What do you want to do when you grow up?  A question asked to kids of all ages, lifestyles, and experiences.  The early years feature big dreams like becoming an astronaut, a dolphin trainer, or a fireman.  As those young enthusiasts grow up, those dreams often fizzle out.  But for others, the dream of something big continues to call out to them and they refuse to let it go.

For Lady Dragon softball pitcher Riglee Peterson, playing college softball has always been the dream and after signing to play for Northwest Nazarene University, she is one step closer to living out that dream.  Peterson shared, “Playing at the college level has been my goal since I can remember. I have wanted this since I was little. I remember when I was younger always saying ‘that’s what I’m going to do.’”

Peterson officially signed to play as an NNU Nighthawk on Thursday, November 14.  As a two-time state champion softball player and three-time player of the year, she was heavily recruited by a number of schools.  Attending a summer camp at the campus in Nampa, Idaho, Peterson immediately fell in love with the school, the culture, the team and the hopeful future she could have there. 

“The team felt like family. I loved the coaches- the coaching staff was so welcoming,” she said.  The program itself appealed to Peterson as she explained, “They expect you to compete for a starting position and that pushes you.  It makes me want to earn my spot on the field.  I want to be pushed to get there!”  Being a part of so many different teams and programs, that sort of push to the next level is something Peterson is especially looking forward to.

But it’s not just the sports program that has her excited.  While sports will play a big part of her educational experience, she is also excited to attend NNU for their nursing program.  The smaller school size, one-on-one learning opportunities, and moral standards together have created an atmosphere that just feels like home to Peterson.

Her decision to play for the Nighthawks spurred another decision for the rest of her senior year- to focus solely on softball.  As a three season athlete, Peterson excelled in volleyball and basketball, as well as softball in her freshman and sophomore years.  Now with different priorities and goals ahead of her, she has made the choice to forego playing basketball to prepare for the spring softball season.  She shared, “I decided to not play basketball my senior year, first because I didn’t want to get hurt and ruin my softball career, and second, because I wanted to focus on softball and strengthening my body.”

Peterson’s natural athletic talent led to what seemed to be almost an effortless sports career.  Until it wasn’t.  Just months before the start of her junior year, she suffered an ACL tear that put all of her dreams in question.  An extensive surgery and rehab followed that challenged everything she had worked for.  

From that experience she learned some crucial lessons about overcoming setbacks and roadblocks.  She said, “I think challenges are supposed to help you grow, learn and become stronger. I think my biggest challenge about my ACL injury was my stubbornness.  I think if I would’ve accepted more help I could’ve come out of that “mental dump” sooner.  It was hard but I think if I got out of that “mental dump” sooner, I could’ve been able to start coming back more positively and not have been so hard on myself.” 

Overcoming such a huge obstacle to her college softball dream has also helped Peterson redefine what success is.  It isn’t just having more runs at the end of the game, a winning record or even a state championship title.  “I define success as accomplishing your goals and achieving something you have worked hard for, something you have put the hours and days and work in to achieve it,” she shared.  

Being an athlete is a large part of who Riglee Peterson is.  The competing, fine tuning, and digging in are a large part of that experience, but her favorite part has been the relationships she has built along the way.  She said, “Being a part of sports and a game you love takes you away from reality.  You just get to be there with your people and play the game you love and you don’t have to think about anything else.  As an athlete I have learned as an athlete to value your time and relationships with your teammates because it doesn’t last forever.”

While Peterson has a crowd of people- coaches, teammates, fans, and close friends- there is one person that has stood above the rest to help her accomplish this big dream.  She said, “I want to thank my Dad.  Without my dad I would not have been where I am today... not even close!  Though he’s made me cry, frustrated, and mad throughout this journey, I wouldn’t change it. He’s the one who’s given me the opportunities to get where I am and has been there the entire time and pushed me. I’m so grateful.

“I also want to add that I’m grateful for the friendships that I made along this journey. I am thankful for my coaches and even players that have influenced me. I’ll definitely miss getting to play on the field with some of my best friends and our memories and adventures together.”