Whitefish honors Olympic athlete

Mayor John Muhlfeld has proclaimed Friday, July 23 Nicole Heavirland Day to honor the Whitefish woman who is set to play rugby in the Tokyo Olympics.

Heavirland grew up in Whitefish and began playing rugby as a sophomore in high school.

She played basketball at a prep school in New Hampshire out of high school before transferring to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to fulfill a dream of playing Division I basketball. After checking that off her to-do list, she transferred to the rugby team and was soon chosen as an All-American. Then she was recruited by the U.S. women’s national team and began playing rugby professionally.

“While she relocated to California to train full time at the Elite Athlete Training Center alongside fellow Olympians, she still calls Whitefish home, and returns often to spend time with family and enjoy mountain biking and fly fishing in the Big Sky State," the proclamation states.

"Heavirland is a strong proponent off the field for health and local entrepreneurship and has facilitated co-branded opportunities to advance Whitefish businesses and causes," the proclamation says. "Heavirland is proud of her Whitefish roots and looks forward to proudly representing her hometown on the global stage for Team USA in Tokyo this summer."