A familiar face to anyone who regularly attended games starring the Lady Rangers, KJSHS senior Olivia Nielson accepted an offer to play basketball with Utah State University Eastern with a full-ride scholarship in a ceremony last Friday.

New Frontier High School’s Principal and Athletic Director Cody Hartung led the brief ceremony with some congratulatory words for Olivia.

“It’s just an absolute honor to have one of our Rangers sign a letter of intent to play basketball at the next level…That’s what it takes: hard work, determination, and discipline. That’s what has helped Olivia get to this point,” Hartung said.

Olivia’s father, Chad Nielson, also added that it wasn’t a solo effort:

“A lot of people got us all to this point,” he said.

“I didn’t do this by myself. My teammates pushed me, my family did, I’m just really happy with everyone, really happy to do this. I couldn’t do this without all of you guys, so thank you,” Olivia added.

Likely owing to how far away USU Eastern is (a four-hour drive), there were no officials present for the signing ceremony. Despite their absence, there were plenty of students and family members who came out to cheer Olivia on. There was also pizza.

“It’s bittersweet…[basketball] coach Tim  [Fagnant] really pushed her out there, and she fell in love with [the town of] Price at Utah State Eastern, and we couldn’t be more proud of her and we’re excited for her,” Jen Nielson, Olivia’s mother (and volleyball coach) said.

USU Eastern’s Lady Eagles play in the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

In their last season, the Lady Eagles went 16-8 in both conferences— a remarkably consistent win rate

Asked about why she chose Utah State Eastern, Olivia explained that everything she saw down there made it an easy decision.

“I really liked the coaches, the environment down there, it’s pretty small down there, which is close to home. And their basketball program’s amazing…I love it down there,” she said.

But as for how USU Eastern found her?

As it turns out, coach Fagnant had sent footage of her gameplay to them, and USU Eastern reached out to her.

“They originally invited me down for a visit after watching some of my film, and then I went on a campus tour, and played with the team [a few months ago].”

She’s not certain what she wants to study just yet, but she’s looking at something in the medical or engineering fields as potential avenues— after her generals, of course.

“I’ll miss all the people and my teammates. Just being a Ranger is really special to me.”

She also didn’t miss another opportunity to thank all the people who helped her along the way.

“I want to thank my entire family and my coaches and my support system, because between the weight-lifting and stuff like that, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today,” she said.