games,” Nick said. “We know all the players and coaches, and it was cool seeing them play and having them wave at us.”

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