Hot Shot: Oak Lawn's Niemiec Honored as Top Winter Sports Athlete

Bridget Niemiec, Oak Lawn, senior, basketball

* Niemiec was a four-year varsity regular on the Spartans' girls basketball team.

* She earned all-conference honors as a sophomore, junior and senior.

* She set the school record for most points scored in a game with 32.

* She scored 841 points in her four-year career.

* She was named as Oak Lawn's co-MVP after her junior and senior seasons.

"When I look back, I will remember the Winter of 2010-11 and I will be proud of what my team accomplished. We all worked so hard day-in and day-out to achieve more. Every game just didn't go our way, but we worked hard and accomplished a lot more than people thought we were going to. The season was fantastic and all the girls got along so well. We had a great time, and it will truly be an unforgettable season."

"It will be weird not having Bridget (Niemiec) on the floor next year. She has been up on the varsity since she was a freshmen and our main post player since she was a sophomore. I enjoyed watching Bridget grow into a solid post player. She worked hard every day and was a leader on the floor. She is very smart, not only academically but also as a basketball player. She understood what we wanted to accomplish on the floor. Bridget has a heart of gold, and I could always count on her when I needed someone to help with junior high camps, the Sully Shuffle, Pink Out, etc. She has had a successful career at Oak Lawn both academically and athletically. I know she will continue to work hard and accomplish her goals."

Next year, Niemiec will be attending Illinois State University. She plans to major in special education and she may minor in sports medicine. She maintains a GPA of 3.87 on a 4.0 scale.

"A lot of people have helped get me through my high school career and taught me about life," Niemiec said. "One person who has helped me a lot is my mom. She went to Lewis University and got her degree in accounting. She worked with an insurance company and eventually got laid off. She decided to go back to school and get her degree in nursing. She is a determined person. She sets goals for herself and she always achieves them. I learned how to be determined and strong from her."