Bowling Green State University Athletics
BG Athletics Celebrates Women's History Month: The Chiricosta Family
March 28, 2017 | General, Women's Tennis, Falcon Club
Throughout the month of March, BGSUFalcons.com will be highlighting some of the women who have impacted the University, the community and the athletics department. From pioneers to more recent members of the department, Matt Markey will be providing the stories of our history. Our seventh story of this series highlights the Chiricosta family -- mother Sheila and daughters Christine and Nikki.
Part One - Hayley (Wiemer) Bradford
Part Two - Valerie Newell
Part Three - Stephanie Heldt-Sheller
Part Four - Denise Van De Walle
Part Five - Marny Oestreng-Unnli
Part Six - Ginny McGee Beneke
A year ago, BGSUFalcons.com produced a similar series for Black History Month. Fans can review and re-read those stories by CLICKING HERE.
Sheila Chiricosta remembers the difficult situation. She was a young mother caring for a one-year-old, but also the head coach of a Division I tennis program. She had to do portions of her coaching work from home, and that little daughter who was nursing at the time went along on some of the team's road trips.
"They made some accommodations for me, since I had a baby and a family," she recalled. "I guess back then it was unusual, but I really appreciated that, because otherwise I would not have been able to do the job."
Sheila Chiricosta coached the Bowling Green women's team for three seasons, and in her final year in 1990 she led the Falcons to what was then a school record 15 wins. Fast forward some 18 years later, and that baby who had made those road trips with the team was now a Falcon.
Christine Chiricosta came to BG as the top-ranked high school player in the state, and before she completed her highly-decorated career as a Falcon, she was the winningest player in the history of the program. Besides her 178 career victories, Christine was also a three-time Academic All-American who was named to the All Mid-American Conference team all four years at BG.
He sister Nikki followed Christine's path to Bowling Green, arriving as a freshman during Christine's senior season. Nikki would eventually break her sister's career wins record with 190 victories, and was both the MAC Player of the Year and an Academic All-American in the 2013-14 season, and a three-time All-MAC selection.
"They were talented enough to play elsewhere, but Bowling Green offered them the perfect mix," Sheila said. "BG stressed the right values – it was academics first, and athletics second. Bowling Green also taught them to be good sports, on and off the courts."
The older Chiricosta daughter, now Christine Dieken, said the student-athlete experience at BG offered her an exceptional opportunity to play the sport she loved, and be joined on the court by her best friend and little sister. Christine also had the chance to serve as a team captain, and as president of the student athlete advisory committee.
"When I was at BG, the entire athletic support staff seemed to place an emphasis on the big picture, encouraging you to be a student first and put tennis after that," she said. "I was encouraged to take on different leadership roles, and taught to challenge myself in many ways. Those experiences are very beneficial in my role today as a teacher, a mother, and a wife."
Nikki, who would close her BG career by receiving the Falcon Medal of Honor, the highest award given by the BG athletics department, which recognizes athletics, leadership, scholarship, and service.
"One of the many things I learned at BG was time management, and that is so important no matter what field you go into," said Nikki, who works in the insurance field. "Out in the business world you see people who don't know how to manage their time, but being a college athlete prepares you well for that. It's a lot like having a job."
She added that her time as a Falcon exposed her to a unique student-athlete experience.
"I really enjoyed the culture of BGSU athletics because it was much more of a community as opposed to other schools," she said. "Everyone was supportive of one another, just like a family."
Part One - Hayley (Wiemer) Bradford
Part Two - Valerie Newell
Part Three - Stephanie Heldt-Sheller
Part Four - Denise Van De Walle
Part Five - Marny Oestreng-Unnli
Part Six - Ginny McGee Beneke
A year ago, BGSUFalcons.com produced a similar series for Black History Month. Fans can review and re-read those stories by CLICKING HERE.
Sheila Chiricosta remembers the difficult situation. She was a young mother caring for a one-year-old, but also the head coach of a Division I tennis program. She had to do portions of her coaching work from home, and that little daughter who was nursing at the time went along on some of the team's road trips.
"They made some accommodations for me, since I had a baby and a family," she recalled. "I guess back then it was unusual, but I really appreciated that, because otherwise I would not have been able to do the job."
Sheila Chiricosta coached the Bowling Green women's team for three seasons, and in her final year in 1990 she led the Falcons to what was then a school record 15 wins. Fast forward some 18 years later, and that baby who had made those road trips with the team was now a Falcon.
Christine Chiricosta came to BG as the top-ranked high school player in the state, and before she completed her highly-decorated career as a Falcon, she was the winningest player in the history of the program. Besides her 178 career victories, Christine was also a three-time Academic All-American who was named to the All Mid-American Conference team all four years at BG.
He sister Nikki followed Christine's path to Bowling Green, arriving as a freshman during Christine's senior season. Nikki would eventually break her sister's career wins record with 190 victories, and was both the MAC Player of the Year and an Academic All-American in the 2013-14 season, and a three-time All-MAC selection.
"They were talented enough to play elsewhere, but Bowling Green offered them the perfect mix," Sheila said. "BG stressed the right values – it was academics first, and athletics second. Bowling Green also taught them to be good sports, on and off the courts."
The older Chiricosta daughter, now Christine Dieken, said the student-athlete experience at BG offered her an exceptional opportunity to play the sport she loved, and be joined on the court by her best friend and little sister. Christine also had the chance to serve as a team captain, and as president of the student athlete advisory committee.
"When I was at BG, the entire athletic support staff seemed to place an emphasis on the big picture, encouraging you to be a student first and put tennis after that," she said. "I was encouraged to take on different leadership roles, and taught to challenge myself in many ways. Those experiences are very beneficial in my role today as a teacher, a mother, and a wife."
Nikki, who would close her BG career by receiving the Falcon Medal of Honor, the highest award given by the BG athletics department, which recognizes athletics, leadership, scholarship, and service.
"One of the many things I learned at BG was time management, and that is so important no matter what field you go into," said Nikki, who works in the insurance field. "Out in the business world you see people who don't know how to manage their time, but being a college athlete prepares you well for that. It's a lot like having a job."
She added that her time as a Falcon exposed her to a unique student-athlete experience.
"I really enjoyed the culture of BGSU athletics because it was much more of a community as opposed to other schools," she said. "Everyone was supportive of one another, just like a family."
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