The Next Level: Former Panthers who still compete in college

     This week’s installment of The Next Level looks at athletes in a variety of collegiate sports, as we continue catching up with MHS graduates.

     Here they are:

Kori Bohlken

Junior, softball,

Mount Mercy University

infielder

     Q: What made you decide to continue your athletic career in college?

     A: Softball has always been my favorite sport. The thought of giving it up when I was good enough to go play somewhere was not something I really wanted to do. I wanted to go to Mount Mercy because it’s a very medical science-related school. The science program is very focused on helping kids who want to go into the medical field rather than just get a science degree. After talking to the coach, I realized softball was an option here too, so it just made sense to me to put the two things I wanted to do together.

     Q: How has it gone for you so far? What have been your biggest achievements?

     A: It’s gone so well. You really do become a family with your teammates even more so than high school, because you spend almost the entire year together. To be honest, though, my biggest achievement has been school. Softball has made college a complete whirlwind – we’re always doing something – but I’ve been able to keep my grades up and do well in my classes and that’s something I’m the most proud of.

     Q: What position(s) are you playing, and where are you in the batting order?

     A: I play first base, though I’ve been thrown around many positions in the infield. Usually I bat in the middle of the line up anywhere from third to fifth.

     Q: How does competing at the college level compare with high school?

     A: It is so different, especially in softball. In high school I could literally focus on softball and nothing else; now I have to balance school at a higher level as well as softball, plus a job, volunteering, etc. The game is way more fast-paced; as a hitter you can’t be picky because the pitchers you face aren’t going to make many mistakes, if any. There’s also a lot more strategy to the game, it’s not just get up there and hit the ball anymore. You also do way more offseason prep. From lifting to conditioning to hitting groups, I usually always had something to do after class at night or between classes during the day, even a program to do on your own during the summer. I definitely think that goes for any sport in college though.

     Q: What goals do you have for your collegiate career?

     A: At this point my goal is to just make the most of it. This is my last year of playing competitive softball, and I want to go out on a high note.

     Q: What are your year in school and major, and what other activities are you in?

     A: I’m in my second year of school, though credit-wise a junior. (Thank you JREC) I am technically a biology major, but have been accepted into pharmacy school at Iowa for next fall, so I will not be finishing my bachelors degree. Aside from softball I am also a member of the Science Club at Mount Mercy.

Parker Kray

Sophomore, baseball,

Upper Iowa University

Pitcher

     Q: What made you decide to continue your athletic career in college?

     A: Ever since I was 4 years old playing t-ball, it was my dream to have the opportunity to play college baseball. Of course, like any dream, I encountered challenges along the way including two shoulder surgeries and a knee surgery. Going through rehab three different times was very challenging but made me work that much harder to achieve my lifelong goal. While in high-school I continued to improve my pitching and I could feel that my dream was attainable after attending a showcase where many colleges expressed interest in my pitching. My senior year proved to be my best year yet as I threw a perfect game and had many other great appearances which pulled in the perfect college for me, Upper Iowa University. UIU had the Agricultural program I was looking for and the coach recruited me for the team.

     Q: How has it gone for you so far? What have been your biggest achievements?

     A: College has been a great experience so far. This year our team was gifted with a whole new high-energy coaching staff that has turned our program around. From when I was a mere 4 years old and all through high school, my dad Vic, Kevin Miller, and Perfect Game all taught me how to throw the baseball and I attended many throwing camps where I always threw overhand like everyone else. This mindset changed dramatically this year when my new coach asked me to try something new that I had never thought of doing before, sidearm. Over the course of a couple practices, I had taught myself to throw from a completely different arm angle. Many people do not understand how difficult this transition is to make, especially after performing the other way for 13 years of my life. Learning how to throw sidearm and appearing in five games so far this year with great results are two of my three biggest achievements so far. The third and most important achievement in my collegiate career so far is being able to balance my baseball schedule with my class schedule and still make the Dean’s List.

     Q: What position(s) are you playing, and where are you in the batting order?

     A: I was recruited to solely pitch. We are called ‘PO’s’ or pitchers only, so that we can focus on our sole position and not have to worry about batting. As a sidearm pitcher, I am put in the worst situations like bases loaded with no outs, and it is my job to bail us out of bad situations and keep us in the lead.

     Q: How does competing at the college level compare with high school?

     A: Competing at the collegiate level is a completely different game. A prestigious few are chosen and recruited from millions of high school athletes to play at this higher level. In my eyes, the transition from high school to college baseball weans out those high schoolers that are just in the sport for fun and bring in the players to college that want to continue their career as long as they can because of their passion for the game. The game is played at a much more intense pace with a lot less forgiveness for poor performance. I am one of 20 pitchers on our team. If you get the opportunity to have your number called, you had better be ready, because there’s always another guy in line that wants the opportunity just as bad as you.

     College practices are much different than high school in the fact that two-a-days are a very common thing. Meaning that we have lifting at 5:30 in the morning and then we will have a three-hour practice in the afternoon of the same day – usually every day. The biggest change from high school to college was the time period that we are in the sport. In high school, the season is played from May to July. In college, our season starts when we arrive at school in August when we play fall ball, and then continues through May. Needless to say, the weather is not always ideal, and we have played in snow multiple times. The greatest challenge of college baseball is traveling five out of the seven days in the week while in season and still having to find time to do classwork.

     Q: What goals do you have for your collegiate career?

     A: I have many goals that include remaining on the Dean’s List, continuing to improve my pitching, and to potentially work my way up to the next level of baseball.

     Q: What are your year in school and major, and what other activities are you in?

     A: I am currently a sophomore majoring in agricultural business. Along with being involved in baseball, I am still an active member of the Monticello FFA, and I just recently received my FFA American Degree in Indianapolis. I am also currently restoring another tractor to take to the 2017 Iowa State Fair for FFA.

Jace Meyer

Sophomore, bowling,

Mount Mercy University

     Q: What made you decide to bowl at the collegiate level?

     A: I started losing interest in other sports around my junior year of high school, and that was when I started seeing videos of college bowling on YouTube. It was a different atmosphere than what I was used to dealing with, and it looked like a lot of fun so I decided to quit all the other sports I was doing and focus on bettering myself in bowling.

     Q: How did the opportunity come about?

     A: Through Andy Diercks, who was in the process of becoming head coach of Mount Mercy’s bowling team. I went to him for help with my bowling game, and we developed a pretty good relationship which turned into a bowling opportunity at Mount Mercy.

     Q: What spot do you occupy on the team, and how has the team done?

     A: When we bowl baker format, where five bowlers bowl the same game and only bowl two frames (each), I usually bowl leadoff in the first and sixth frame to get the team energized and to get a read on how the pattern is playing.

     Q: How has your college bowling career gone for you?

     A: Last year went fairly well. I had some decent performances and got to go to sectionals with the team. This year didn’t go so well; I definitely did not perform well, but the experience with the team is always worth it.

     Q: How does competing in college compare with activities you did in high school?

     A: I think the biggest difference is just the friendships created from being on the team. You spend so much time working on something you love and fight together during tournaments that it just brings everyone so close.

     Q: What do you like most about it?

     A: Definitely the friendships I’ve made, not only at Mount Mercy, but the friends I’ve made with people from other colleges.

     Q: What year are your in school, what is your major, and what plans do you have for after graduation?

     A: I am a sophomore, majoring in computer science/network security. I am not certain what I am doing after graduation, but things just find their way of coming together, so I’m just going to wait and see what happens.                                                    

Tyler Schneider

Senior, cross country

Rollins College

(Winter Park, Fla.)

     Q: What made you decide to continue your athletic career in college?

     A: The camaraderie and family aspects of athletic teams made me want to pursue athletics.

     Q: How and why did you decide to run cross country in Florida?

     A: I decided to move to Florida to be closer to my aunts (Rhenee and Rashelle) and extended family. I decided to pursue cross country here because there is no track team and my roommate was the captain. The sense of being part of a team makes you feel more welcome.

     Q: What spot did you occupy on the team, and how did the team do last season?

     A: I was the captain and third runner on the team. The team finished last in the Sunshine State Conference, but we had many PRs (personal records) along the way. I broke my foot and my season was cut short.

     Q: How has your college career gone for you?

     A: My college career has had its ups and downs, I’ve worked harder at Rollins college than I thought I ever would. Classes are small so I get fantastic hands-on learning with the professors. It is easy to string yourself out joining clubs and organizations, but I haven’t drowned in the work yet.

     Q: What did you like most about it?

     A: My favorite part of being a college athlete is camaraderie of course, but my school is like a country club, small and preppy. I like it.

     Q: What is your major, and what plans do you have after graduation?

     A: My major is physics, after graduation I plan to hike the Appalachian trail and figure things out from there. I hope to pursue my PhD in engineering physics.             

Sonya McCormick

freshman, softball,

Iowa Central Community College

Infielder/catcher

     Q: What made you decide to continue your athletic career in college?

     A: When I was little I grew up watching my sister play every weekend, and watching college softball on TV with my dad just about every day it was on. I think because I was around the game so much and had such a strong passion for sports, I was not able to give it up!

     Q: How has it gone for you so far? What have been your biggest achievements?

     A: Softball has been going great for me so far. I love my team and the atmosphere this program brings. Adjusting to a college sport is easier when you have good teammates and good coaches like I do. One of my biggest achievement would be earning a solid spot on the team by working really hard in the offseason to improve. Another strong achievement is I am currently second in the nation for stolen bases.

     Q: What position(s) are you playing, and where are you in the batting order?

     A: I am playing third and catching. I bat second in the lineup.

     Q: How does competing at the college level compare with high school?

     A: The college level is a lot different than high school. I will never forget the memories and things I learned throughout high school, but college I would say is a lot better just because of the more competitive atmosphere. Everyone on the team wants to be there every day and to win, and your coaches, your teammates and yourself as an athlete put in more commitment every single day compared to high school.

     Q: What goals do you have for your collegiate career?

     A: I strive every day to get better and improve in something, whether that’s hitting, fielding, or just the knowledge of the game. A goal of mine is to get the school record in stolen bases, and to possibly move on to a four-year college if everything works out with my career choice, plus keeping my body healthy.

     Q: What is your major, and what other activities are you in?

     A: I am majoring in either nursing or physician’s assistant. I am currently not 100 percent sure. I am only in softball this year but I plan to apply to be a student ambassador for next year.                  

Michael Reuter

Senior, baseball

Central College

catcher

     Q: What made you decide to continue your athletic career in college?

     A: Growing up I always wanted to play some sort of sport in college. As I got older it became clear that baseball would be my best option, and I was happy with that because I loved baseball. After AJ (Michael’s brother) started playing at Coe, I saw how much fun he was having and that was when I became 100 percent sure that I wanted to play baseball somewhere in college.

     Q: How has it gone for you so far? What have been your biggest achievements?

     A: It has been good so far. I am a three-year starter for Central at catcher, and when it is all said and done I will be a four-year varsity letter-winner. I would have to say that my biggest accomplishment would be being elected a captain the past two seasons. It means a lot to me that my teammates look at me as a leader.

     Q: What position(s) are you playing, and where are you in the batting order?

     A: I am catching and batting third.

     Q: How does competing at the college level compare with high school?

     A: In college the game is a lot faster paced than it ever was in high school. Most of the guys you are playing against were the best player on their high school team, so every game you are competing against nine guys that are talented. It makes every game competitive.

     Q: What goals do you have for your collegiate career?

     A: Central College has never made it to a regional tournament, so I really want to change that this year. To be able to go back to Central in however many years and tell people that I was part of the team that went to its first regional tournament would be amazing.

     Q: What are your year in school and major, and what other activities are you in?

     A: I am a senior and my major is mathematics. I am also part of Central’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).