BY RICH PALZEWIC
SPORTS EDITOR
Natalie Shulstad is a senior at Bay Port High School who runs cross country and plays soccer.
Shulstad was a member of the soccer team last spring that won the 2018 WIAA D1 state title.
She plays the French horn and trumpet in the band and also plays the piano on her own.
Name: Natalie Shulstad
Nickname: Gnat the cat, Nat
School: Bay Port
Sports: Cross country, soccer
Parents: Julie and John Shulstad
Twitter: @gnathecat
Talk about your family.
“I have a younger brother named Dylan who is a freshman at Bay Port. My parents are from the U.P. of Michigan.”
Do you come from a sports family?
“Dylan runs cross country with me and might go out for golf in the spring. My mom and dad both ran and still do, and my dad also played football and baseball. My great grandpa is in the Michigan Tech Hall of Fame as a three-sport athlete.”
I have to ask – how often do you think about your state championship from last spring?
“That was a crazy experience. It probably comes up at least once a week. The fact that we were the fourth state champion in school history and the first girls’ team, is pretty cool. When we finally won, it was crazy.”
Can you ladies repeat?
“We don’t know that, but that’s the goal that we will work toward. All the other schools will be coming for us. We still have a lot of skill left, even though we lost 11 seniors from last year.”
Have you ever thought about doing track and field instead of soccer?
“I had thought about it, but I enjoy long-distance running. Even the 5k race we do for cross country, I almost feel it’s too short. Track doesn’t really interest me for that reason and I just love soccer.”
Hopes for a marathon someday?
“I hope to run a marathon and an ultra someday. There’s a 100-mile run in Colorado that interests me.”
How about a high school sport you wish you would have done or at least tried?
“I like hockey, so I think that would have been fun. Golf would have been neat, too.”
What is something about you most people wouldn’t know?
“I like to spend a lot of time outdoors, read and I also enjoy interior decorating.”
What’s on your music playlist?
“Smino and Saba, but I also enjoy my Disney tunes, too.”
What’s your favorite Disney movie?
“I really like Finding Nemo and Wreck-It-Ralph.”
What are your future plans?
“I want to go to a bigger college, so I probably won’t run on a team – maybe just a running club or soccer club. I’d like to study neuroscience or biomedical engineering. The University of Michigan would be a school I’d like to go to.”
What are some of your other hobbies?
“Hiking, mountain biking, downhill skiing and photography.”
Which cross country teammate should have her own reality TV show?
“Celeste North for sure. She’s super funny and always has crazy stories that happen to her.”
Who’s the quietest teammate?
“Nicole Vandervest and Ava Murphy are quiet. They are reserved, but very outgoing, too.”
What three words best describe you?
“Hard-working, creative, outgoing.”
Besides Wisconsin, what would be your favorite state and why?
“Utah – it has great downhill skiing, but also lots of hiking trails. I also like how many healthy people live there.”
Spring or fall?
“Fall.”
Chocolate or vanilla?
“Vanilla.”
Superman or Batman?
“Batman.”
Favorite sport to watch at Bay Port?
“Hockey.”
Spiders or snakes?
“Spiders.”
Favorites
Athlete: Soccer player Tobin Heath
Board game: Catan
Phone app: Vsco
Food: Mashed potatoes
Color: Blue
Notes: Suggestions for the senior spotlight can be submitted to Rich via email ([email protected]) or via Twitter (@richpalzewic). All spotlights can be found online at gopresstimes.com. Check out last week’s spotlight on Bay Port’s Bailey Preston.