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By David Boyce  |  Northwest vs. Central Missouri  |  Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015  |  Bearcat Arena  |  1:30 p.m.
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - A rewarding collegiate career for a student-athlete oftentimes means more than individual success in the field of play.
 
For proof, just talk to Northwest Missouri State senior Ariel Easton. Easton, along with Maggie Marnin and Alexandria Blaurock, will be honored before Saturday's 1:30 p.m. tipoff against Central Missouri on senior day at Bearcat Arena.
 
The Bearcats need a win to grab the last spot for the MIAA Tournament.
 
"We are playing for those three, but we are also playing for a shot at playing in postseason," Northwest coach Michael Smith said. "We still have a lot at stake."
 
Win or lose, Easton will walk off the court Saturday with a great feeling about Northwest, a place she would recommend to a family member.
 
A week ago, Easton's twin sister, Asia, arrived early for senior day.
 
"I want her to see what Northwest gave me," Easton said. "She still has eligibility. If she wants to take that route, she could. Even if she wasn't playing basketball, this is a great community. She has seen the people I have lived around and people who have become my family away from home."
 
Easton transferred to Northwest from State Fair Community College. She has only been in a Northwest uniform for two seasons. When she talks about Northwest it is clear Bearcat green runs through her veins as much as a four-year student.
 
She is scheduled to get her degree in corporate wellness this summer and that means a lot to her and her family. Easton's family is flying in for senior day from South Bend, Ind.
 
"I will have so many emotions," Easton said. "For one, I will have my family here at Northwest. For them to see what Northwest has given me will be huge for me. Being a first generation college student in my family is something that has been on my shoulders for a long time. It is going to feel good to show them I have finally made it."
 
Easton has excelled on the basketball court. Last year she earned third team All-MIAA. This year she has played even better.  She leads the team in scoring and rebounding.
 
"I think she is one of the best players in the MIAA," Smith said. "That was proven last year with an all-conference selection."
 
There is very little Easton would change about her career at Northwest.
 
"It is amazing we are already to the last game of my career," Easton said. "I am so happy to have the teammates that I have. It has been a struggle these last couple of years, but I wouldn't change it. I would change the wins, of course.
 
"To meet good people that I have met and to have the opportunity to put this uniform on, I wouldn't change it."
 
After Easton leaves Northwest, she plans to keep basketball in her life.
 
"I look forward to hopefully getting to play somewhere," she said. "If the opportunity comes, I will take full advantage of it. At the same time, the opportunity Northwest has given me off the court academically, I will have a career choice.
 
"I want to do something that is involved with basketball if I can. Just giving back and helping youths. I think it will help to have someone there to encourage them and let them know life is short and you have to take advantage of your opportunities."
 
Once A Bearcat Always A Bearcat is motto that runs deep in Marnin's family.
 
"My whole family was Bearcats so when I had the opportunity to become a Bearcat, it was something special, something that went above basketball," Marnin said.
 
Marnin's career at Northwest started with so much promise. She averaged 7 points as a freshman and 11 points as a sophomore.
 
But in Marnin's first three seasons at Northwest, she was working with a new head coach and a new system each year. She never got a chance to play in a game in her third system last year when Michael Smith arrived because she suffered a season-ending knee injury. She spent her junior year rehabilitating her knee.
 
"Obviously, Maggie coming back from the injury, she has just never been the same," Smith said. "It is unfortunate but it happens sometimes with student-athletes whenever they sustain a massive injury like she did."
 
Still, Marnin learned lessons while recuperating from the injury.
 
"It was definitely an eye-opening experience because the whole knee thing happened and then recovering from that showed me you have to overcome obstacles that can be unexpected. You have to roll with the punches," Marnin said.
 
The one constant through the four years for Marnin is her smile. She enjoys her teammates and being a Bearcat.
 
"I enjoyed every teammate I have played with," she said. "Every year is different. Every person is different. Even in the tough times, I learned how people come together. That is what I will remember, the friends I made and the memories I made on and off the court."
 
Marnin is an organization/communication major.
 
"I will walk in May, have an internship in the summer and then graduate," she said.
 
Like Easton, Blaurock is a junior college transfer. She arrived at Northwest from Kansas City Kansas Community College. Her playing time this season has been limited, averaging 12.6 minutes per game. That didn't hurt her attitude. When Blaurock's number was called, she hustled on the court, eager to contribute to the team.
 
Blaurock is majoring in psychology with a minor in sports psychology. She will graduate in December.
 
"Building relationship with teammates," Blaurock said of what made her time at Northwest special. "Not only the relationships, but the spirit of the fans and how much the college supports athletics."
 
Smith is thankful for the contributions of all three seniors.
 
"Our three seniors have come in everyday and they have given me effort and that is all you can ask for as a coaching staff," Smith said.