When the seniors start thinking about college, a select few decide to continue not only their academic career but also their athletic career. This year, eight Yutan seniors will be following that path as college athletes.

For several, this is a goal they have been working toward since the start of high school, which is the case for senior Molly Besch.

 “I believe I truly realized that I wanted to run track in college at the beginning of my freshman year,” Besch said. “I had played a lot of sports throughout elementary school and j-high, like flag football, basketball and softball, but nothing really stood out to me the same way track did.”

Besch was not the only one who decided early on in her high school career that she wanted to do a sport in college; the same was true for senior Adie Gale, who was influenced by upperclassmen to pursue college softball.

“I knew I wanted to get really serious with the sport and pursue it in college after softball season of my freshman year of high school, after seeing all those current seniors that I had made a tight connection with commit to different colleges,” Gale said. ”It opened my eyes up to the possibility that I could achieve that too.”

Deciding to pursue the sport is only the first step to committing; then the seniors had to narrow down which college was best. Gale committed to Buena Vista University after visiting the college and meeting future teammates while lifting weights.

 “My favorite part of my first college visit at BVU was getting to join in on a weight training session with the softball girls because I was able to bond with all of them right away and see how great the group of girls is there,” Gale said.

  Besch got a somewhat unique visit by getting the opportunity to “live” the college life, which was helpful when deciding to commit to Hastings University for indoor and outdoor track and field.

“My favorite part of my athletic visit to Hastings was practicing with the team and staying the night there with two freshmen,” Besch said. “The memories I have from those two days are something I still think about to this day.

For senior Owen Sutter, who is committed to Northwest Missouri State for football, another big factor in picking a college was not only having a good sports program but also having good educational programs for the careers he was looking into.

“Northwest influenced me because one, they are a dynasty program and known as a powerhouse for football, and they are a huge agricultural school, as I will be majoring in agricultural business,” Sutter said.

Even once students think they have chosen their college, they might still change their minds. Senior Jordyn Campbell had originally committed to wrestle at Western Colorado University, but realized it wasn’t quite what she wanted in the long run and decided to commit to Midland University instead.

“I committed to Western Colorado, which is obviously very far from home, and I think it just finally set in that I would be leaving behind everything and leaving behind my family, my support system and just all the things that I call home. And so I think I’m much more comfortable and happier to go somewhere closer,” Campbell said. 

Finalizing the commitment to their college of choice involved help from high school coaches.

“My high school coaches were always right by my side and staying positive,” Sutter said. “It was nice to have a family relationship with them where they could help me with anything needed, whether it was football-related or not.”

High school coaches can be not only a strong support system but also an inspiration when deciding where to attend college. This was true for senior Jenna Trent, who will be playing softball at Morningside University.

“My high school coaches were helpful in the way they gave me confidence that I am good enough to play in college,” Trent said. “One of my coaches, Coach [Jayden] Elsenbrock, played softball at Morningside, so she gave me insight that I wouldn’t have known otherwise.”

Now that the decisions have been made on which college they want to go to, the seniors are looking forward to what is to come.

“I’m most looking forward to competing at a higher level to test my abilities,” said senior Gionni Conti, who is committed to play football at Midland University. 

After going through the long process of committing to play sports in college, the seniors have a lot of advice that they are ready to share with anyone looking to play a collegiate sport.

“My advice would be that it’s never too early to start getting your name out there. If anything, it shows your passion and commitment to the sport, which interests coaches,” Gale said.

Not only is getting a name out there important, but it is also important not to let the stressful process get in the way of getting better.

“Advice I would give to another recruit would be to keep all of the noise out, just put your head down and grind and let God help you find what fits you the best,” Sutter said.