Former Malta great Hailey Nicholson joins the Skylights

Malta isn't far away from the Armory Gymnasium. And starting next fall, the Montana State University-Northern Skylights will have a formidable pair of M-Ette sisters donning the maroon and gold.

On Thursday afternoon, Northern head coach Chris Mouat announced the signing of former Malta great Hailey Nicholson to an NAIA national letter of intent. Nicholson is transferring to Northern from the University of Montana where she spent the last two seasons playing for the Lady Griz. She will also join her sister Jada, who is currently a redshirt for the Skylights.

"Hailey is a big addition to our program," Mouat said. "She is very athletic and can play with her back to the basket and on the perimeter. She rebounds well at both ends and can get to the rim off of the dribble. She has the ability to be an impact player in the Frontier Conference."

Nicholson, a 6-0 forward, who graduated from Malta in 2016, was a key contributor on back-to-back Class B state title teams (2015 and 2016) for the M-Ettes, and she was the Most Valuable Player of the State Class B tournament as a senior. The 2015 and 2016 M-Ette teams both went undefeated.

She was a three-time, first team all-state selection. During her senior season at Malta, she averaged 14.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and was selected to play in the Montana-Wyoming All-Star Game. This past season, she averaged 5.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game at Montana, shooting 42 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free-throw-line. She started 21 games for the Lady Griz in two seasons.

"I'm really excited for a fresh start with my sister," Nicholson said. "I'm thankful for the opportunities I had in Missoula, but I'm excited to get closer to home to finish my career."

And the Nicholson sisters will be much closer to home. Northern has had outstanding success with former M-Ette greats like Kylee Denham and Laramie Schwenke, and Mouat said the addition of a talent like Hailey Nicholson will be big for his Skylights, especially after the graduation of four key seniors.

"Hailey is someone we've known for a long time and she's spent some time around our program over the years," Mouat said. "She has a huge upside and will bring a lot to our program."

Hailey is the daughter of Chad and Michelle Nicholson. She plans on majoring in business at MSU-Northern.