At ten years old, Rachel Martin probably never thought she would be doing what she is today. The three-sport senior at Northwestern was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at the young age, and has overcome her disease to become an athlete who everyone would want on their team.

But she knew that overcoming that obstacle would not be easy. She also knew that it would take a miracle for her to be able to compete. She got that miracle.

“God completely healed my and without that miracle, I wouldn’t be able to play sports,” she said. “God has enabled me to have amazing experiences and make incredible memories through high school sports.”

Martin plays volleyball, basketball and softball, and she credits her family for her love of sports.

“Since my family loves to play and watch sports, my parents signed me up for all the recreational sports in the area to give me the opportunity to discover what I liked best,” Martin said. “They made sure I had all of the equipment we needed and encouraged me to stick with all three of those sports even when I didn’t want to.”

While she has developed in each sport, she also has done so at home, and has not traveled or attended any club teams along the way.

“I have never played on those teams because that’s not what is best for our family,” she said. “My dad works long hours so we like to be home together on weekends, and we also attend church on Sunday’s together as a family.”

“We have spent many hours in the backyard playing volleyball and softball, and in our building playing basketball. My list of chores would often include ‘shoot 25 foul shots’ or ‘serve 25 serves’.”

Martin continues to work on her game, knowing that this year will be her last with the Warriors, and she wants to go out on top.

“In volleyball, I’m working on being more consistent and recognizing what’s happening on the other side of the net so I can do my part to help our hitters be successful,” she said. “In basketball, I am working a lot of ball handling and quickness and with softball, it’s consistency and being more aggressive at the plate and in the field.”

“Now that I am a senior, I’ve realized that this is my last opportunity to play these sports so I need to make sure I leave everything on the court to benefit the team and so I don’t have any regrets. There are no more ‘next years’.”

Martin stated she will not be playing sports at the collegiate level, other than the intermural level, so she will relish in her time with her classmates one more season.

“The highlight of my sports season are always my teammates,” Martin said. “I have played with some amazing girls which makes everything about the sport- from conditioning to the actual games- fun. I have been blessed to have dedicated, knowledgeable and fun coaches.”

“My goals for my senior year are to use the abilities God has given me to do my absolute best and enjoy each moment,” she said. “I want to be the best team member and leader I can be by demonstrating that hard work, good sportsmanship and a positive attitude are very important. I hope to go farther into tournament play than we previously have in each sport.”

Martin earned Sportsmanship Award for volleyball as a sophomore and special mention in softball as a junior. She was also a part of the very successful softball team that advanced to regionals all three years so far. She is also active in National Honor Society, Student Council, Young Life, Show Choir and Junior Achievement.

She also wants to attend a four year college but is undecided on a major.