Record Sports Female Athlete of the Week: Niamh Tobin, Cresskill HS

If there’s a field or a gym in Cresskill, odds are you’ve seen Niamh Tobin on it.

You definitely can’t miss her. Standing 6-foot and with a serious flow of red hair, Tobin easily stands out among her Cougar teammates, whether it’s playing volleyball, basketball, softball, or even soccer.

“I have always been athletic and I like staying busy,” she said. “I have never wanted to drop a sport. I have always done three. It’s just something to do.”

Actually, Tobin has done more than three sports. Her top sport is volleyball, where she’s an outstanding middle hitter for the Cougars, but when COVID altered the high school sports calendar last year, she decided to lace up her soccer cleats one more time and join the team in the fall (volleyball played in late winter).

She believes she was the only girl at Cresskill last year to compete in four varsity sports.

“It was kind of fun, I always loved soccer, but I liked it the most because it got me in shape for basketball,” Tobin said with a laugh.

Soccer runs in the Tobin family. The family history goes that when Niamh’s parents Michele and Ciaran came from Ireland to watch a World Cup match, they liked it so much that they decided to stay.

Niamh’s older brother Conor was a standout for the Cougars and is now playing club soccer at Ithaca.

Niamh (it’s pronounced Neev, which she will politely tell you) played center midfield, and the coaches did wonder if she would return this fall, but her heart is in volleyball.

“It’s the most competitive (sport) and you need your whole team to be involved to win and get through games,” Niamh said. “I have liked it more because of the bond with my team.”

Cresskill is currently a volleyball team without a real home. The school suffered major flooding due to the remnants of Hurricane Ida and the Cougars have been playing and practicing in the town’s community center.