Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Riley Nolan, New Trier lacrosse

Riley Nolan is senior attacker for the Trevians. Nolan was an All-State selection as a junior and is committed to Amherst College.

1. Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

Before I play, I don’t necessarily have any supertiions. I like to eat a bar. I can’t have a full meal, so just a snack. But I don’t have normal superstitions. As a team, we’ve started to play hacky sack before our games.

2. Why is Amherst a good fit for you?

I chose Amherst because of the academics and also its open curriculum will be helpful. It’s a small college in a big town and that makes it not feel so small. There are a lot of things to do, more than most college towns. That’s what made me choose Amherst over others.

3. What would be your dream job?

That’s a hard questions. I’m undecided (major), but maybe being a chef. I like to cook, so cooking somewhere.

4. What is your first memory of lacrosse?

I don’t know if it’s my first, but I remember when I was in maybe fourth grade, my brother (DJ Nolan) came to one of my games and was screaming “What up, 1-6.” He was the only person yelling at a kids games. That sticks out.

5. When did you know lacrosse was your sport?

Probably in sixth grade, because that’s when I really narrowed things down to lacrosse and field hockey and then in eighth grade, that’s when I knew I liked lacrosse more. I started doing travel in sixth. I ended up quitting field hockey my junior year. But my whole family played lacrosse.

6. What is your favorite thing to do off the field?

Off the field, I like to hang out with friends. In the summer, I like to go to the beach or go down to the city. I like to cook with friends, make homemade pasta. I also like traveling to warmer, tropical places.

7. If you could try another sport, what would it be?

Maybe hockey. I played when I was younger with my brothers for fun. I never played on a team. Or volleyball. Volleyball is really fun in (kinetic wellness) class.

8. If you are in Walgreens with a couple bucks, what are you buying?

Honestly, probably M&M’s Minis. I think the minis are better than the normal size.

9. What is something people don’t know about you?

I guess a lot of people don’t know that my mom (Ann Nolan) is Mexican so I am part fluent in Spanish. I’m best at understanding it.

10. What has your senior season been like and how will it end?

My senior season has been really fun. The coaches are really good about picking a great group of girls. We’ve had some closer games than we expected and some tough losses, but I think they were good learning experiences, and we’re going to take that into the playoffs when we play some of those teams. Our goal is to win state, and I think we got it, but right now we’re looking at our sectional and supersectional.

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