Brungardt keeps athletics in perspective
NORFOLK — Nicole Brungardt’s physical attributes as an athlete are obvious.
Her speed, strength and jumping ability allowed the Norfolk Catholic senior and 2008 Lincoln Journal Star Girls Prep Athlete of the Year to set herself apart. Brungardt was the only female in the state during the 2007-08 school year to earn Super-State honors in both a fall (third-team volleyball) and winter (second-team basketball) sport, and also win two all-class Gold Medals (long jump and 100-meter dash) at the state track meet.
Brungardt was the honorary captain of the Class C-1 all-state teams in both volleyball and basketball. She also won a third Class B gold medal at state track in the 200.
While there were plenty of highlights in Brungardt’s career, the 5-foot-9 Wayne State volleyball recruit had to overcome some adversity. Dealing with those tough times required a mental approach that’s almost as important as the physical skills.
“Nicole’s always been able to put athletics into their proper perspective,” said her father, Tim Brungardt, a fullback at Nebraska in the early 1980s. “When she was little, as soon as she was done with a sports activity, she was on to the next thing. She would say, ‘Let’s go swimming’ or ‘Let’s go to the mall and shop.’
“She’s never been superemotional about a big win or a disappointing loss. Sports are fun, she loves the competition; but when the game is over, she doesn’t dwell on it.”
That kind of attitude kept Brungardt going after some disappointment and heartbreak.
Norfolk Catholic’s Class C-1 girls state basketball title in March came one year after being on the losing end of one of the most dramatic finishes in state tournament history. The Knights led Crofton by two points in the final seconds, only to see the 2006 and 2007 girls athlete of the year, Amber Hegge, dribble her way through the Norfolk Catholic defense and bank in an off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer.
Brungardt never needed to replay those final seconds in her mind. “They showed it on TV around here all the time,” Brungardt said. “That’s what sports is all about. It was a cool way for Crofton to win a state championship. Not so much for us.”
The Knights’ turn at late-game heroics came in March when they overcame a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter and rallied for a 52-50 win in the state finals over Bishop Neumann. Brungardt, who averaged 17 points per game as a senior, scored 19 points in the state finals, sharing team-high honors with junior all-state guard Jessica Zaruba.
Brungardt also came up with clutch performances late in the track season. She ran the 200 in 24.4 seconds at districts, moving her into a tie for third on the state’s all-time charts in that event.
Her state meet started with the long jump on Friday, and she trailed Alliance’s Jordan Hooper going into her final jump. Brungardt hit a leap of 18 feet, 2 inches on her last attempt, matching Hooper’s best. Brungardt got the gold because her second-best jump was better than Hooper’s.
Things stayed positive for Brungardt on Saturday, despite one setback. After the Norfolk Catholic 400 relay team was disqualified, Brungardt recovered to win the 100 and 200. She finished with six individual state track gold medals for her career.
“When the pressure is on her, that’s when Nicole does her best,” Knights girls track coach John Bellar said. “You don’t want to say, ‘Nicole Brungardt can’t do something,’ because she usually can.”
Which may be why Brungardt chose volleyball as her college sport, just for one last chance to get it right.
The Knights were undefeated and ranked No. 1 last fall when Centennial knocked them off in their first-round state tournament match. In 2006, they pushed eventual champion Columbus Scotus to five games in the semis before falling. Brungardt fought through a case of vertigo at the 2005 state tournament, but the outside hitter still had 18 kills in a first-round win over Chase County and 25 kills in a five-game loss to Lincoln Lutheran in the semifinals.
Brungardt blasted 342 kills as a senior, but was also a defensive force with 362 digs. She added 66 ace blocks and 35 ace serves.
Brungardt had college opportunities in all three sports, which made choosing difficult.
Drake and Wyoming had interest in basketball. Nebraska and Iowa State made offers in track. David Lipscomb discovered her in volleyball, despite playing no offseason club ball.
Brungardt played summer select basketball before her freshman, sophomore and junior years, two years with Nebraska Elite and one summer with the Pinnacle Bank All-Stars. The guard, however, decided to stay home last summer.
“I was burned out on basketball, I was done with it,” she said.
The choice then came down to Nebraska and Iowa State in track and Wayne State in volleyball.
A visit to a Wayne State practice in late March finally sold her, and coach Scott Kneifl added Brungardt to an already strong recruiting class that includes second-team Super-State middle blocker Shelby Schultz of Cambridge and second-team Super-State outside hitter Tali Fredrickson of Grand Island Central Catholic.
“There’s so much I have to learn about volleyball and I’m excited about that challenge,” said Brungardt, an Academic All-Stater who will major in education at Wayne. “We have some very, very good volleyball players coming in, so I’ll have to prove myself.”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
Her speed, strength and jumping ability allowed the Norfolk Catholic senior and 2008 Lincoln Journal Star Girls Prep Athlete of the Year to set herself apart. Brungardt was the only female in the state during the 2007-08 school year to earn Super-State honors in both a fall (third-team volleyball) and winter (second-team basketball) sport, and also win two all-class Gold Medals (long jump and 100-meter dash) at the state track meet.
Brungardt was the honorary captain of the Class C-1 all-state teams in both volleyball and basketball. She also won a third Class B gold medal at state track in the 200.
While there were plenty of highlights in Brungardt’s career, the 5-foot-9 Wayne State volleyball recruit had to overcome some adversity. Dealing with those tough times required a mental approach that’s almost as important as the physical skills.
“Nicole’s always been able to put athletics into their proper perspective,” said her father, Tim Brungardt, a fullback at Nebraska in the early 1980s. “When she was little, as soon as she was done with a sports activity, she was on to the next thing. She would say, ‘Let’s go swimming’ or ‘Let’s go to the mall and shop.’
“She’s never been superemotional about a big win or a disappointing loss. Sports are fun, she loves the competition; but when the game is over, she doesn’t dwell on it.”
That kind of attitude kept Brungardt going after some disappointment and heartbreak.
Norfolk Catholic’s Class C-1 girls state basketball title in March came one year after being on the losing end of one of the most dramatic finishes in state tournament history. The Knights led Crofton by two points in the final seconds, only to see the 2006 and 2007 girls athlete of the year, Amber Hegge, dribble her way through the Norfolk Catholic defense and bank in an off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer.
Brungardt never needed to replay those final seconds in her mind. “They showed it on TV around here all the time,” Brungardt said. “That’s what sports is all about. It was a cool way for Crofton to win a state championship. Not so much for us.”
The Knights’ turn at late-game heroics came in March when they overcame a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter and rallied for a 52-50 win in the state finals over Bishop Neumann. Brungardt, who averaged 17 points per game as a senior, scored 19 points in the state finals, sharing team-high honors with junior all-state guard Jessica Zaruba.
Brungardt also came up with clutch performances late in the track season. She ran the 200 in 24.4 seconds at districts, moving her into a tie for third on the state’s all-time charts in that event.
Her state meet started with the long jump on Friday, and she trailed Alliance’s Jordan Hooper going into her final jump. Brungardt hit a leap of 18 feet, 2 inches on her last attempt, matching Hooper’s best. Brungardt got the gold because her second-best jump was better than Hooper’s.
Things stayed positive for Brungardt on Saturday, despite one setback. After the Norfolk Catholic 400 relay team was disqualified, Brungardt recovered to win the 100 and 200. She finished with six individual state track gold medals for her career.
“When the pressure is on her, that’s when Nicole does her best,” Knights girls track coach John Bellar said. “You don’t want to say, ‘Nicole Brungardt can’t do something,’ because she usually can.”
Which may be why Brungardt chose volleyball as her college sport, just for one last chance to get it right.
The Knights were undefeated and ranked No. 1 last fall when Centennial knocked them off in their first-round state tournament match. In 2006, they pushed eventual champion Columbus Scotus to five games in the semis before falling. Brungardt fought through a case of vertigo at the 2005 state tournament, but the outside hitter still had 18 kills in a first-round win over Chase County and 25 kills in a five-game loss to Lincoln Lutheran in the semifinals.
Brungardt blasted 342 kills as a senior, but was also a defensive force with 362 digs. She added 66 ace blocks and 35 ace serves.
Brungardt had college opportunities in all three sports, which made choosing difficult.
Drake and Wyoming had interest in basketball. Nebraska and Iowa State made offers in track. David Lipscomb discovered her in volleyball, despite playing no offseason club ball.
Brungardt played summer select basketball before her freshman, sophomore and junior years, two years with Nebraska Elite and one summer with the Pinnacle Bank All-Stars. The guard, however, decided to stay home last summer.
“I was burned out on basketball, I was done with it,” she said.
The choice then came down to Nebraska and Iowa State in track and Wayne State in volleyball.
A visit to a Wayne State practice in late March finally sold her, and coach Scott Kneifl added Brungardt to an already strong recruiting class that includes second-team Super-State middle blocker Shelby Schultz of Cambridge and second-team Super-State outside hitter Tali Fredrickson of Grand Island Central Catholic.
“There’s so much I have to learn about volleyball and I’m excited about that challenge,” said Brungardt, an Academic All-Stater who will major in education at Wayne. “We have some very, very good volleyball players coming in, so I’ll have to prove myself.”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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