Local athletes to give it the old college try

Katie Bates make her pitch against Kewanee.

With diplomas in hand, area athletes around Bureau County are moving on to bigger and better things to pursue in the collegiate arenas.

Here’s a rundown of where some local athletes are heading to give it the old college try:

At Princeton, six members of the Tigresses’ regional championship volleyball team are going to play collegiately, including two sets of pairs. Mckenzie Hecht and Maya Gartin will reunite at Sauk Valley while Libby Boyles and Taylor Wetsel will team up at IVCC. Madison Richards will play for Eureka College while Katie Bates will play both volleyball and softball for Loras College.

Hecht will also play softball for Sauk and has sparked an interest from the Sauk basketball coach and Boyles will also play softball for IVCC.

On the gridiron, PHS is sending Drew Harp to North Central College, Logan Glancy to Concordia of Chicago and both J.J. Wicaryus and Bennett Sierens to Loras College.

Also from PHS, Ean Compton will pitch for Black Hawk College, Kaden Monroe will hoop for Illinois Central College and Maggie Davis (Brescia University), Trent Goodale (IVCC) and Khristian Whitfield (IVCC) will play soccer.

The Hall Red Devils baseball program is producing another college talent in Ethan Plym, who is going to pitch at Black Hawk College for former Hall assistant coach Matt McDonald. He will join former Red Devil Jack Savitch at Black Hawk.

DePue is sending Andres Moreno to play basketball for Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo.

At Bureau Valley, Storm softballer Tyra Sayler will play for Sauk Valley, Nevin Bolin will play football for the University of Joliet in St. Francis and Bryson Smith will tee it up for the Sauk Valley golf team.

Three members of St. Bede’s Elite Eight softball team are moving on - Payge Pyszka (Clarke College), Katelyn Kobilsek (Bryant & Stratton College) and Ryann Stoudt (Quincy University).

There’s also a trio of Bruins football players going on to play at the next level - Tyreke Fortney (ISU), Ethan Seremak (Eureka) and Rylan Heersink (St. Francis).

Other St. Bede signees are Ali Mendoza (St. Ambrose/golf), Leah Smudzinski (IVCC/basketball) and Stephen Shaver (Aurora/track). Basketballer Paul Hart is undecided.

Ohio senior Brock Loftus will run track and cross country for Heartland Community College in Normal.

Kevin Hieronymus is the BCR Sports Editor. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com