Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Athletics Mourns Former Gymnast and CMU Hall of Famer Nicole Bills
8/20/2024 12:06:00 PM | General, Gymnastics, Our Stories
Bills was a gymnast with the Chippewas from 1996-2000 and was inducted into the CMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Central Michigan Athletics mourns the loss of former gymnast and CMU Marcy Weston Athletics Hall of Famer Nicole Bills, who sadly passed away from cancer on Aug. 18.Â
Bills competed with CMU gymnastics from 1996-2000 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. In 1999, she became the first gymnast in CMU history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Bills was a two-time First Team All-Mid-American Conference honoree (1997, 1999) and earned Second Team All-MAC honors in 1998.Â
An all-around gymnast, Bills became a MAC champion on the balance beam in her junior year and earned a pair of silver medals at that year's MAC Championships in the all-around and on the floor exercise. She set the CMU balance beam record with a score of 9.925 in 2000; that score still ranks sixth in program history. As a freshman, she was the MAC runner-up on the balance beam.Â
Bills, a native of Bay City, helped CMU in 1999 to its first NCAA Regional appearance and subsequently earned invitations to NCAA Nationals and the World University Games. After earning her degree in business administration, she went on to dance with the Charlotte Ladycats, the dance team for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, and was employed for 17 years by Bank of America.
"Nicole will be forever remembered for her charismatic personality, her vibrant smile, and her loving and uplifting attitude," said CMU gymnastics coach Christine MacDonald, who had just begun her coaching career as an assistant while Bills was at CMU. "Nicole was someone who set the bar for others.Â
"Her work ethic, perseverance, and leadership were present in everything she did. She was a person of high character and a pillar of strength, for both her teammates and her family. Nicole left a lifelong impression on our CMU family and she will be forever missed."
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Bills' obituary, published by afterall.com, "Nicole lived a life filled with dedication to her family and community. Her greatest joy in life was being the devoted mother to her three sons, Oliver, Theodore and Finnegan."
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Nicole's obituary can be found at this link.
Bills competed with CMU gymnastics from 1996-2000 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. In 1999, she became the first gymnast in CMU history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Bills was a two-time First Team All-Mid-American Conference honoree (1997, 1999) and earned Second Team All-MAC honors in 1998.Â
An all-around gymnast, Bills became a MAC champion on the balance beam in her junior year and earned a pair of silver medals at that year's MAC Championships in the all-around and on the floor exercise. She set the CMU balance beam record with a score of 9.925 in 2000; that score still ranks sixth in program history. As a freshman, she was the MAC runner-up on the balance beam.Â
Bills, a native of Bay City, helped CMU in 1999 to its first NCAA Regional appearance and subsequently earned invitations to NCAA Nationals and the World University Games. After earning her degree in business administration, she went on to dance with the Charlotte Ladycats, the dance team for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, and was employed for 17 years by Bank of America.
"Nicole will be forever remembered for her charismatic personality, her vibrant smile, and her loving and uplifting attitude," said CMU gymnastics coach Christine MacDonald, who had just begun her coaching career as an assistant while Bills was at CMU. "Nicole was someone who set the bar for others.Â
"Her work ethic, perseverance, and leadership were present in everything she did. She was a person of high character and a pillar of strength, for both her teammates and her family. Nicole left a lifelong impression on our CMU family and she will be forever missed."
Â
Bills' obituary, published by afterall.com, "Nicole lived a life filled with dedication to her family and community. Her greatest joy in life was being the devoted mother to her three sons, Oliver, Theodore and Finnegan."
Â
Nicole's obituary can be found at this link.
-CMU-
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