Trinity Shadd-Ceres is making a dream come true after transferring to Creighton in 2026.
Shadd-Ceres grew up playing volleyball and competing in the long jump in track and field. The junior outside hitter began her collegiate career at Wisconsin where she played only volleyball. However, after transferring to Creighton, she found the opportunity to compete in both sports once again.
“Since a young age, it was just always a goal to do both sports,” Shadd-Ceres told Hurrdat Sports. “I kind of fell out of love with track for a bit, and that’s why I went to play just volleyball in college. Now, being here has changed my mind a lot, and they’ve given me the opportunity to do both.”
Creighton recruited Shadd-Ceres for volleyball, but after the outside hitter talked to volleyball head coach Brian Rosen, he helped connect her with the track team.
“He picked me up from the airport and he was just asking questions, just getting to know me more,” Shadd-Ceres said. “He was just like, ‘Would you still be interested in track?’, and I was like ‘Well, yeah.’ It’s never really been a thought of mine the past two years, but my biggest thing is volleyball’s my priority. If he gave me the consent to go ahead, which he did, and he was all for it and supporting me.”
Shadd-Ceres spent two seasons at Wisconsin before entering the portal. She committed to Creighton in late December, a program looking to replace an all-time great at the outside hitter position after Ava Martin exhausted her eligibility.
“Creighton aligned so well with my goals,” Shadd-Ceres said. “I wanted to be developed as a volleyball player and a person, and they have great coaches that are going to make me better on the court, but also just morally everything aligns with what I want to be. The fact that the school is centered around God and the Christian religion is something that I really appreciate too, so that’s been integrated more into my life being at an institution like Creighton.”
In her sophomore season at Wisconsin, Shadd-Ceres played in nine matches, totaling 12 kills, six digs, four assists and two blocks as Wisconsin reached the Final Four in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. She played in four matches as a freshman, recording 10 kills, seven digs and four blocks. Bluejay fans at D.J. Sokol Arena got their first in-person look at the dynamic newcomer during Creighton’s exhibition against Nebraska on Friday as she totaled nine kills on .250 hitting in the four-set match, a 3-1 win for the Huskers.
At Creighton, the Ontario, Canada, native has a more direct path to playing time on a team in need of some firepower at the pins. The Bluejays finished the 2025 season with a 28-6 record, their 12th straight Big East regular season title, their 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and an Elite Eight appearance.
Creighton Bluejay Trinity Shadd-Ceres celerates with her new teammates during a volleyball match at Baxter Arena on March 28, 2026 in Omaha Nebraska. Photo by Collin Stilen.
“I think it’s just experiencing the big moments,” Shadd-Ceres said of how her experience will help the team. “It’s just easier to relieve pressure once you get put into those bigger moments again. Also, just building consistency in yourself when the moments aren’t so big, so then you can perform when the moment is even bigger or the biggest moments you’ve been in.”
Though she wasn’t on the court for the biggest moments at Wisconsin, Shadd-Ceres experienced plenty of high-pressure situations prior to her arrival in Madison. In 2023, she competed on Canada’s U19 National Team, thanks to her volleyball club coach’s connections.
“That was so fun,” Shadd-Ceres said. “That was probably the biggest stage I’ve ever competed on in volleyball. It was very nerve-racking at first just because in Canada there’s not a lot of fans that come out to a lot of games. So, just even having a facility filled up was a crazy reality. It was a lot of fun. I met a lot of great people on the Canadian national team, but also other countries’ teams.”
The junior-to-be said she learned a lot competing on the national team and has relied on that experience in college.
“I think the biggest thing is that at the Division I level, everyone is good, but it’s kind of just realizing that you are there for a reason, and you’re good too,” Shadd-Ceres said. “So me being able to make the youth national team was like a reminder and built my confidence up again.”
Shadd-Ceres has taken that confidence into volleyball and track. Since joining the track team, her schedule has gotten a lot busier. She said that the coaches have helped her create a schedule where there’s not too much overlap. Shadd-Ceres said she typically practices one sport a day, with track practice being once or twice a week.
“I think the hardest part is just school in the mix of this,” Shadd-Ceres said. “Creighton’s a very big academic institution, which is also why I picked this school, but just making sure I keep my grades up to where I want them to be while still performing at the level I want to be. I think that’s my biggest challenge right now.”
As Shadd-Ceres continues to participate in both sports, she is looking forward to what’s ahead.
“I’m just excited to grow as a person and a player,” Shadd-Ceres said. “I think that me choosing this program is the best place I can be right now.”
