Ashland University junior women's golfer Maddie Fleck continues to use her status as an NCAA student-athlete to prepare for the days when she no longer will be.
 
Fleck was one of 47 sophomores and juniors cross the country to participate in the 2026 NCAA Legacy Lab in Indianapolis from Sept. 10-13. This, after she was named one of 50 NCAA x Meta NIL Empower 2024 fall cohorts shortly after originally coming to campus.
 
"I was actually nominated. I got an email end of summer…and here's the next steps," Fleck recalled. "There's actually a lot of pre-work that came with the program. I had to make a video, do a DISC assessment and go through training before the program.
 
"Each person who spoke was, truthfully, an inspiration. I took something really strongly from each one, which was really cool. I learned a lot from each individual person. But one of the coolest parts was…I was one of the few from Division II. The NCAA is awesome. They do such a great job of working with the student-athletes, inspiring the student-athetes. But to be in the NIL world as a Division II athlete is different, because nothing is handed to you. I've kind of paved my own way."
 
Fleck's Instagram account, @maddiefleckgolf, has nearly 8,000 followers.
 
"Maddie has been a trailblazer at Ashland since her first year here," said Elizabeth Hoge, Ashland Assistant Athletic Director / Senior Woman Administrator / Director of Academic Support Services for Athletics – who nominated Fleck for the Legacy Lab. "She has been a leader in the NIL space and has sought out opportunities to promote Ashland Athletics along with her personal brand.
 
"I am proud of her accomplishments and how she has helped to inspire her fellow student-athletes while being a successful student herself."
 
According to the NCAA, the Legacy Lab is an interactive four-day session complete with keynote speakers, workshops, games, and the program's hallmark pitch competition, the Hustle Bowl.
 
The Legacy Lab is about empowering student-athletes to build something they are proud of, whether it's a business, a brand or a career making a difference. Learners selected one of three tracks:

• Brand in Motion: Explore how to monetize your name, image and likeness responsibly and effectively.
• Blueprint to Breakthrough: Learn the essentials of starting, operating and growing a business.
• Built To Serve: Design ventures that prioritize social responsibility alongside profitability.

"I was there on the NIL track, but most of the time, all of us student-athletes were together in one big room," Fleck said. "There were a ton of keynote speakers who touched on entrepreneurship, leadership, a lot of personal brand training, mental health, and just how you can be a better leader, make an impact."
 
Fleck, who continues to work on the creative side in the AU athletic communications department, as well, talked about how she will apply what she learned at the Legacy Lab moving forward.
 
"I feel really inspired from all four days, every speaker, every athlete, every person I spoke to," she said. "Truthfully, I feel like it changed my mindset of, here's where I am, here's where I want to be, and the steps to get there. A lot of what they touched on was really good advice to, here's how you can grow as a leader, as an entrepreneur, and make an impact along the way.
 
"And I think that's really what I want to take away from it, is how can I take that knowledge, take everything I learned, bring it back here to Ashland and beyond."
 
Fleck is a Marketing major at AU. And with all that she has learned as an Eagle, at NCAA events and in building her own social media brand, she is looking toward a bright post-graduate future.
 
"I'm a fifth-generation entrepreneur," Fleck noted. "My mom is a very successful entrepreneur. She owned a restaurant for 27 years, and now has her own catering business. So learning from her first-hand…I have that mindset, and I want to be able to use that to grow, whether that's in the NIL world, own my own business or whoever I work for, be able to make an impact and inspire others that they can do anything you put your mind to."