Women’s Basketball Sign Two More Talented Student-Athletes

Nikolina Vrcic of Georgetown, Ontario and Talia Peters of Winkler, Manitoba have committed to the Thunderwolves Women’s Basketball Team for the 2018-19 season.

A 6’0” Forward, Vrcic was the captain of her high school team, the Christ the Kings C.S.S. Jaguars and is currently playing on one of the top OBA Teams in the province, the Oakville Vytis. Niki will be studying Kinesiology at Lakehead and will graduate as an honour student this year.

Niki on her decision; “Lakehead is an amazing school with great academics and athletics, which is all pulled together by its terrific atmosphere. The team and coaches are so passionate about the game and everyone pushes each other to be the best person they can be on and off the court. The team is a family that I am so excited to join. I cannot wait for the upcoming season and to be a part of the Thunderwolves family!”

Niki’s Oakville Vytis Head Coach Steve Merner; “The team is so happy for Niki. I have had the privilege of coaching Niki for 6 years, witnessing her countless hours of hard-work to not only improve her skill base but to help her team achieve greater success. She has grown from a positional center, into a dominating offensive threat with deadly three-point range, to complement a sweet baby hook inside. Her dedication to becoming a stronger faster athlete has been an inspiration to all her teammates. Nikolina will embrace whatever role Coach Kreiner needs her to play to help her new team succeed. The Vytis family wishes Nikolina all the best in this next chapter of her life being played out at Lakehead University.”

Peters is a 5’4” point guard who played for the bronze medalist Team Manitoba at last summer’s Canada Games. Talia was the Captain of Garden Valley Collegiate Zodiacs basketball team and she helped lead the GVC Zodiacs to AAAA provincials for the first time. Talia will be studying in the Science One program and has a high school average of 92%.

Talia’s thoughts; “I chose Lakehead University because I think it will be a great place for me to further my education as well as improve as a basketball player. It’s been my goal to play basketball at the U SPORTS level since the 5th grade, and I think Lakehead is a great place for me to take that step. They have everything a player could want; talented players, great coaches and an awesome atmosphere. Shout out to all my coaches and especially my mom for helping me get to where I am today, without them none of this would be possible! Can’t wait to be Thunderwolf in the fall!”

Talia’s high school Coach Dan Forte; “I am very proud of Talia and super excited about her commitment to the Thunderwolves. I have no doubt that she will fit right in. Talia is a highly skilled player who can knock down threes from range, drive and kick, and play tenacious pressure defense. Over her 4 years of playing varsity at GVC, she started every game and helped transform our program into a top 10 team in Manitoba. It was an honour to coach Talia, and I can’t wait to hear about her success on and off the court.”

“We have added two terrific student-athletes who have proven themselves both on and off the court. One thing Niki and Talia both have in common is a tremendous work ethic. Niki is multi-talented. Her strength is rebounding and shooting from the perimeter but she can also post up strong and finish inside. Talia is an unbelievable shooter with very good range. She has the ability to knock down deep threes with volume and is a great scorer overall. She has very good court vision and headman’s the ball very well.” – Coach Jon Kreiner

Nikolina Vrcic’s Achievements & Statistics

• 13.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.9 SPG
• Ontario Scholar
• MDP (most dedicated player) H.S basketball 2016

Talia Peter’s Achievements & Statistics

• 22.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.2 APG, 3.3 SPG & 5 threes made per game
• GVC basketball MVP 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18
• Graduating All Star team 2018
• GVC Junior Varsity female athlete of the year 2014/15, 2015/16
• GVC Varsity female athlete of the year 2016/17
• Honour roll with distinction 2015/16, 2016/17