Niki Nolte, Two-Time Cancer Survivor, Makes Her Penn State Swimming Debut

In those post-transplant days, when she barely could walk the length of a hospital hallway and wondered when the pain might ease, Niki Nolte still thought of swimming. The pool, as a second home, always has been comforting.

That will make Saturday even more memorable. On Feb. 5, the second anniversary of her life-saving bone marrow transplant, Nolte will swim in her first home meet at Penn State. She longed for this moment as a kid, then later as a two-time cancer survivor and now as a competitive member of Penn State's women's swimming team.

"It's truly an honor and privilege to represent the blue and white," Nolte said. "After beating cancer twice, it's even more special."

In January, Nolte resumed her swimming career after nearly 30 months away, competing in two events at a tri-meet at Northwestern University. She raced in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200 medley relay, welcoming the sweaty palms of her first meet since 2018, while her family watched from home via Zoom.

Those races marked another turning point in her recovery from two bouts with cancer and the bone marrow transplant, which she required after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in September 2019. While recovering in an apartment near Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where the transplant was performed, Nolte feared that she might never swim for Penn State.

So when she ultimately did, her teammates couldn't contain themselves.

"Watching Niki swim brought both tears and joy to the whole team," senior Stephanie Szekely said. "It was incredible watching her race for the first time in so long, and her presence on deck was full of positivity. The #NikiStrong [a hashtag started after Nolte's second diagnosis] has been so important to this team and has brought us together as one big family."

"Living with Niki, I get to see how determined, motivated, and positive she is day in and day out, and she is a constant inspiration to me," sophomore Ellie Tiskus added. "Niki is my why for swimming. Seeing her achieve her dream of getting back in the pool and doing the sport she loves was incredible."

Nolte, a 20-year-old sophomore majoring in biobehavioral health, faced a four-year journey to reach this milestone. In 2017, Nolte, then an all-state swimmer at Kutztown (Pa.) High School, was diagnosed with lymphoma. After undergoing nearly five months of chemotherapy to reach remission, she began looking ahead to college.

About a year later, as she began her freshman year at Penn State, Nolte was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She withdrew from school and returned to chemotherapy. In February 2019, Nolte underwent the transplant. Her older sister Krystal was the donor.

The transplant was successful, and by April 2019, Nolte showed no evidence of disease. But she faced a series of complications, including chronic graft vs. host disease. It's a post-transplant risk, occurring when cells from the donor attack those of the recipient.

Nolte's symptoms affected her eyes, skin and joints but have been controlled through medication. They prevented her from competing with Penn State during the 2019-20 season, though she remained an integral part of the team.

That led Nolte to January's meet at Northwestern. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Nolte wasn't required to take exceptional measures to protect herself, though she often swam and worked out alone. So she practiced with vigor. Further, Nolte has been receiving a series of vaccinations since October because the transplant compromised her immune system. They have been necessary to help her re-integrate with the team.

When the schedule initially was released, Nolte was thrilled to see a home meet. She has wanted to swim for Penn State, and at Penn State, since competing in YMCA meets there as a kid. But Nolte didn't expect to be selected for the travel roster that went to Northwestern. That left her speechless.

"I was told right before practice, and I was in tears in the water," Nolte said. "Of course, going to the meet and actually being able to compete and get up on that block and race was a feeling that I’ll never forget. I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life."

Penn State hosts Michigan State on Friday and Saturday to close the shortened regular season. The Big Ten championships are scheduled for Feb. 23-27 in Minneapolis.

Now, Nolte is starting to think about times again. At Northwestern, she finished the 100 breaststroke in 1:15.02. In high school, Nolte swam the event in the 1:03s.

With another two years to compete at Penn State, she's striving to get there.

"I won’t lie; it's been hard mentally," she said. "The competitive side of me knows what I was able to do in the past. I also have to take a step back and realize that my body is completely different. My whole lifestyle has changed, and I can't neglect that fact.

"... Now, I'm just enjoying the feeling of the water again. I've loved it. And just being able to feel healthy."

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