Kennedy Kirkpatrick: Basketball 

Senior Kennedy Kirkpatrick is home free. To start off year next year as a freshman in college, she is signing for a division one basketball school at Bowling Green University in Ohio in November.

“It’s really just a stress free thing right now,” Kirkpatrick said. “I mean, I have basically figured it out so [I] basically get to enjoy the rest of my senior year.”

Although Kirkpatrick is glad that she’s decided where her college life is headed, she realizes that she didn’t visit as many colleges as she could have. However, she’s happy with her decision overall.

The long process of figuring out where to go started four years ago for Kirkpatrick. She started getting recruitment letters during her eighth grade year, and from then on, she continued getting phone calls and visiting colleges to see where she belonged.

After committing to Wisconsin Green Bay, she had to decommit due to certain coaching problems. Then she visited other colleges including Bowling Green, where she felt at home.

“I really enjoy the staff and the girls that are there, and it’s a great school,” Kirkpatrick said. “Really, everything about it was perfect for me.”

Kirkpatrick is extremely excited to be a college athlete. She gives thanks to her family for helping her with the process, and for the support.

“I couldn’t have done it without them,” Kirkpatrick said. “It’s just a really big step for me, and I am just really happy, and so are they.”

After college, Kirkpatrick is not positive what she wants to do with basketball, but she definitely wants to stay involved in the sport somehow.

“I honestly don’t know… We’ll see,” Kirkpatrick said.

Alex Green: Golf 

Senior Alex Green has committed to division two Washburn University for his love of golfing. One of the reasons Green decided to go to Washburn was because of the coach.

They also offered him a “pretty good chunk of change,” Green said.

Golf comes with many benefits.

“You get to travel all over the nation,” Green said.

His golf journey began with his father, who wanted him to play golf.

“My family plays golf and it’s just something that we do, I guess,” Green said.

Four years ago, Green started golfing, mostly teaching himself over the years. He plans to eventually become a professional golfer.

Alexa Harmon-Thomas: Track 

For Alexa Harmon-Thomas, college recruitment is happening a year early. Harmon-Thomas, a junior, has not decided where she is going yet, but has been looking at colleges for track or soccer.

“… I feel like once I know what school I want to go to, I’ll make my commitment then,” Harmon-Thomas said.

Committing early alleviates a lot of stress, but it also restricts looking at other colleges. But,a negative outcome is that there is not a lot of time to make a decision and the choice that is made is official.

“You can’t really change things,” Harmon-Thomas said.

Once an athlete has committed to their pick, it is binding and it is hard to get out.  Colleges have certain rules and regulations on decommitting which makes it difficult.

She gets and has gotten many emails, letters and papers at track meets to fill out and send back to the school that wants her. Harmon-Thomas and her mom enthusiastically receive letters from Duke, Stanford, University of California Berkeley, Kansas University and others. She has many years ahead of her in her college sport, but becoming a professional is an option in the future.

“If the opportunity presents itself, yes, but if not, it’s fine with me,” Harmon-Thomas said.

Maddie Dieker: Soccer 

Junior Madeline Dieker knows she’ll be going to a division one school to play soccer.

“I am very nervous! But very excited at the same time,” Dieker said.

She has verbally committed to the University of Portland but can’t sign her NLI (National Letter of Intent) until her senior year. Portland contacted Dieker through email, after talking to her club coach in Arizona last fall.

The exceptional academics, beautiful campus and highly competitive soccer atmosphere factored into Dieker’s decision. The University of Portland is also a catholic school which “was important.”

Dieker understands the advantages and disadvantages of committing early.

“I’m able to meet and get to know the soccer team as well as the other commits, and I don’t have to worry about any last-minute decisions for college,” Dieker said.

However, she was rushed into committing so she could choose a college before other students and athletes did.

“The process happened really fast,” Dieker said.

Though Dieker still has one year of high school left, she looks forward to college.
“I am mainly excited to just be in a college soccer environment,” Dieker said. “And I hope it challenges me to become the best I can be.”

Her parents were also involved in swimming and football in high school, but they never went through the college recruiting process.

“They have been great support through it all,” Dieker said. “They are very excited and have already been stocking up on Portland fan gear.”

Dieker is optimistic about her future.

“I will take the sport as far as it will take me,” Dieker said. “It’s an honor to be going to a D1 school for sports. It was always my dream, and I try not to take it for granted.”