Amidst one of the best starts in program history, Western Illinois‘ senior forward Mia Nicastro has remained grounded on her core principles.
The Missouri native is playing as good as anyone else in the realm of college basketball and is finally garnering more national recognition. Yet in between all of her personal success, she’s quick to credit those around her.
That type of selfless leadership can’t be taught. It’s just in you.
It’s easy to look at the destination rather than the journey. For Nicastro, this breakout season she’s in doesn’t surprise her. It’s the culmination of years of trusting in herself and her work ethic.
“Growing up, what my parents always instilled in me is that if you want to be great it’s up to you,” Nicastro told The Portal Report in an exclusive interview.
It’s safe to say she took her parent’s advice.
Nicastro is currently sitting at fifth in the nation in scoring with 23.5 points per game. She’s also tied for the seventh most double-doubles in the country with 10. Her dominance has been on display in every single game this season.
Her rebounding numbers have increased drastically from the start of her collegiate career to now. It’s the extra effort she puts in that has allowed her to make the jump to averaging ten boards per game.
Though it may be her experience, veteran leadership and positive mindset that are her greatest attributions to this red hot Leathernecks team after all.
As they currently sit atop the Ohio Valley Conference, Nicastro recounts her team’s mindset before the season began.
“We came into the season with a take no prisoners attitude,” she said. “And I think everyone has bought into that so strongly this year.”
The Leathernecks knew what they were capable of and they’ve executed the plan that head coach JD Gravina and themselves laid out.
Some of the discipline of carrying out missions comes from experience. Before Nicastro was a top five scorer in the country, she was a young girl with a dream of playing basketball at the highest level. Luckily for her, that opportunity came only 25 miles away from her home town of St. Charles, Mo.
At Saint Louis, Nicastro was an immediate impact player for the Billikens. Her freshman year of college basketball proved to be a year of firsts.
SLU captured its first ever Atlantic 10 Conference Championship in a 91-85 overtime win against UMass. She also helped Saint Louis make it to March Madness for the first time in program history.
“Everyone dreams of going to the NCAA tournament and to do so your freshmen year of college… it was like a dream come true, and really put everything in perspective,” she said.
Even though Saint Louis wasn’t the best fit for Nicastro, she doesn’t regret her time there because each experience laid the groundwork for the player and person she has become.
Transferring to Western Illinois provided a big city girl with a small, tight knit community that would support her through thick and thin. And sometimes that change of pace is exactly what you need to thrive.
Even thriving seems like an understatement when speaking about Nicastro. She hasn’t scored under double-digits in a game this season and has three monstrous 30-point double-doubles. She also recently scored her 1,000th point as a Leatherneck.
And just like that, Mia Nicastro joins the 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ point club with the Leathernecks
— Western Illinois Women’s Basketball (@WIUWBB) January 31, 2026
Congrats Mia!!#GoNecks | #OneGoal pic.twitter.com/b7PM6gSdu8
While basketball has taken precedent in her life for a long time, she recognizes that it’s a game at the end of the day. It doesn’t define her and she knows it won’t last forever. She prioritizes mental health and knows it matters just as much as hoops.
“You’re not going to find success in athletics if you’re not finding success and happiness in other parts of your life,” Nicastro said.
It’s truly powerful to witness this generation’s greatest athletes advocate for many issues off of the playing grounds.
Now, as Nicastro begins to prepare for the looming conference tournament, she isn’t getting too ahead of herself. She’s taking everything one day at a time.
If you are a basketball fan, you need to get familiar with Western Illinois. The Leathernecks are one of the most underrated teams in the nation and are steadily rising.
Nicastro has helped put Western Illinois on the map and she’s proving mid-major schools have just as much talent as anyone else.
As the final months of her undergraduate basketball career arrive, she’s keeping her focus where her feet are. There’s no need to look down, but instead stay focused and keep striving for more.
For now, Nicastro remains focused, backed by the Macomb community, as she hopes to lead Western Illinois to an OVC championship and NCAA tournament appearance.
Good news for the Leatherneck faithful — Mia Nicastro isn’t backing down from anyone.
“Don’t count us out,” she said. “I would put this team up against anyone in the country.”
