Her biggest fan

More news about: UW-Oshkosh
Mar 18, 2026
The Poole family, including Avery and her sister, Aubrey.
Provided photo
 

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

Avery Poole is excited her sister will be at the NCAA Division III Final Four in Salem, Virginia this week, cheering her and her UW-Oshkosh teammates on.

Aubrey is her biggest fan, and her biggest motivator as well.

“I have so much appreciation for her. She’s honestly my biggest motivator,” Avery said. She’s always so positive and wants to be involved in everything. We all complain in life, but it’s hard to look at her and complain about anything.”

Aubrey was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting by damaging motor neurons in the spinal cord.

She can’t eat on her own. Or talk on her own. And she can’t walk on her own.

But she will be along for the drive with the family to Virginia — they planned to leave at 4 a.m. Wednesday morning — to watch Avery, a senior, play with the fourth-ranked Titans (28-3) against No. 8 Denison (28-2) at 5 p.m. on Thursday in a national semifinal.

Poole has always known how lucky and fortunate she is to play this game, and her sister has been a constant reminder to never take a day of it for granted.

“I use her as motivation, knowing she would do anything to be in my position,” Avery said.

Poole’s teammates understand that as well, especially Kate Huml and Mallory Lindsey, who played AAU hoops with Avery. They have embraced Aubrey as if she is part of the team.

“It’s awesome to see them form a relationship with her, seeing them include her and involve her,” Avery said. “It makes me feel good knowing my teammates support her.”

Coach Brad Fischer said seeing the support for Aubrey is no doubt a feel-good kind of moment and inspiring as well.

“There’s a level of appreciation for, A, the effort the family makes to make sure Aubrey can come watch. But also, for our team to see someone who lives each day to the fullest that she can. It’s an incredible inspiration. We always make sure we have a place available for her. She wears Avery’s jersey, and the love Aubrey and Avery have for each other, and that Avery plays hard for her, it’s incredible to watch.”

Avery has long had a different perspective on life because of her sister’s situation. And Fischer knew that while recruiting her.

UW-Oshkosh athletics photo by Steve Frommell
 

“There are so many layers to Avery and what she brings to the table for us,” Fischer said. “I knew recruiting her, she was a great human and the perspective she had because of her sister. Aubrey wishes she could play, and that has always motivated Avery.”

From a basketball standpoint, Avery had talent, but she came into college with work to do to get to the level she is at now for a Titans team making its second consecutive appearance in the final four.

“I knew we were getting a great human, but we had a raw basketball player,” Fischer said. “She was a good player, but she had a way to go to play in the WIAC. She kept working hard and has become an incredible leader, and one of the best players we have on defense.”

Poole went from averaging 3.0 points per game as a freshman to All-WIAC honorable mention honors last season while averaging 8.0 points per outing and ranking second on the team in assists (54).

This season, she averages 6.5 points per contest and has dished out 46 assists.

Her coach and her teammates have helped her become who she is today. And her dad, who is a coach, has been a big part of her development as well.

Avery said from the jump she wanted to embrace being a tough defender at the college level. The work has paid off.

“I remember when I was being recruited and watching Julia Silloway play defense and seeing where embracing that role on defense took her. It inspired me to embrace the role, and it’s made me more competitive and grittier,” Avery said.

She enjoys getting the opportunity to defend an opponent’s best player as well.

“I definitely enjoy the challenge. My goal, in the nicest way possible, is to make life as hard as possible during the game,” Avery said.

Avery is used to challenges. She is in nursing and does at least one 12-hour clinical a week during the season in a hospital’s ICU unit. She already has a job lined up in UW Health’s neuro ICU unit in Madison after graduation.

“It can be sad and hard to see, and you have to remind yourself that patients don’t always get better, but you do everything you can to make a difference, and that helps me get through it,” Avery said.

It can be a lot going from a hospital where she’s dealing with life and death situations to going to class and practice and playing games.

But she finds a way to juggle everything on her plate.

“When you are a student-athlete, you do what you can to make everything work,” Avery said. “School is a priority, but I love basketball, too. If I have to work eight to 12 hours and go straight to practice and then do it all again the next day, that is what I do.”

Avery defines what being a Division III athlete is about.

“It’s an incredible story of who we are at this level,” Fischer said.

Then there is the Titans’ story on the court.

Last season ended in one of the hardest ways possible. Oshkosh lost in the national semifinals to Smith by a 49-47 score. That loss has been fuel for this year’s edition of the Titans.

“We have talked about getting here again since we left Salem last year, and that we would do everything in our power to try and get back,” Fischer said.

Avery agrees.

“As much as the loss sucked last year because we were so close, it has been a huge motivation for us,” Avery said. “We knew it was going to be hard to get back, but we embraced it from day one and set high goals for each of us. We knew we couldn’t get to the final four in October, but we focused on what we could do to get better every day to have a chance to get here again.”

The Titans are a battle-tested group with a lot of NCAA Tournament experience. Two years ago, Oshkosh fell 61-59 to Smith in the Sweet 16.

“There are deep scars that have motivated this team,” Fischer said. “The combination of our game experience, along with the gut-wrenching finishes, it’s been a huge motivator.”

And yes, the Titans are happy to be back here. But that happiness only goes so far.

“It’s a little less happy to be here and more, ‘this was the mission and the mission isn’t done yet,’” Fischer said.

No matter how this mission ends, Avery is thankful for her journey.

“It’s always been a dream of mine from a young age to play college basketball,” Avery said. “A lot of people say they want to do it, but not everyone realizes how hard it is to get there.

Everything I have done has all been worth it,” Avery added. “It’s crazy knowing this is my last week. It doesn’t feel real. I’m trying to ride the high of this week while I can.”