By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Over the past four months, Natalie Bain-Hammond graduated from college, got married and started a professional sports career.
The Notre Dame Academy graduate’s whirlwind summer continued Sunday when she played her fourth game as a middle defender for the Houston Dash, one of 16 teams in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Bain-Hammond became the first former Northern Kentucky high school player signed by an NWSL team last April, but she didn’t join the Dash until earlier this month. She waited until after she graduated from Xavier University in May and married Luke Hammond in July before beginning her pro career.
After coming off the bench as a substitute in two matches, Hammond was in Houston’s starting lineup for the last two matches when they went 1-1.
The Dash has an 7-9-5 record with nine matches remaining on its regular season schedule. The team slipped to ninth place in the NWSL point standings Sunday. The top eight teams will advance to the playoffs in November.
As a senior defender for Xavier last fall, Bain-Hammond helped the team post 12 shutout victories and was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Big East Conference for the second consecutive season.
She became the Xavier program’s first player to earn All-American honors three times in her career and was invited to the U.S. National Team Development Camp.
In high school, she was named first-team all-state and USA Today National Player of the Year after her senior season at Notre Dame when the Pandas won the 2021 state tournament. The team finished with a 28-0-1 record and allowed only four goals. In the state final, Bain scored the lone goal in her team’s 1-0 win over South Oldham.
Steve Flesch of Union is another pro athlete from Northern Kentucky who’s having a successful summer.
Two weeks ago, Flesch tied for fourth place in the PGA Tour Champions Boeing Classic event to win $88,714. The left-hander finished with a 10-under 206 that was two strokes behind the co-medalists.
Flesch has placed among the top 10 three times and top 25 seven times this season, surpassing $415,000 in total winnings on the tour for golfers 50 years and older.
Lexi Held, the only local player in the WNBA, is averaging 5.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists as a substitute guard for the 13-24 Phoenix Mercury that’s out of contention for a playoff berth.
Held has averaged 17 minutes playing in 27 games since rejoining the Mercury team that signed her in 2025 as an undrafted free agent. The Cooper High School graduate started this season with the Toronto Tempo after being selected in the WNBA expansion draft. She was released in May.