TO THE NEXT LEVEL 17 seniors continue athletic careers in college

BY EMMA LAZARCZYK CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

As the descending seconds illuminate over the court, seniors embrace for one final team hug as their final season comes to an end, concluding their athletic careers.

For a few, this is not their final goodbye to the sport they love, but a hello to a new chapter in their athletics.

Seventeen students will continue to play their sports at the collegiate level in the fall. For some athletes, this accomplishment has been a life-long dream.

“I always thought I was going to play basketball in college, but this year I had a good year in football and fell in love with the sport, so I decided to play football in college,” senior Daegan Jensen said.

For the majority of these athletes, the recruiting process started during their earlier seasons in high school. However, for senior Marayah Taylor, her junior self would never imagine that she would be on a college softball team.

“I took a year off from softball a couple years ago and wasn’t planning on playing it ever again, but I came to Miege and I played again and fell back in love with it,” Taylor said. “It is never late to follow your dreams.”

For Taylor, the ongoing support from friends and family is what inspired her to try and get recruited this season and ultimately led her to sign with KCK Community College.

“I can always hear my friends and family cheer for me during games, and it pushes

Football

me,” Taylor said.

Similar to Taylor’s decision making process, Jensen took each day one day at a time and made his final decision based on what he felt was right for himself.

“I felt excited and nervous because I love playing football and it will be a fun experience, but you don’t know what will happen and how it’s all going to play out,” Jensen said. “I feel very blessed – it is just a great opportunity for me, and I thank God every day for giving me the abilities to do this.”

Senior Isaiah

Becoming a wide-receiver for the Jayhawks, senior Isaiah Coppage hopes the University of Kansas will be the next step of his football career after feeling at home while touring the campus and athletic facilities.

“I wouldn’t say I made it, yet,” Coppage said. “I felt like it was the place that would best develop me onto the next level to play professional football.”

While these athletes are looking

McClure Armstrong - Butler Community College

DeAndre Beasley - Butler Community College

Isaiah Coppage - University of Kansas

Daegan Jensen - University of Tulsa

Patrick McCallop - Baker University

Pablo Montoya Valdez - Benedictine College

Thomas Wright - Benedictine College

VOLLEYBALL forward to their careers after high school, many of them look at their high school experience with grateful eyes as it was the start of their athletic careers.

“As a transfer student, I think Miege prepared me both academically and athletically to play soccer in college,” senior Xander Christian said.

These athletes push themselves on and off the field to be the best version of themselves.

“Just getting the academic side down you know,“ Coppage said. “Trying to build myself up for the college level and build my body to be able to compete with the older competition.”

Along with physical training such as lifting and attending extra rugby practices, senior Allison Quinn trains herself mentally in preparation for playing rugby at Southern Nazarene University.

“The mental side to rugby is just as important [as the physical side],” Quinn said. “I train my head mentally by listening to rugby podcasts and informational YouTube videos. I feel blessed to know that when I put my mind to something, I can be successful.”

For senior Cassidy Reno, all the extra effort has paid off more than she expected.

Playing softball in college was a dream of Reno’s since she was younger, but when she received both a softball and a bowling offer from Central Methodist University, she knew she wanted to compete in both.

“When I received my first college offer I was very excited, because I realized I was actually good enough to make it into college,” Reno said. “I was struggling at that time with self confidence in sports so

Aliana Olson - Rockhurst University

SOCCER

Xander Christian - Kansas Wesleyan University

CHEER

Vivian Redmond - Northwest Missouri State University

Adrian Villegas - Kansas City Kansas Community College being able to receive those offers meant a lot to me.”

While Reno is not looking forward to leaving the friendships she has formed with her current teammates, she knows that continuing to play in college will allow her to expand her friendships.

“I realized it was a lot of fun to meet new people, create a new team and form new bonds that I still have with some of the girls even after they graduated,” Reno said. “It’s a lot of fun to be able to meet new people.”

For all 17 athletes this process has been a tiring experience, but worth it in the end.

“Don’t ever stop, no matter what happens don’t ever stop,” Coppage said. “Keep your faith in the Lord and keep your circle with the people who you can trust and want the best for you.”

Bowling

Cassidy Reno - Central Methodist University

Bull Riding

Harrison Roth - Iowa State University

RUGBY

Signing Off

Ready to sign to their schools, seniors Allison Quinn, Cassidy Reno and Marayah Taylor listen to their coaches good luck speeches. “I am very excited because rugby is a different dynamic than any other sport I have ever played,” Quinn said. | VIVIAN REDMOND

SPOTLIGHT player

Baseball Edition

Of the 17 seniors playing a sport in college, senior and center fielder Rohan Putz was the first to commit. Putz verbally committed to play baseball at Kansas State University in August of 2021. In February of 2023, Putz officially signed.

Senior

Softball

“Freshman and sophomore year was nerve-racking,” Putz said. “So, once I verbally committed, it relieved a lot of stress and allowed me to focus more on baseball and get ready for college sports.” | COURTESY PHOTO

Marayah Taylor - Kansas City Kansas Community College

Cassidy Reno - Central Methodist University

Baseball

Rohan Putz - Kansas State University

Allison Quinn - Southern Nazarene University