Jack Nicks and Kymara Brodie both have had stellar performances this year, making them athletes of the semester. Jack Nicks managed to lead the boys volleyball team to a 17-5 record and a 7-1 record in league play. Kymara Brodie has put up excellent times at track meets this year with a personal record of 11.93, a team-best. 

Nicks grew up playing soccer as a goalkeeper. However, upon entering high school he felt burnt out from soccer. Nicks decided to start playing volleyball and he immediately found his passion. 

“I started playing volleyball the summer before high school. I started to really love the game my sophomore year. It was the middle of lockdown, so not much was happening in my life, and volleyball became my outlet. I started taking it more seriously and developed a passion for it,” said Nicks. 

Nicks managed to make varsity his sophomore year and instantly found his role as a middle blocker. This experience has found himself as a leader on this team. 

“As one of the few returning seniors, I have to lead by example. I try to get better every time I touch the ball, and I think the others see that. I want to be as approachable as possible for the younger players, and it helps that my younger brother is in the program so I already know a lot of the young guys. I always enjoy helping others discover their passion for volleyball,” said Nicks.

The team has found success specifically this season. Despite the slow start, the team has found success managing to win games. Nicks describes a specific tournament that was the turning point for his season.

“My favorite moment of the season so far was spending the day at UC Santa Barbara for the Dos Pueblos Invitational tournament. We played 5 games over a Saturday in the Thunderdome, and we ended up winning four of them. It was a big day for us as a team because we had just changed our lineup, and over the day you could see our players go from uncomfortable with the new changes to playing the best we ever had,” said Nicks.

Nicks has plans to play in college. He is committing to Pepperdine and will walk on the volleyball team in the fall. 

Kymara Brodie runs track specializing in the 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter and the 4×100 events. She has put up stellar times with PRs of 11.85 in the 100 meter, 24.52 in the 200 meter, and a 59.64 in the 400 meter. Brodie describes her favorite moment of her decorated season.

“My favorite moment was breaking 12 in the 100m and getting an 11.93,” said Brodie.

A big part of her track season is maintaining her success throughout the season. Brodie describes what it takes to be consistent in running great times. 

“My biggest takeaways are probably the importance of discipline and properly taking care of your body throughout the season,” said Brodie. 

Brodie plans to run in college and will run at North Carolina A&T.