By Tom Westerholm
LocalSportsJournal.com

TOLEDO, OH–A few hours before Toledo women’s basketball discovered its seeding in the NCAA tournament, guard Sophia Wiard hoped her team could garner a little favor from tournament selectors for a resume that included a Mid-American Conference (MAC) title and a win over a University of Michigan team that finished the season ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll.

“I hope we get not the little low 13-seed they normally try to give us MAC schools,” Wiard said. “… I’m hoping for maybe a 10-seed. Get us up there. Let us play a 7-seed or something.”

Shortly afterward, the Egelston Township native’s hopes for a higher seed were dashed – Toledo was slotted at 12, earning a showdown with No. 5 Iowa State on Saturday in the first round. 

Still, even setting aside the famous 5 vs. 12 matchup that disproportionately seems to result in a competitive game, Wiard is happy – so happy, she could barely explain how she felt roughly 24 hours after Toledo defeated Bowling Green in the MAC Finals. Her family attended the game, and her nephews ran out on the floor to greet her after the final buzzer rang. Her team was conference champions. For the first time in her college career, Wiard’s team will play in the NCAA tournament.

Photo courtesy of University of Toledo Athletic Department

“This is something, shoot, I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid,” Wiard said. “It’s everything I could have dreamed of. I’m still not over the feeling yet.”

Wiard isn’t exaggerating. She first set her sights on Division I basketball in fourth grade, playing hoops outside in the summer with the assumption that it would pay off down the line. Her older sister, Keyara, played at Grand Valley State, which gave Sophia a preview of the college basketball experience.

Still, Wiard finds herself in rarefied air. 

“It was something almost – this is very cheesy, but it’s like it was my destiny,” Wiard said. “I knew in order to get where I wanted, I had to really work for it. I’m not the quickest kid, I’m not the tallest kid, I’m not the most athletic kid, but ultimately, I got to where I am because I’m willing to put in the work.”

Many of her teammates at Toledo talk about childhood friends who ended up playing in the NBA or in the NFL. Wiard – who graduated with just 120 other students – can’t relate. 

“My dreams were a lot different than the people around me,” she said.

But Wiard still has the support of her small community 4 years after her decorated Oakridge career came to a close. 

“The community in Wolf Lake is just amazing,” she said. “I love everyone there, and the amount of support I get and receive from them is definitely not unnoticed. I wouldn’t be here on this platform without little Muskegon Oakridge, and I’m really grateful to be a part of that community.”

Photo courtesy of the University of Toledo Athletic Department

After high school, Wiard joined a Toledo team with a strong senior class already in place, but she earned 15 minutes per game and learned about being a college athlete playing behind Mariella Santucci – the team’s star senior who now plays professionally overseas. 

Then Wiard – like the rest of the basketball world – took part in a COVID year, which was one of the more bizarre sports experiences in history. Toledo spent a season playing in empty gyms in front of fake audiences. 

Still, Wiard – who is technically a senior – is grateful for the odd experience. Because of it, she is eligible for another run with the Rockets, and she plans to take it. 

“This isn’t my final season,” Wiard said. “It’s coming to an end, I know that, but I have one more season after this. 

“My knowledge for the game has grown every single year. I’m getting older, my body is trying to keep up with me, that’s for sure, playing a lot of games, three games in four days is definitely different, but ultimately, I wanted to win a MAC tournament. That’s been a dream of mine. So I think that’s been a motivation all year. We fell short last year, and I think that was kind of the motivation to get us to where we are today.”

Last season, Toledo entered the season ranked eighth in the MAC, but put together a 29-6 record thanks to a gritty, tough defensive identity. This year, expectations ramped up – Toledo was ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll. While the Rockets are 28-4 and 16-2 in MAC play, a few hiccups – which included early losses to Northern Illinois and Bowling Green – prompted a players-only meeting. 

In it, the team discussed how their success the previous year was built on their defense. 

“Everybody on the team could agree that we weren’t as hungry or gritty, just wanting to take everything,” Wiard said. “I thought we kind of lost that a little bit in winning a lot last year. But we eventually found it again this year. I think that’s kind of what’s been propelling us forward.”

Photo courtesy of the University of Toledo Athletic Department

The Rockets fell to Bowling Green 88-76 on Jan. 18. Since, they have rattled off 16 consecutive victories, including their rubber match against Bowling Green in the MAC Finals on Saturday. 

Wiard has put together an impressive season, posting 10.1 points (third highest on the team), 5.3 rebounds (second highest) and 4.1 assists (highest) per game. She believes Toledo – with its depth and its rediscovered commitment to defensive basketball – will be a very hard out.

“We’re tough,” Wiard said. “If we’re all on the same page, we’re going to be really tough to beat, and I think that’s what we’re going to take into the tournament with us is that mindset and just really outwork everybody.”

On Saturday, the Rockets will have a chance to prove themselves on their biggest stage yet. 

“[March Madness] is something you’re always thinking about, and it’s been a long time coming,” Wiard said. “It’s my senior year, and it’s really exciting that we finally got to where we’ve been working to be.”

Photos courtesy of the University of Toledo Athletic Department