Post by momto4 on Apr 24, 2008 16:16:45 GMT -5
The Waubonsie IX
Warriors send record number of female athletes to Division I programs
April 24, 2008
By JIM OWCZARSKI jowczarski@scn1.com
When the athletic class of 2008 at Waubonsie Valley officially calls it a career in the green and gold in a few months, history will be made as nine girls will continue playing at the Division I level in college.
The participants in six different sports will live out their dreams of playing at the highest level in the NCAA, but they are all connected beyond the playing fields on Eola Road.
The nine are all "friends of friends, or direct friends" as Kassie Kadera says.
Nine Waubonsie Valley athletes are heading to play for Division I programs. They include (from left): Bryna Nasenbeny, Kassie Kadera, Hillary Blake, Hannika Schleebs, Jessica Blake, Emily Bielaga, Toni Ogundare, Anna Gault and Katrina Boryc.
Craig Watson/Staff photographer
The Waubonsie IX
Emily Bielaga Soccer Jacksonville St.
Jessica Blake Soccer Eastern Illinois
Hillary Blake Soccer Eastern Illinois
Katrina Boryc Volleyball George Mason
Anna Gault Basketball Air Force
Kassie Kadera Volleyball Toledo
Bryna Nasenbeny Tennis So. Dakota St.
Toni Ogundare Track UIC
Hannika Schleebs Swimming UIC
Several went to Steck Middle School together, another group attended Hill. Toni Ogundare and Hannika Schleebs had a common background -- Australia. Some played secondary sports at Waubonsie, becoming teammates with others.
"If I'm not friends with one of them, someone else is," said Anna Gault, who is going to Air Force to play basketball. "I definitely know all of them and I talk to all of them. Everyone is just so amazing at whatever sport they do. I think it's awesome that so many people from Waubonsie are playing D-I sports, especially from all these sports."
What's interesting is that none of them really realized they were doing something unique as a whole. They knew where they were going, or where a teammate was going, but it was only in the past few weeks -- as their high school careers were ending -- that they began to connect the dots.
"It was a definite eye-opener," said Kadera, who will play volleyball at Toledo. "Not only didn't I realize how many people were going on to play D-I ball, but they were my friends. I was like 'Wow, this is cool.' It's never been like this. It says something about our class and how dedicated and athletic our class is to move on to a higher level like this."
And its not just the "marquee" sports that are sending its players on. There are three soccer players, two volleyball players and representatives from basketball, track and field, swimming and tennis.
"I kind of noticed it when we were beginning our high school careers, that there were a ton of really talented athletes in our class," said George Mason-bound Katrina Boryc, a libero on the volleyball team. "Our class has always been really, really athletic-based. I think it's awesome that all of us were able to get that. That is amazing considering that they don't give that many actual scholarships out to Division I players."
Which leads into another interesting side to these young women: all of them were cognizant of the fact that what they accomplished is something special in women's athletics.
"It is good to see females, especially to be the first class to be this big, it shows that females are getting big into sports," said Emily Bielaga, who will play soccer at Jacksonville State. "It's kind of cool to be setting an example for younger kids, like 'oh, they did it, we can do it too' and follow their dreams."
It's something that surprised principal Jim Schmid, that girls playing sports 36 years after Title IX would be so aware of what was ahead of them and what they did to get there.
"That's pretty cool, and if you know them, you all know they bring something different, the intangibles of every one of them," Schmid said. "They're very nice and very talented all at the same time. Kids that do it for the right reasons and do it the right way, they have a tendency to bring other kids around with them and people like to watch them, people like to be friends with them, and that's what you see with this group.
"We've been real fortunate. They've brought a real electricity to the school."
That electricity was generated though championships and unparalleled success in their respective sports.
Bryna Nasenbeny won a school-record 111 matches in her career on the tennis courts. Kadera and Boryc were part of a volleyball team that won conference titles for the first time in a decade. Schleebs helped Waubonsie place in the top 10 at the state meet in swimming for the first time since 2001.
Toni Ogundare has two state track medals; Gault was part of a basketball team went 26-3 and advanced to a sectional semi-final this winter and the soccer team won a state title last year and is favored to repeat this spring.
"I know it takes a lot of dedication and hard work," said Ogundare, who will run track at UIC. "A lot of athletes aren't really as focused as some others and have as much passion as some do in high school and I just think that when finally moving on to be a Division I athlete, you meet people who have that same passion and together just really love to enjoy the sport and have respect for the sport you play."
Warriors send record number of female athletes to Division I programs
April 24, 2008
By JIM OWCZARSKI jowczarski@scn1.com
When the athletic class of 2008 at Waubonsie Valley officially calls it a career in the green and gold in a few months, history will be made as nine girls will continue playing at the Division I level in college.
The participants in six different sports will live out their dreams of playing at the highest level in the NCAA, but they are all connected beyond the playing fields on Eola Road.
The nine are all "friends of friends, or direct friends" as Kassie Kadera says.
Nine Waubonsie Valley athletes are heading to play for Division I programs. They include (from left): Bryna Nasenbeny, Kassie Kadera, Hillary Blake, Hannika Schleebs, Jessica Blake, Emily Bielaga, Toni Ogundare, Anna Gault and Katrina Boryc.
Craig Watson/Staff photographer
The Waubonsie IX
Emily Bielaga Soccer Jacksonville St.
Jessica Blake Soccer Eastern Illinois
Hillary Blake Soccer Eastern Illinois
Katrina Boryc Volleyball George Mason
Anna Gault Basketball Air Force
Kassie Kadera Volleyball Toledo
Bryna Nasenbeny Tennis So. Dakota St.
Toni Ogundare Track UIC
Hannika Schleebs Swimming UIC
Several went to Steck Middle School together, another group attended Hill. Toni Ogundare and Hannika Schleebs had a common background -- Australia. Some played secondary sports at Waubonsie, becoming teammates with others.
"If I'm not friends with one of them, someone else is," said Anna Gault, who is going to Air Force to play basketball. "I definitely know all of them and I talk to all of them. Everyone is just so amazing at whatever sport they do. I think it's awesome that so many people from Waubonsie are playing D-I sports, especially from all these sports."
What's interesting is that none of them really realized they were doing something unique as a whole. They knew where they were going, or where a teammate was going, but it was only in the past few weeks -- as their high school careers were ending -- that they began to connect the dots.
"It was a definite eye-opener," said Kadera, who will play volleyball at Toledo. "Not only didn't I realize how many people were going on to play D-I ball, but they were my friends. I was like 'Wow, this is cool.' It's never been like this. It says something about our class and how dedicated and athletic our class is to move on to a higher level like this."
And its not just the "marquee" sports that are sending its players on. There are three soccer players, two volleyball players and representatives from basketball, track and field, swimming and tennis.
"I kind of noticed it when we were beginning our high school careers, that there were a ton of really talented athletes in our class," said George Mason-bound Katrina Boryc, a libero on the volleyball team. "Our class has always been really, really athletic-based. I think it's awesome that all of us were able to get that. That is amazing considering that they don't give that many actual scholarships out to Division I players."
Which leads into another interesting side to these young women: all of them were cognizant of the fact that what they accomplished is something special in women's athletics.
"It is good to see females, especially to be the first class to be this big, it shows that females are getting big into sports," said Emily Bielaga, who will play soccer at Jacksonville State. "It's kind of cool to be setting an example for younger kids, like 'oh, they did it, we can do it too' and follow their dreams."
It's something that surprised principal Jim Schmid, that girls playing sports 36 years after Title IX would be so aware of what was ahead of them and what they did to get there.
"That's pretty cool, and if you know them, you all know they bring something different, the intangibles of every one of them," Schmid said. "They're very nice and very talented all at the same time. Kids that do it for the right reasons and do it the right way, they have a tendency to bring other kids around with them and people like to watch them, people like to be friends with them, and that's what you see with this group.
"We've been real fortunate. They've brought a real electricity to the school."
That electricity was generated though championships and unparalleled success in their respective sports.
Bryna Nasenbeny won a school-record 111 matches in her career on the tennis courts. Kadera and Boryc were part of a volleyball team that won conference titles for the first time in a decade. Schleebs helped Waubonsie place in the top 10 at the state meet in swimming for the first time since 2001.
Toni Ogundare has two state track medals; Gault was part of a basketball team went 26-3 and advanced to a sectional semi-final this winter and the soccer team won a state title last year and is favored to repeat this spring.
"I know it takes a lot of dedication and hard work," said Ogundare, who will run track at UIC. "A lot of athletes aren't really as focused as some others and have as much passion as some do in high school and I just think that when finally moving on to be a Division I athlete, you meet people who have that same passion and together just really love to enjoy the sport and have respect for the sport you play."