STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Jordyn Nowakowski hated snow at a young age.
"I would cry if it was on me," she said. "Then I would try to get it off, and I would cry because it was touching me more."
Nowakowski outgrew the aversion to become a top-ranked snowboarder.
Then she walked away from the sport while at the peak to focus on softball.
She soon thereafter gained the attention of Stony Brook softball coach Megan Bryant during a tournament in Florida while a junior in high school.
Nowakowski now enters a graduate year as a catcher with Stony Brook. She has appeared in 76 career games with the Seawolves, although Bryant enjoys sharing Nowakowski's snowboarding exploits just as much.
"Coach loves bringing that up," Nowakowski said with a laugh. "She tells everyone. On my visit, we went to a basketball game. As we were getting the tickets, she was like, 'This is Jordyn. She's a recruit. She snowboards.'"
Stony Brook was the last remaining unbeaten Division I team during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season after opening the campaign 7-0.
However, by the time of the season's shutdown, Nowakowski already had suffered a meniscus tear in the final game of the season-opening winning streak. The setback added to injury challenges throughout her softball career that also have included ACL tears to both knees.
"It's hard being a catcher," she said, again chuckling. "It's made me work harder, because I had to make sure I was prepared even though I was hurt."
Nowakowski grew up in Mira Mesa, Calif., in the shadows of San Diego's Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Her hometown is a 45-minute drive from the Mexico border, in an area that boasts sunshine and 70-degree temperatures most of the year.
Throughout her childhood, her family made regular weekend trips to Mammoth Mountain, near Tahoe, initially to ski. The family then migrated to snowboarding as the sport gained popularity.
Nowakowski already was entering snowboarding competitions as an 8-year-old or so, leaving school early on Thursdays for three-day weekends on the slopes.
The United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association offered five types of competitions during Nowakowski's teenage years — halfpipe, slopestyle, slalom, giant slalom and boardercross.
As a 16-year-old, Nowakowski entered all five. She placed in the top 10 in a couple of categories. She was No. 1 in aggregate scoring.
"So I was technically the best in my age for that year," she said.
Snowboarding debuted in the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, in 1998.
Nowakowski lobbied her parents for homeschooling so she could be in the snow throughout the week and more seriously train. That wasn't realistic, though. So she walked away from the sport on top at age 16, resolving that snowboarding would not get her to college.
At Stony Brook, Nowakowski had a pair of two-homer games her junior season, against Sacred Heart and Hartford. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in May and was named to the America East All-Academic team and Commissioner's Honor Roll. And with additional eligibility after the halting of last season due to COVID-19, Nowakowski is back at the university for a graduate year pursuing a master's degree in liberal studies.
She intends to enter teaching in her native California and specialize in moderate to severe special education.
"I truly appreciate the leadership role Jordyn takes on and off the field," Bryant said. "As a catcher, that ability is so key to the success of our pitching staff and team. Jordyn gives her best in the classroom as well, and is a role model for our younger players in how to meet the challenges of being a student-athlete in a challenging academic environment. Jordyn has battled back from serious injuries over the course of her career.
"I admire her strong will and determination in getting back on the field for her team."
