Nicole Mowbray, an Oak Harbor High School senior, signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for Southern Oregon University in Ashland next year.

Southern Oregon coach Lynn Kennedy said, “Nicole is an unbelievable student-athlete who plays with a lot of energy and passion. She has the ability to finish in the post, get by a defender on drives and can step outside and shoot. On the defensive end, Nicole has all the skills to be a lock-down defender. We are very excited about Nicole’s future as a Raider.”

Mowbray said it was a tough choice. She was recruited by several other schools and especially enjoyed her visit to Biola (La Mirada, Calif.). She chose SOU because she liked “the coach and the team.” She said, “The coach is really energetic and he reminds me a lot of coach McLeod (Brett, the Oak Harbor High School girls’ coach).”

She also picked Southern Oregon because it has a strong nursing program, Mowbray’s career choice.

Mowbray, a 5-10 forward, averaged 10 points and seven rebounds last year for the Wildcats. She has a 3.5 grade point average.

McLeod said, “Nikki Mowbray is a temendous athlete who has made improvements as a basketball player every year in our program. She was a key to our playoff run last year. Her versatility makes her one of the best players in Wesco. Along with that she is also growing in her confidence and emerging as a leader, which we need as she is one of the captains for this year.”

Currently the Raiders are 4-0 and ranked 18th nationally. The past two years SOU has competed in the NAIA Division II national tournament.

Mowbray said, “I’m competitive and they have a winning program. I like to win.”