Nicole Zygmontovich is loved by those who have been around her and coached her not only for her great athleticism, especially in football, but also for her great character. had a reason.
After Vicki Webb accepted the job as head coach at Central Kitsap High School in 2000, she quickly discovered that Nicole Zygmontowitz — now Nicole Riley — was not only prolific in her athletic skills, but especially in football. but because of her good character.
Zgymontowicz was also a CK rookie who transferred to CK after helping Klahowya win the 1999 State 2A Women’s Soccer Championship as a freshman.
“It was my first year, and I had no idea she was such a great player,” says Webb. “She was very humble and kind and very respectable to me. I was lucky to coach her. I was lucky. She probably could have played major college basketball as well.” And she was even better.
“It’s been a pleasure to honor her over the years. I’m so excited for her.”
Zygmontowicz, now known as Reilly after her marriage, will be honored at Kiana Lodge in Poulsbo on January 28 and inducted into the Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame.
more:Star-powered Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame 2022 Hall of Fame Class
Webb isn’t the only one who considers the 5-foot-10-inch Zigmontovic to be one of the best female athletes in the field. Many see her in the same way. She excelled in soccer and basketball, as well as fastpitch softball, and if she wanted to, she could probably be the tiddlywinks champion.
I probably shouldn’t have expected more. Her mother (Debra) was a star Michigan fastpitch, basketball and track high school player and her daughter’s biggest supporter.
After being named the paper’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2001 as a 15-year-old sophomore, Zigmontovic said in a Kitsap Sun article, “She’s my biggest influence.”
It’s rare for a player to be honored in the top three All-Olympic League teams in three sports in the same year, and Zigmontovic has done it more than once. She also joined the Kitsap Sun Super Six basketball team on her two occasions.
Zygmontowicz played only one year in fastpitch softball in CK, batting .397 with 15 RBIs and two home runs to lead the Cougars. She also played some softball for the Diamond Dusters.
She injured her ACL in her junior year of basketball and recovered to play soccer, basketball and track in her senior year.
As good as she was at everything, soccer came first to her mind and became the game she stuck with the longest. He eventually played on the selected traveling team and was on the state Olympic development team for three years.
She had many options, but wanted to experience the world, so she accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Houston and played two years for the Cougars. She made an immediate impact, making her the team’s Rookie of the Year and her Conference USA All-Freshman team, where she started 31 of 32 games and played multiple positions.
However, two and a half years later, conditions in Houston were in jeopardy, and Zigmontovich decided to leave.
“There have been many changes in coaching,” says Zygmontowicz. “Many people have left.”
She wasn’t sure if she would be able to continue playing soccer.
Later, she got word from Joel Gray of Port Orchard that the University of Evansville, where his daughter Heidi Gray is enrolled, was looking for a player.
“I told her dad, Mark, about it,” says Gray, whose family owned a Gray Chevrolet in Port Orchard at the time.
So Zigmontowitz traveled to Indiana, saw the school, liked it, and transferred.
“Ziggy has been a great player for UE and stepped into centre-back for us. They handled the ball well and were able to attack from behind.
“I think she was one of the top defenders, not only in our conference, but also in the region. During her UE career, we beat two nationally ranked teams. “A great leader who showed, but an even better person. She always had a smile on her face and the players loved her. She helped UE football go from bottom to second in the conference.”
Zygmontowicz earned a degree in business administration from Evansville, earned All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team honors on defense, and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team in 2007.
Now living in Newark, Delaware, she has been in technology sales for 13 years. Nicole and her husband Tim have her two young sons Colin, 6, and her 4-year-old Daniel. They’re into swimming, soccer, and basketball, but there’s no pressure to follow in their mother’s footsteps.
“We follow the philosophy my parents had with me: give the kids everything and let them choose what they enjoy,” says Zygmontowicz.
Football is still in Zygmontovic’s heart. She has played professionally for the Houston Stars and Fort Wayne Her Fever, and has continued to play in various Delaware women’s, co-ed and Spanish leagues. She also coaches boys and girls at the Delaware Football Club and trains at her club, Hockey Shin Athletic.
“I don’t know who I would be[without sports],” says Zigmontovich. “Athletics and team sports gave me great joy.
“The more I practiced, the better I got. I was obsessed with seeing results and success. I wanted to be an all-rounder. My left had to be as strong as my right. Freedom.” A good amount of time was spent working out, focusing on speed, footwork and fundamentals for all sport seasons.”
Zygmontowicz still competes at a high level, further cementing her reputation as one of the best female athletes in the region. And she was a good person. And she still is.
“I’m very honored,” she said of the establishment of the Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame. “It brings tears to my eyes because people actually remember me and what I did and what I was.”
KITSAP Sports Hall of Fame Ceremony
when: January 28 (noon social hour, 1:00 p.m. entrance ceremony)
where: Kiana Lodge (14976 Sandy Hook Road NE, Poulsbo)
what: An annual banquet hosted by the Kitsap Athletic Roundtable honors West Sound athletes, coaches and officials.
tickets: $50 for adults, $20 for youth ages 6-12. Email your request to KAR Treasurer Jodee Strickland (jodee.strickland@aol.com) or purchase online at kitsapathleticroundtable.org.
