Megan Nelson: Athletics and Christ

For many, college is a time to learn about themselves and find out how they fit into the world, and for Susquehanna University volleyball senior defensive specialist, Megan Nelson, that is exactly what has occurred during her four years in college.

Born in Macungie, Pa., Nelson made her way to Susquehanna University, via the Allentown Central Catholic Vikings volleyball program where she played in an integral part in the Vikings winning the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association AAA Girls’ Volleyball state championship during the 2016-17 season and losing in the state championship the following season.

However, volleyball was not the first sport that Nelson played, as it took her until she was 10 before she started playing volleyball.

Nelson said, “I started playing volleyball in fifth grade, while I was at the St. Thomas Moore School in Allentown. Before I started playing volleyball, I essentially tried every sport. I played basketball, soccer, swimming, cross-country, gymnastics, tennis, and softball, but I did not really find what I loved until I started volleyball.”

While still at home in the Allentown area, Nelson and her family were tight knit, with their relationship getting stronger as the family has gotten older, playing a huge role in Nelson’s life.

“I have always been very close with my family. I have two older brothers and younger sister, with all of us being relatively close in age. While growing up, my parents always pushed having our family and faith over everything else. We always supported each other, getting closer over time, especially when my brothers started college, as I missed them a lot, but it allowed us to grow closer.”

As Nelson got older and began to compete at a high level in her volleyball career, playing collegiately was always something she thought about, even if she did not recognize it.

“I think it was something that I always wanted to do, even if I was not consciously thinking about it when I first started playing, however when I began playing in high school, I knew that I just wanted to keep playing competitively for as long as I could.”

When it became time for Nelson to begin looking at where she wanted to continue her academic and athletic career, Susquehanna popped up out the blue, sharing their interest in having her come play volleyball.

“After we won states my junior year at Allentown Central Catholic, I received an email from the assistant volleyball coach, Greg Kimmel, which was supposed to go to head coach, Kuuipo Tom, labeling myself as someone of interest to the program, and that was the first time that I had heard of Susquehanna. I then reached out to the coaches, and Coach Greg came and watched some tournaments that I was participating in, and ultimately, I applied and committed to Susquehanna following my junior year of high school. I was not really looking at any other schools, and after my visit to the campus, I knew Susquehanna was where I wanted to be.”

Upon coming to Susquehanna, Nelson began to make an immediate impact on the court, as she appeared in at least 31 matches each season, across her three seasons, as her junior season was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Yet, during her final season as a River Hawk, Nelson appeared in 113 sets across 31 matches, as she finished third on the team with 271 digs and second on the team with 32 service aces, helping Susquehanna to a spot in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2021 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Tournament, the farthest a River Hawk volleyball team has made it.

Teammate Brooke LaCesa talked about who Nelson is and what she brought to the team, saying, “Megan is the best teammate you could ask for. She is kind, compassionate, energetic, and encouraging. She brings a calm presence that is needed on any team and is great with words and showing with her actions how to be.”

However, while at Susquehanna, Nelson has learned more about herself and her place in the world.

“One lesson that I can take away from my time on the volleyball team is to know who I am, even without volleyball. With COVID, we did not really have a season during my junior year, and our coaches would always ask us whether we would have come to the university if we were not playing volleyball, and I would have. Knowing what my purpose is, and not becoming overly consumed with just volleyball, while staying grounded, is something that I will always take with me.”

While Nelson, was an influential player on the volleyball team, she also grew in her faith with Jesus, becoming a prominent member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Susquehanna.

During her first year on campus, Nelson began attending FCA meetings, but not on a regular basis.

“The first time that I went to FCA was during my freshman year, when it was just a small bible study. One of my teammates during that time, Kasey Bost, invited me a few times, and even though I did not attend all the time, I enjoyed those early experiences, wishing that I would have gone more that first year, as I wanted to get to know God.”

While Nelson did not attend FCA all that often during her first year, she knew that she wanted to continue coming back, and wanted to experience what other members of the group experienced.

“During my first two years at Susquehanna I was looking for something, but I did not know what I was looking for. I was experiencing a lot of different challenges and struggles that I could not find a way out of, and I was struggling to find joy. Seeing Kasey, and how she was always so joyful, I wanted to have what she had, which is why I decided to keep coming back.”

While Nelson was just a member during her first two years with FCA, she has stepped up and has become a leader of the group along with Amanda Lemire, a senior basketball player and co-president of the group.

“I am co-president of FCA with Amanda and my role is to spread the good news as much as I can through planning different Bible studies which are focused for athletes and coaches. Every week we come up with a different study and lesson that we share each with those who come, and I am able to lead some of the lessons throughout the semester.”

Working with Lemire and the rest of FCA, Nelson has grown in her faith. Lemire said, “I think what Megan brings the most to FCA is her love of the Lord. She has such a desire to share God’s love with every person she encounters. Her walk with Christ is so inspiring and you can really see Jesus working through her. Over the past couple of years, I have seen Megan come out of her shell as she started as just a member of FCA to becoming an amazing leader.”

When discussing her journey to become one with Christ, Nelson’s journey reached a climax over the summer of 2021, as she became baptized.

“My baptism was the best experience of my life and the best decision I have ever made. It was done in my best friend, Carly Udicious’s pool, and was one of the people sent by God to lead me to him. She was able to baptize me, and it was an amazing experience because she had been praying for me to get saved, and the experience was like an answered prayer in her backyard. I had never felt so satisfied and filled joy and it shows how incredible Jesus is, with my baptism being better than any athletic achievements that I have accomplished.”

Since she was baptized and has become a leader of FCA, Nelson has been doing what she can to bring more to group and to share God’s word, especially among her teammates on the volleyball team.

“With the volleyball team, I will sometimes openly talk about my faith among my teammates, when we have talks about our culture or mission. I try to do actions the way that Jesus would live, and I try to invite people without making it feel like there is any pressure to go. Sometimes new things, especially learning about the Bible can be intimidating, so I approach them with a laid-back kind of style, letting them know what goes on during a gathering, as I can only plant seeds, so that is what I try to do.”

While Nelson has been an everyday player as a member of the Susquehanna volleyball team, and the ability to continue her athletic career being an important part of her college career; coming to Susquehanna led her to finding herself, her faith, and the way that she fits into the world.