You know those decisions that you make in your life that help define who you are? Yeah. Choosing the University of Nebraska was that for me.

This weekend, I went back to the University of Nebraska for a very special ceremony. I’ll tell you more about that later on in this post.

There’s a phrase that the University of Nebraska Athletics uses throughout their marketing. “There’s No Place Like Nebraska.” And, they are right. There isn’t. 

There is something that happens when I return to Nebraska. Every. Single. Time. I get hit in my feels. Like, hard.

For anyone who doesn’t know the backstory of how I ended up attending the University of Nebraska, here’s a short recap of that story.

My earliest years as a bowler were marked by my following in my sister’s footsteps. My sister, Kassy, is three years older than me. When we first started getting into bowling, I was five. At first, I wasn’t serious about it. However, I watched my sister bowl and would go to practice with her. She taught me that when you put in the time and effort, you can get rewarded by winning. By the time I was twelve, I started to get serious about it myself. And I’m so grateful she was there to set the path and show me the way.

When it was time for college, a part of me wanted to continue to follow her. It was comfortable and easy. And Kassy ended up going to Wichita State University, which is a massive bowling powerhouse. At that time, I was still known as “Kassy’s little sister.”

I knew that the only way to become “Diandra” was to break out of her shadow and go in a different direction. 

And so it was. That choice of new direction led me to the University of Nebraska.

So much of what I have done in life has stemmed from me getting my start as Diandra at Nebraska.

You can make a really big decision in your life, and it can really dictate the rest of your life. And for me, making that choice to go to Nebraska led to many things I cherish in my life now.

It’s where I learned to bowl.

It’s where I fell in love. 

It’s where I set the foundation for my career.

At Nebraska, I learned what it meant to feel like a true student-athlete. We were treated as athletes, equal with players of other more widely awarded sports like football players. I was named NCAA Student-Athlete of the Year, and that’s taking into consideration all sports, including football and volleyball, which was already such a strong sport there. It was the first year that bowling was recognized as an NCAA sport.

At the University of Nebraska, there’s an athletic wall dedicated to All Americans and the Collegiate Bowlers of the Year. There are not that many pictures on that wall. It’s hard to win such a prestigious honor. My picture is on that wall.

In those four walls, I learned what it takes to become a National Champion. I learned that I had a lot to learn. Being on that wall was never a thought in college though. That wall didn’t even exist then. Every time I go back and see my picture there now, though, it makes me feel so much pride. It reminds me that I left my mark at Nebraska. To know I’ll forever be a part of the University of Nebraska’s athletic legacy is humbling. No one can take that away from me.

Nebraska gave me the tools I needed to excel and enabled me to reach the highest level of the sport. It really paved my way.

When I was there last weekend, an interesting thought occurred to me. Imagine if we had that opportunity to watch our future life projected back to us during the hardest or lowest points of our life (whether in your sport or just in life)?

If you ever had that ability to see what you will ultimately go on to accomplish and how you will get stronger on the other side of it, I’m sure you could get out of the slump quicker. You’d realize everything is going to be okay. In fact, it’s going to be great. You’re doing enough. You are enough. And whatever you’re experiencing at this moment, it isn’t going to last forever

Being in Nebraska brings back all sorts of thoughts like that. And all the feels.

So much in my life – on and off the lanes – is linked to Nebraska. Though John and I were attending different universities in different states when we met, John transferred to Nebraska after we did the long-distance thing for eight months. Our love was really grown in Nebraska. Our first kiss. Our first date. And the rest, as they say, is history. Nebraska is a big piece in the story of how we built our life together.

The reason we went back to Nebraska last weekend was to honor my former coach, Bill Straub. The University of Nebraska Athletic Department was having a Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. They recognized athletes and coaches throughout the university’s entire history. One of the inductees was an athlete from over 100 years ago. Of all the people being recognized last weekend, my coach was the only coach in this year’s induction class. All of the other inductees were athletes. He was also only the 7th coach ever inducted, which is extraordinary, considering how many great coaches have come from the University of Nebraska throughout its long history and across all of its sports. 

It was so great to be there for him when he was recognized. He coached for 35 years. Athletes are always the ones getting all the credit for their achievements, but behind every good athlete, there is a great coach. I genuinely believe I wouldn’t have been able to reach the highest level of my sport, becoming a world champion multiple times, without him.

When we walked up to the stadium where the ceremony was going to be, it almost felt like a movie. It was like all of these worlds that were once together all came back together on that path into the ceremony. Some of the people we saw, we hadn’t seen since we were in college.

We were all coming together for that one reason. We wanted to honor and celebrate our coach. He meant so much to so many people, and his work touched so many lives.

My coach is a significant part of my story at The University of Nebraska and who I became as a result of my time there. 

I cannot help but reminisce every single time I go back.

So many years of life, career, love, laughter, and family are all linked back to Nebraska.