“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her.” -Mia Hamm
Whether it is gaining inspiration from a family member or friend, or watching a star emerge on the screen and striving to be like them, athletes always have to find their footing before they go out and shine themselves.
NKU has stars in every form of athleticism, but their origins may not always be recognized.
Alisha Detmer
Alisha Detmer is a junior triathlon athlete at NKU, but prior to arriving on campus, triathlons had not been her thing.
It all started for her when she was in fifth grade and started to do long-distance running.
“I will never forget the night when I decided to join the cross country team. My mom tucked me into bed, then came back into my room asking if I wanted to do it because some other people I knew were doing it. I was like, ‘Sure, I guess,’” Detmer said.
She had played basketball and soccer growing up, so she figured cross country would be no different. Detmer quickly learned that being her own teammate was going to change the way she approached her practices and events. Without others to rely on, Detmer knew she’d have to push herself, but she realized it made her love the sport even more.
“I personally pushed myself the hardest in my sport because I’m self-motivated and super competitive,” said Detmer.
She didn’t have an athlete she saw on the screen and aspired to be like, but instead had one in her own family. As she got older, she watched her younger sister grow up and also become a runner, teaching Detmer a new way to approach her races and events.
“I look up to my younger sister now who runs in high school because of how motivated she is. She doesn’t let the bad races get to her, but she uses it to fuel her in the next race,” said Detmer.
Detmer has thrived in the classroom as a biochemistry major, which was the main reason she ended up becoming a Norse. Even before becoming a standout athlete at NKU, she kept the competitive mindset in the classroom.
“I chose NKU because of the freshman research scholar program that chemistry majors have where they can start undergraduate research their freshman year,” said Detmer. “As a student who is pre-med, I thought undergraduate research would give me a competitive edge and strengthen my chances of getting accepted into medical schools.”
The triathlon teams were just welcomed into NKU in the fall semester of 2024, so while Detmer may not have competed in a triathlon event prior to joining the team, she has participated in many elements that trained her. She has competed in two Flying Pig Marathons, including the half marathon last year and the full this year. She ran cross country in elementary, middle and high school and did swimming during some of her time at Switzerland County High School in Indiana. It is no shock that Detmer loves the running and swimming aspects that are involved with this sport, but she strongly disliked the biking element.
“I love that in the triathlon there are a variety of events making me feel like an elite athlete and accomplished because of the diversity in the sport,” said Detmer.
She has now found herself competing in four triathlon meets during her time at NKU since the sport began this semester, but even with so much training, she still finds herself struggling. Nonetheless, she is always able to give herself the extra push she needs to reach a feeling of bliss.
“When I compete in a triathlon, I feel like I’m dying. It’s a hard sport. I do it for the feeling when I finish though,” Detmer said. “The feeling of accomplishment is one like no other, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
This unwavering confidence in her abilities is something that keeps her pushing herself. She will always remember the first time she stepped on the grass to race against other athletes in elementary school, or the first time she broke through the surface of the water in the pool to glide through and compete against many other high school athletes.
Joy Banks
Joy Banks is a senior volleyball player at NKU, who has spent all four years of her collegiate career as a Norse. Her journey to becoming a Horizon League standout was a path that she had to pave.
Banks’ mother was a volleyball player at the University of Tennessee and was the primary supporter of Banks becoming a volleyball player.
“When I was younger, I wasn’t actually very athletic, and my dad was like, ‘Oh okay, well she’s going to be into school stuff and be smart,’ but my mom said, ‘No, I got this.’ So she believed in me and got me into workouts,” Banks said.
A large part of being a successful athlete is the mindset she has. Banks talked about how her mom helped her develop mentally in her younger years, while Banks was still growing physically into a volleyball player.
However, having a mother who has gone so far in a sport can be a big challenge, especially when you are trying to follow in her footsteps.
“At first it was a lot of pressure because she played my position. I look up to her a lot, and I still look up to her, I still feel like I’m not even close to where she was at. I see it now as a positive thing because I just want to keep making her proud and I know I am,” said Banks.
Banks is viewed as one of the nicest people on campus, according to her teammates, but she has the ability to crack down on her opponents on the court.
“When I was younger my dad would always tell us it’s okay to be nice, but when you’re on the court you have to flip a switch, and he dug that into our brains,” said Banks. “Being able to find that switch and how I want to be competitive is what makes me want to go hard and put a ball through the floor.”
When Banks was going through the recruiting process, NKU was one of the last schools that she talked to. She said that she took a visit and saw games and practices, and the school felt very “homey” in comparison to where she grew up in Macedonia, Ohio. She loved how the coaches were and how the players interacted, and she knew that she wanted to become a Norse.
Fast forward to 2024, and Banks is now a two-time Horizon League Player of the Week and an all-star on the court. She has gone from a “not very athletic” kid to a star that shines and shows her spirit both on and off the court.
Frank Runge
Frank Runge is a freshman swimmer for NKU. However, he has not always been someone who strived to be in the water.
From ages five to 10, Runge played baseball and loved it. He said that baseball star Yadier Molina really inspired his game during those days.
His mom initially mentioned that he should try swimming, saying he had the build of a swimmer. Once he gave it a shot, he never looked back.
Runge said that swimming has led him to plenty of fulfilling moments. His favorite so far is setting a national relay record for 14-15 year olds while in high school with friend and fellow future NKU swimmer Dimiter Zafirov.
Runge was coming off of a collarbone injury near the end of his high school career and was preparing to give up the sport he had grown to love. He could not see a future in it, but that changed when Coach Kevin Woodhull-Smith reached out about the opportunity to join the swim team coming to NKU this fall.
“The idea of being part of an inaugural team of a program like this was just too good to pass up,” Runge said.
He said the push to continue his career came from his love of the competition.
Runge said that many athletes have inspired him throughout his swimming career, like the most decorated swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps. He also idolizes former University of Florida star Bobby Finke.
“He has some of the best closing speed of any swimmer on the planet,” Runge said.
Runge tries to emulate that speed when he’s in the pool. He also credits his parents for pushing him to be his best, first as a baseball player and now as a swimmer.
“I could pretty much credit them with a lot of the reason that I am where I am today,” he said.
Runge said Zafirov and his teammates are constantly pushing him to be his best too and that he loves how close they have all become.
“You have a true bond with your teammates.” Runge said.
Max Cantrell
Max Cantrell is the cheer captain at NKU, but long before he was cheering on his fellow student-athletes from the sidelines, he was inside those lines competing. Cantrell said that he grew up playing many sports like basketball, soccer and running track. His mom and dad were even his coaches at different points for track.
“Sports have always been a big part of my life,” Cantrell said.
He said that his dad is the one who pushed him the most to play basketball. His father was a basketball star at Indiana University. His mom pushed him as a track athlete because she used to participate in it, and she was the coach for his team all the way up to high school.
Call it a coincidence, but Cantrell needed some cheering on to get involved with the cheer team. He met some of the team at Victorfest and they encouraged him to come to open tryouts. He was hesitant but got some encouragement from a friend on the Eastern Kentucky University cheer team and his sister, who is an assistant coach for cheer at the University of Kentucky.
“Cheer has always kind of been in my family,” he said.
Cantrell decided to try it out and instantly loved it.
“I felt like it was the right decision right away,” Cantrell said. “I felt very welcomed by the team, by the coaches and I really fell in love with it. Cheer is my favorite sport I’ve ever done.”
Cantrell said that he enjoys seeing progress. It’s “addicting,” he said. The Russell, Kentucky native has continued to progress in his short time on the team, headlined by being named captain for the 2024-25 season.
“I like to wear that with a sense of pride,” he said. “I don’t take the role lightly.”
Cantrell loves the duty that comes with being a face of the campus.
“To be a good cheerleader, you have to own it. You have to swallow your pride. You have to be encouraging when no one else is and just be a leader at all times.”