Redshirt junior Lily Novacek didn’t know how her path would unfold. All Novacek had to do was be patient and let everything fall into place.
“My drive is what is going to push me to the top,” Novacek said
Novacek was involved in everything. She grew up a hometown product of Kearney and was always in competition with her siblings. Growing up she played softball, but in seventh grade, a new sport came calling: volleyball.
“My height was a big advantage in those sports, so I chose volleyball,” Novacek said.
Novacek’s one true passion was volleyball, but she competed in other sports like basketball and softball to stay in shape. In eighth grade, Novacek was encouraged by her middle school track coaches to throw in the field events. Inspired by tennis, which Novacek had played throughout her life.
When it came down to deciding what Novacek wanted to do post-high school, she was adamant she wanted to leave Kearney. Novacek took official visits at other Division II schools around the country, from North Carolina to Texas. Her recruiting process was derailed with the start of COVID-19.
“There were a lot of changes with people staying home,” Novacek said.
UNK had two great programs, which helped Novacek decide to attend Kearney.
In Novacek’s first semester she participated on both the track and field and volleyball teams. Schedules between the two commonly overlapped, which taught Novacek a lot about time management. It became too much for her to balance both, which she would later thank as a blessing.
“I would have to figure out a way to make that work, but coach (Rick) Squiers, and coach (Dane) Tobey were so great at making it easy,” Novacek said.
The schedule would get to be too much and she stepped away from volleyball to focus on track and field.
While Novacek has become a ferocious thrower, she has not always had the belief that she has now.
“ I had a problem last year where I was lacking confidence, and I wasn’t competing as well,” Novacek said.
Novacek had to evaluate herself as a teammate. Novacek knew she had to be humble and kind. From that moment, something in Novacek clicked. Week after week during the indoor track season Novacek would break her personal best in the weight throw, then the school record, but one thing has been out of her reach: being an All-American.
Novacek knew she couldn’t do it without the support of her teammates.
“They are so supportive, when I broke the school record they were all standing there,” Novacek said.
Novacek’s story does not stop here, with a couple of performances under her belt, she is ready for the National Tournament in Indianapolis.
On Feb. 28 at the MIAA championships, Novacek had the Lopers best effort, finishing runner-up in the weight throw (62-8.50). She then had a career-best toss in the shot put to come in sixth place. The throw of 46-6.75 moves into 10th place on the all-time list.
Novacek is currently second in Division II in the weight throw, and is ready for the challenge of the NCAA Indoor Championships.
“It’s exciting to see the hard work pay off, but I know there’s still more to accomplish,” Novacek said. “Competing at nationals is a big opportunity, and I’m ready to give it everything I have.”
The NCAA Indoor Championships will take place on Friday, March 14 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
