Nicole Baich grew up in Westchester, Illinois, and attended Nazareth Academy. While in high school she earned four letters each in volleyball, basketball, and softball.

Baich enrolled at Lake Forest College in 2004 and was a Second Team All-Midwest Conference selection in volleyball that fall after leading the team in blocks and ranking fourth on the squad in kills. She led Lake Forest in both categories and was named First Team All-MWC each of the next three years. Her 1,382 career kills and 471 blocks were still program records at the time of her induction while her .277 hitting percentage ranked fourth. Baich set a school record with 136 blocks as a junior and her 409 kills as a sophomore ranked third in team annals. She was named the team’s Most Valuable Player as a junior and a team captain her senior year. The Foresters were 62-58 overall and won 24 of 36 conference matches during her career. Baich also helped lead the basketball team to a 73-26 overall record and a mark of 48-16 in the MWC during her four years on campus. Lake Forest won a program record 24 games, captured a conference title, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament her junior year. She earned First Team All-MWC honors after each of her final two seasons and finished among the top 10 in program history with 875 career points, 594 rebounds, 154 steals, and 53 blocked shots.

Successful in the classroom as well, Baich earned Academic All-MWC honors each year she was eligible for the award. She was also a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority, a Richter Scholar, a Senior 25 and Deans List honoree, and a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon and Alpha Kappa Delta honor societies for her majors of economics and sociology. In addition, she spent three of her four spring breaks volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and received the Peter C. Clute Award for Outstanding Character and the Scott Fossel Prize for exhibiting positive leadership attributes in scholarly and/or co-curricular activities.

After graduation, Baich entered the field of small business operations with a focus on utilizing recreation, tourism, and entertainment to create inclusive environments that foster her passions of play and creating fresh perspectives.