Wilson High Volleyball

Coach Megan Koch was a volunteer coach with Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department when she was in college coaching basketball and volleyball. In 2018-19 she was brought on as an assistant coach to the junior high boys basketball team at Wilson and would later become an assistant coach to the junior high volleyball team as well. In 2021 coach Koch became the head volleyball coach at Wilson High School.

“I had a number of great coaches growing up, but my basketball coaches Jamie Camacho and Rodney Seehafer had the largest impacts on me as an athlete. Always pushing me to do better and work harder towards being a good teammate and reaching a common team goal. Rod coached me throughout junior high as well my senior year and Jamie coached me all four years of high school. Their dedication to creating a strong sense of community and teamwork on the floor played a large role in my desire to coach our youth,” said coach Koch.

Also an educator, Koch teaches science to grades 7-12. Koch said she enjoys both jobs as a teacher and coach.

“Part of my job as a coach, and as a teacher, is to create good people who care for others and understand the value of working hard, regardless of an outcome. I enjoy getting to see my students grow and develop through the course of the year,” said coach Koch.

Coach Koch is an alum of Wilson High School, so coming home to coach and teach was the right decision for her.

“Wilson High School is the right place for me because I love the sense of community that we have. I always knew that when I completed college, I wanted to come home to teach at Wilson,” said coach Koch.

This season the Wilson volleyball team faced tough odds with a difficult schedule, but coach Koch was pleased with the effort and focus on the court.

“I had a really good group of girls this season. With an absence of seniors last season, we had 11 returners, so we were able to build upon were we left of at the end of the

2021 season. We also gained four incoming freshmen and one sophomore that are all very promising athletes. I have only been coaching high school for the past two years and I have often told the girls that I may not know everything that there is to know, but I am willing to work if they are,” said coach Koch. “I think that has really given us a better connection between player and coach. Players feel comfortable talking through scenarios and voicing their thoughts on changes to offense or defense, and players feeling confident in their opinions and choices is something that I find to be an important part of being a team. We do have a tough schedule in the start of the year, but that just drives our focus at that start of the season, it gives us something to come out strong against right away.”

With several players who could play multiple positions, coach Koch developed a system that would give the team the best opportunity for success.

“We changed some things up throughout the season and worked some girls in different positions, and even if those decisions don’t result in wins, we gain more for the future by trying out different positions and working on a variety of skills, than we would by playing it safe. Part of being competitive is changing up the game, and we are working at getting stronger at the strategic part of the volleyball,” said coach Koch. “I’m extremely proud of their efforts this year and their ability to move forward together, even if their futures seem uncertain. Unfortunately, the future of Wilson volleyball looks nonexistent. However, if we would be lucky enough to stay together, I think that we could keep building this amazing thing that we’ve got going for us. I would be excited to see what we could do next year if given the opportunity, because I believe the snowball has just started to form for this team, and it’s only going to get bigger and better with time.

Anna Thielen (Jr.), Abby Dlabal (So.), Serenity Steinike (So.), Evie Reichel (So.), Grace Bohnen (Sr.), Olivia Crawford (Fr.), Skylar Cullens (Jr.), Cara Criswell (Sr.), Railynne Soukup (Fr.), Macie Ortiz (Fr.), Leah Criswell (Fr.), Alivia Koch (So.), Tyra Meyer (So.), Hallie Theilen (So.), Kylee Larsen (Sr.), and Maddison Cook (So.).

Inman’s - Eli Brunk

By Matt Browning

Eli Brunk of Inman was chosen as the Advanced Physical Therapy Athlete of the Month for October. Brunk injured his knee during basketball season and it was preventing him from doing the basic fundamentals like running and jumping. “My overall experience with APT was great,” Brunk said. “The trainers had me progress through exercises and as my knee improved they didn’t rush it. They were very knowledgeable about how to get me recovered as fast as possible.”

There were two particular exercises APT had Brunk work on that he said were particularly helpful.

“The trainers had me do band work and the electric stem machine which helped a lot,” Brunk said.

Brunk made significant progress and did so quickly. That would be just part of his recommendation for any athlete who needs to utilize Advanced Phyiscal Therapy.

“I would recommend them because they are very knowledgeable, the workers are really nice and they got me healed up very fast,” Brunk said.