Wandrie commits to play volleyball, softball at Lindsey Wilson College

INDIAN RIVER – Back in early August, Natalie Wandrie didn’t even have to think much about the next college destination on her tour.  

In fact, her decision was already made right then and there.  

“We were getting in the car to go to the next destination for the tour, and I was like, ‘Yup, I’m going here, this is it,’ so it was nice that I knew exactly where I wanted to go while I was there and I didn’t have to figure it out," recalled Wandrie.

That place for the Inland Lakes star athlete was Lindsey Wilson College – and she won’t be going there to play just one sport.  

She’ll be playing two.  

Just a few months after making that trip to Columbia, KY., Wandrie made things official on Saturday afternoon by committing to play volleyball and softball at LWC during a signing ceremony held at Inland Lakes High School.

“It’s just awesome. In fact, it wasn’t really even a hard decision,” said Wandrie, the daughter of James and Nancy Wandrie. “The campus is beautiful. It’s kind of like a small-town feel, but it’s kind of a bigger campus, like you feel like you’re on a huge campus but it’s actually really small, and the coaching staff is super nice. They’re like the best coaches ever and they haven’t even been my coaches for a day.”

An All-State performer in each sport in recent years, Wandrie will join the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders, who are a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and have competed in the Mid-South Conference since the early 2000s. 

On the volleyball court, Wandrie starred for the Bulldogs in recent seasons, helping lead the program to multiple district and regional titles as well as an appearance in the MHSAA Division 4 title game during the 2021 campaign. This past season, the Bulldogs won the Ski Valley title, a fourth straight district title and a second consecutive regional crown.

On the softball diamond, Wandrie, one of the most feared hitters in Northern Michigan, has also shined for the Bulldogs, who captured district crowns during the previous two campaigns and reached the regional final last June. 

No matter what the sport is, Wandrie’s looking forward to the challenge that awaits.

“I’m very excited,” Wandrie said. “I thought I was going to have to go to a school and play one or play a different sport other than volleyball, but volleyball’s just one of my favorite sports. That and softball are my top two. I definitely want to be an All-American, hopefully get good grades because I’ll be double-majoring, also. A national championship for the softball team, that’s definitely a goal.”

Natalie becomes the third Wandrie in her family to reach the college level for athletics over the past six years. Her sister Vanessa Wandrie, who graduated in 2017 and was a member of the Division 4 state champion Inland Lakes softball team, had a solid career at Siena Heights, while her brother Nathanial Wandrie is a current member of the University of Michigan-Dearborn baseball team. 

Natalie, a tenacious competitor just like her older siblings, admitted she’d like to be the top Wandrie in collegiate athletics when it’s all said and done. 

“I’m definitely trying to outdo my siblings, I have to say, because I’m hopefully going to be able to become an All-American in one of the sports, I don’t know which one,” Wandrie said. “That’s how I’m planning to outdo them. It’s very competitive between us. Like everything turns into a competition.”

Surrounded by family, coaches, teammates and several others at Saturday’s ceremony, Wandrie thanked the many in attendance who helped her reach this point.

“I’m extremely thankful,” Wandrie said. “I would not have been able to do it without them and I definitely would not be here today if they had not been there.”

Inland Lakes volleyball coach Nicole Moore, who helped develop Wandrie into an All-State talent, also looks forward to seeing what the I-L star can accomplish at the next level.

“It’s always been a personal goal of mine to inspire somebody to play volleyball at the college level, so Natalie will be my first,” said Moore. “There’s other seniors that are looking at the opportunities at some community colleges. The program we’ve created has created an athlete that wants to keep playing and then can play at that high level, it’s a great accomplishment for her. 

“I think it says a lot about our program, her athleticism, and it’s awesome.”

Moore has all the confidence in the world that Wandrie will continue to be a star in her respective sports as well as the classroom.

“I think she will thrive, for sure,” Moore said. “Two sports and I know she is looking to become a lawyer or go to law school so she’s going to be in some hard classes and pushing herself, but I think that’s what she’s done her whole life so I think she’s prepared for that. As far as what those coaches will be getting, she’s a hard worker, she wants to do her best, she wants to win, and that reflects everything she does. She works hard, she wants to get better, and she makes it happen.”

While Wandrie hasn't officially declared a major, she has major ambitions of being a lawyer someday.

So when she arrives at Lindsey Wilson, academics are equally as important as athletics for Wandrie.

“It’s definitely a very good academic school because they’ve got smaller classes, I think the ratio is like 15-to-1 for student-teacher, so it’s kind of like Indian River in that way,” Wandrie said. “Like small classes you get that teacher and that always helps me learn a lot more than an online class.”

With her high school volleyball career now complete, Wandrie will turn her attention to basketball season, which is already underway. After basketball, Wandrie will cap off her final season at Inland Lakes by competing in softball.

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Wandrie commits to play volleyball, softball at Lindsey Wilson College