Freshman defender Nikki Bush is in her first season with the LSU women’s soccer team and comes to Baton Rouge from Clinton High School in Clinton, Miss., as one of the top 100 high school recruits in the country for the Class of 2006. She earned recognition as one of the nation’s premier players while competing with the Under-17 U.S. National Team Pool, as well as the Region III Olympic Development Program Team and the U-17 adidas ODP All-Star Team in 2005. Bush is a staple as an outside back and will help lead a young back line that will be at the heart of LSU’s defense for the next four years.
Diary Entry
First and foremost, I love LSU! I came to school a little nervous and not knowing what to think. I have only been here for a month and have already fallen in love with everything about the school.
When we first arrived, we were able to settle into our apartments and hang out with the upperclassmen and they were exceptionally nice. They were very welcoming and encouraging to all of the freshmen.
I actually wasn’t nervous at all about how the team was going to play this year. Everyone bonded well during preseason camp and got along great, so I knew that we would come out playing hard and as one unit. Even though the first game didn’t go as planned, we still played hard but there is always room for improvement. We improved more and more in our three games last week, and we’re just starting to get the feel of how everyone plays. It’s a lot of fun for me to play with so many great players.
I would have to admit that playing two games in three days is challenging. We played Sam Houston State on Friday, and even though the score looks like we hammered them they didn’t give up. They fought until the last buzzer sounded. Saturday morning rolled around and we had a light practice at 9 a.m. ? just a walk through and a light stretch. Most of us attended the football game that night but only stayed until halftime just to make sure we rested our bodies and relaxed for Sunday’s game. Our curfew was midnight to make sure that we had enough rest for the game on against the University of Houston. We didn’t start the game like we would have liked to but ended up pulling together and playing like we know how, and it showed at the end of the game. If we keep getting better as a team, we have the talent to win the SEC and go far in the NCAA Tournament.
School is a little overwhelming right now. Instead of only having 30 people in my classes, I have some where I have 300. I love meeting new people, so meeting friends in my classes is not a big deal at all and being away from home really is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I’m always with the soccer girls and they are just like my sisters, so if I get lonely or homesick I just go and hang out with some of the girls. I consider them part of my family. Plus I get to see my family at least once a week if not every two weeks. I only live a little over two hours away, which isn’t too far to drive. It’s only a hop, skip and a jump for my mom, and I have no complaints so far. I love the school, the people, and most of all my teammates.