Two roads diverged on the basketball court at Ankeny High School in Iowa just before 2004.That year, stepping foot on the court for the last time were soon-to-be juniors Ashlee Drake and Kelsey Nurnberg.
Their head coach was Scott De Jong, who led the Hawkettes to four consecutive state titles from 2001 to 2004.
“Ashlee and Kelsey were part of quite a class,” De Jong said as he mentally ran through the list of the girls that grew up and graduated with them.
He said at least five of them were participating in college athletics today.
The two also competed in other activities, with Drake on the soccer field and Nurnberg on the softball diamond.
Upon leaving Ankeny in 2005, Drake and Nurnberg took different paths when it came to athletics.
Drake came straight to Mississippi State to play women’s soccer after departing from high school.
“I had an idea of what I wanted in college,” Drake said. “Mississippi State offered everything I wanted, except for a large city, but I sacrificed that.”
Drake said Starkville is similar to Ankeny in size, but Ankeny, being a suburb right outside Des Moines, has a larger population.
Drake said she had to make several adjustments when moving from the Ankeny-style of life to the South.
“When I was moving into my dorm, people just spoke to me like they knew me already, and it threw me off,” Drake said with a laugh. “But I adjusted and got used to it. It wasn’t anything too drastic.”
De Jong recalled what kind of player Drake was to coach and said he was reminded of her intensity.
“Ashlee was a tough, hard-nosed competitor on the court,” De Jong said. “She’s one of those kids you’re glad you have them on your team, and not against you.”
As a freshman, Drake played in 15 games for the Bulldogs, starting in eight. She scored two goals on two shots on her rookie campaign.
Meanwhile, in Daytona Beach, Fla., Nurnberg was tearing apart batters on the junior college level. In her freshman season for Daytona Beach Community College, Nurnberg notched 33 victories with 272 strikeouts. She was ranked 10th in Florida with a 1.02 ERA.
De Jong said he remembered Nurnberg as a definite power player.
“Kelsey was always big strong girl,” De Jong said. “People always asked what grade she was in. Even at a young age, she would just blow the ball by batters.”
Mississippi State head softball coach Jay Miller caught wind of the pitching sensation in Florida and called Nurnberg up, wanting to talk about transferring.
Drake said she received a Facebook message from Nurnberg indicating she might be transferring to MSU.
“She sent me a short message that just said she might be transferring,” Drake said. “But I sent her a reply a page long telling her all about MSU and Starkville. I was really excited.”
Nurnberg said Drake was very helpful in making the decision to transfer and told her lots of positive things about the college and the community.
Drake made it clear, however, that it wasn’t her goal to necessarily persuade Nurnberg to transfer.
“I didn’t want her to come here if this wasn’t the right place for her,” Drake said. “I was just very honest with her about how Starkville is. I was just excited that she was even thinking about it.”
Nurnberg said she followed up Miller’s phone call with a campus visit, and within a day she was offered a transfer. Not even a month later, she packed up and moved to Starkville.
The two Hawkettes had been reunited in Starkville and were now Bulldogs.
“The soccer team became sort of like a mini-sorority. They were very welcoming,” Drake said. “I kind of figured the softball team would do the same thing for Kelsey. It’s not a thing one team in particular does, it’s more of a team thing all-around.”
Nurnberg said she affirmed Drake’s assumption when it came to being welcomed.
“MSU has been what I’ve expected and more,” Nurnberg said. “You hear about Southern hospitality, but once you come here from the outside, you don’t really see how big it is.”
Drake, a midfielder, was redshirted her sophomore year due to injury.
Nurnberg, however, began her career with the Maroon and White, making 31 appearances on the season. She finished with a 3.07 ERA in her inaugural MSU campaign, with a 7-6 record and 55 strikeouts.
Now a junior, Nurnberg has posted a 13-4 record on a 1.84 ERA on the 2008 season.
Both Drake and Nurnberg talked about how difficult it was for the Iowan pair to find time to hang out with their busy schedules. They said it was easier in the fall, though, and they do try to attend each other’s games when possible.
“We’ve gone through thick and thin,” Nurnberg said. “Right now, we’re still on the ride, and we’re enjoying every minute of it.