I was drawn to Winona State by the
small town atmosphere
By Nicole Wood ’92
I was drawn to Winona State by the small town atmosphere and
the womens’ gymnastics program. The teams were good and
I along with three other freshmen were dynamite. We became
known as the “Freshman Four.” The big, fluffy hair and jeans
rolled up at the ankles were everything you’d expect from the
late 1980s.
My life was transformed when I was a sophomore. While I
planned to major in elementary education, the exercise science
program began that year. I immediately thought, “That’s what I
want to do.”
Gymnastics probably had something to do with it. It made
me want to understand physiology and movement. Dr. Randy
Miller, who founded the program, was an inspiration to me.
My focus was cardiac rehabilitation and he helped facilitate an
internship at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale. I was
able to land a job there. Twenty years later, I work at one of
the largest medical device companies in the world.
That small town feeling at WSU has stayed with me. The
camaraderie I experienced with my teammates while I
was a student grew into meaningful
relationships today. Looking back at
those years, it was a remarkable time for me.
Nicole (Setnicker) Wood was an All-America and Academic All-
America gymnast at WSU. Today she is senior clinical research
specialist at Medtronic, Inc. She lives with her family in Rogers,
Minnesota.
WSU Currents •
Fall 2012
19
