Nitek heading to UM-Duluth to play football as a Bulldog

Trent Nitek (second from right) was surrounded by family Feb. 7, as he signed his Letter of Intent to play football at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. A standout star in his hometown of Holcombe, Nitek is ready to succeed and show what he can do. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

He’s already a champion in the 100-yard and 200-yard dash, but now, Lake Holcombe senior Trent Nitek is looking to make his mark in football. The student-athlete pledged his playing skills to the University of Minnesota-Duluth Feb. 7, by signing his national Letter of Intent.

Nitek’s high school football coach John Stender shared that Nitek has scores of talent and has shown what he can do at Holcombe, but that he must now succeed on a bigger stage.

“It’s all about you now,” said Stender. Nitek’s talent for track & field runs in the family, as his father, Dusty, took first at State in shotput in 2000, and third in that event in 1999. Faced with the opportunity to play the sport he loves at the next level, is something very special to Nitek.

“It doesn’t happen to everyone,” he said. When choosing where he wanted to pursue higher education, Nitek weighed what the campus was like and what he thought of the football program, before locking in his selection. As parting thoughts to younger studentathletes, Nitek encourages them to put whatever talents they have to use.

“Chase your dreams, maybe one day it’ll happen,” he said.