Dreams dashed

While Iowa high school athletes have not had an opportunity to get their spring sports seasons underway, several area graduates who have continued their careers at the collegiate level got started on what turned out to be an abbreviated version of their anticipated 2020 campaign.

In some cases, it was an abrupt end to their lifelong athletic pursuit. For others who were just beginning their careers at the next level, they will gain another year of eligibility should they choose to use it. Spring sport athletes have been granted an extra year of eligibility, while winter sports will not receive that designation, since most of their seasons were completed.

Collegiate athletes in spring sports have been working since last August to train for the 2020 season that was cut short. It’s a sacrifice that was not their choice, and goes well beyond the scope of sports. yet has been universally accepted. Coaches have been in communication in various ways to support these athletes who suffered an emotional blow, while most are continuing classes online for the duration of the spring semester.

Following is a recap of their situations, starting with those area athletes competing at Southwestern Community College.

• Saige Rice, Southwestern softball, freshman, Creston

The Southwestern softball team appeared to be on the rise in coach Nick Weinmeister’s second year at the helm. The Spartans were 5-4, including a four-game winning streak, heading into what was supposed to be the home opener on March 15 against Marshalltown. But, two days earlier a meeting was called on campus with student athletes, that activities would be suspended until after the following spring break week. Then, the NJCAA cancelled spring sports and classes went online at Southwestern. The season was over.

“I think the mood was pretty somber,” Weinmeister said about delivering the news. “They saw the writing on the wall on the trend moving forward at the time, but they were holding out hope.”

Saige Rice was excited about her first collegiate season after a successful career as an outfielder at Creston. She had settled into left field duty and adjusting to the level of pitching in the college game. She had three extra-base hits, including a home run, along with eight RBIs in 123 at bats.

“A lot of us knew something was going to happen, but we didn’t know exactly what,” Rice said. “We were hopeful it wouldn’t be cancelled completely. It was a little gut-wrenching. We literally had no break since August, we made it through the really hard part, and the season was just getting going.”

Rice is wrestling with a tough decision, since academically she can graduate this May at Southwestern. She wants to pursue a degree in medical technology. Even though she would still have two more years of eligibility and four years overall to play softball, she’s undecided.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had here, I met the coolest people on this team who will be my friends forever,” Rice said. “I’m still trying to talk it over with my family and decide what to do. I could take other classes and play here another year, transfer somewhere else and play softball, or transfer somewhere and not play. What we had going this year was awesome and we just never got to see where the hard work would have taken us.”

• Cayla Maitlen, SWCC softball, sophomore, Creston

Also a volleyball player at Southwestern, Cayla Maitlen had spent the school year juggling workouts for both sports. In seven softball games this spring she had scored two runs, hit a double and drove in a run while splitting time at third base and getting some work in at second base.

Maitlen will not return for another year at SWCC, earning her associate of arts degree in May with an emphasis in business administration. She has enjoyed her busy athletic career at Southwestern, especially the hometown aspect with family and friends attending games, after seeing her siblings go off to other locations for their collegiate athletic experiences.

“It was awesome being in the community and seeing so many of my Creston teammates play here and get the support they got,” Maitlen said. “I loved doing both sports here. It kept me organized, because I had to follow a schedule every day to get everything in. I love playing at such a competitive level.”

Maitlen is considering Grand View University or Buena Vista University as her next destination, and is contemplating playing softball after transferring.

• Hailey Chew, SWCCC softball, freshman, Murray

Like Maitlen, Chew was juggling two sports at Southwestern. She had just finished the women’s basketball season when she could devote all of her time to softball, and suddenly the season was over.

“I was not able to go on the Arkansas trip for softball, but I was able to go to Oklahoma and Texas,” Chew said. “It was really disheartening to have to stop, just knowing how the team had put in so many hours in the gym and weight room waiting for that opportunity. We were finally getting out in some good weather. It was definitely something I was looking forward to.”

Chew plans to return to Southwestern for both sports in the 2020-21 school year and is grateful for the extra year of eligibility if she wants it. She is working toward an associate of arts degree before transferring to Iowa State University to work in the agriculture sector or human services field.

• Katelyn Belding, SWCC golf, sophomore, Lenox

Belding was just about to get started in the spring golf season at Southwestern with teammate Taylor Buxton of Creston. While they didn’t have enough players to field a squad big enough for team competition, she was looking forward to her final season before graduating and seeking a degree in animal science at Iowa State University. She is looking toward a career in veterinary medicine.

“In the fall I only golfed in the home meet since we really didn’t have a women’s team,” Belding said. “I enjoyed playing golf at SWCC. It’s kind of an individual sport, but we had a full team last year and it was fun to compete together. Taylor and I were just about to start practicing when it got cancelled.”

• Taylor Buxton SWCC golf, freshman, Creston

Buxton was another multi-sport athlete at Southwestern, playing a key role on the Spartan volleyball team last fall before resuming her golf career this spring. She was a member of Creston’s state tournament golf team after a knee injury curtailed her track career.

Coach Doug North, who is also Southwestern’s athletic director, told the team just before spring break of plans to suspend the season, which later became a cancellation. Then the focus was on getting everyone home safely, particularly the international players.

“We were scheduled to go to the North Central Collegte Spring Invitational April 6-7,” North said. “For our two sophomores (men’s and women’s teams), they basically get three years at their next school if they move on. For our freshmen, we’ve had some conversations. Depending on the offers they get, they can return to Southwestern and now they have that extra year of eligibility. It definitely affects recruiting, because this is the time of year we like to get out and look at juniors for the following recruiting class.”

“It was a quick ending to the golf season,” Buxton said. “After volleyball I wasn’t sure about golf, but Doug talked to me and I was going to play. I’m glad I came to Southwestern and got the opportunity. I always wanted to play college volleyball. It was super exciting. I have been planning to graduate this spring and then go to Iowa State for business management and not play any sports. It was fun having the chance to play at SWCC.”

• Connor Eaton, Southwestern track and field, freshman, Mount Ayr

Eaton was part of Mount Ayr’s state runner-up 4x400 relay team last spring, with a best clocking of 50.5. During the indoor season for Southwestern, Eaton ran the 200 and 400 meters and was part of a 4400 relay team that showed a lot of promise with an indoor time of 3:22. Concentrating on one sport in college had accelerated his improvement and Eaton was anxious to start the outdoor season.

“We were supposed to have a meet during spring break and we were excited about what we could do in the 4x400 when we got outside,” Eaton said. “I was running faster than I normally would at this time of year. We were working hard. Now I’m just doing homework and trying to work out when I can.”

• Austin Lundy, Southwestern track and field, sophomore, Creston

Lundy’s athletic career came to a screeching halt just as the Southwestern track team was about to embark on the outdoor season at Emporia, Kansas during spring break week. The season was cancelled before it got started. Lundy is a sophomore in the college’s electrical program and will graduate after summer classes.

A stellar running career that began at Nodaway Valley High School was over before he anticipated.

“I’m pretty much done unless I would get a good scholarship offer,” Lundy said. “We were so close to getting even just one race in. I was aiming for the 10K school record and I probably would have run the 5K in that first meet to see where I was at. It was a good experience running at Southwestern. We got to travel around and see a lot of places.”

Lundy said his highlight was the regional cross country meet last fall when he was part of the Spartans’ national qualifying team. He ran the 8K race in 28:15, which was the fifth scoring time on the team.

• Ryan Kucera, Grand View University tennis, senior, Creston

Kucera was poised for a big senior tennis season at Grand View. Coming off a preseason illness when he lost 12 pounds, Kucera recovered to post a 3-1 singles record and 1-1 mark in doubles with teammate Christian Barbieri of Spain before the season was suspended, and then cancelled. The Vikings were 4-1 with their best chance of conference contention in Kucera’s career. The combined fall and spring record was 9-1.

“I had played in 35 straight meets before I had to miss one with the flu at the start of the season,” Kucera said. “Our season ended before we even realized it. We were in Fremont (Nebraska) playing Hastings on March 7 and then we were supposed to play Midland University in the afternoon. All of a sudden they said the facility was being closed because someone from the basketball tournament being played there had coronavirus. We were supposed to go to California and play in a couple of days, but that got cancelled. Most of our team was international players and pretty soon everyone was just trying to get home when they could, and we found out everything was cancelled and classes were online. I was really glad to have had the opportunity to play here and was really looking forward to what we could do this year, especially the way Christian and I were playing together in doubles. It was the best doubles I had been a part of in my career.”

Kucera works as a tennis instructor at Des Moines Golf and Country Club and as a private contracted instructor. After graduating with a degree in psychology and biology, he hopes to land a graduate assistant coaching position while pursuing a master’s degree. His ultimate goal is to get into coaching.

• Madison Hance, Simpson College golf, senior, Creston

For the most part, Hance’s golf career at Simpson had concluded in the fall season at Simpson College. Seniors normally don’t participate a lot in the spring “development” season for the underclassmen.

However, Hance and fellow seniors Hannah Gordon and Kelsey Poppe had planned on playing one last time together in the April 15 Simpson Invitational meet.

Last fall, Gordon was conference runner-up and Hance was second on the team and tied for 26th overall with a three-day score of 282. Her best round of the fall, and her career, was a 75 at Fox Ridge Golf Club in Dike.

“That day I was the most relaxed I’d ever been golfing,” she said. “I got a few birdies and just kind of let it happen naturally. At Simpson I just tried to do the best I could do playing my game and try to contribute to the team. I enjoyed it.”

After earning Academic All-Conference honors in the American Rivers Conference, Hance will graduate next month with a degree in graphic design.

• Kayla Wookey, Iowa Central Community College softball, freshman, Murray

Wookey was off to a good start in her pitching career at Iowa Central, posting a 6-2 record in a team-high seven starts with a 3.00 ERA in 46 innings for the Tritons, ranked 16th in the nation at 15-4.

“We were sent home on March 13, just before we were going to go to Cocoa Beach, Florida for a huge tournament. Our first home game was supposed to be March 28. I was excited. We had a great team. DMACC and Kirkwood had been above us in other years, but this year we thought we could challenge them.”

Wookey could still play two years at Iowa Central after spring athletes were awarded another year of eligibility. She said she plans on playing one or two years at Iowa Central before getting another opportunity at a four-year school.

• Breianna Klein, Truman State University softball, freshman, Murray

Just like in high school for Hall of Fame softball coach Danny Jensen at Murray, Klein was a two-way threat for Truman State. As a pitcher she had a 2-2 record with a 3.21 ERA in 24 innings. Overall, Truman State was 5-7 in the young season. Klein also split some duty at first base, with two hits and two runs scored in 14 at bats.

“I loved it,” Klein said. “We had just gotten back from winning our last game in Florida. While it hadn’t been a successful trip overall for us there, we hoped to redeem ourselves and keep working after we got back. I’m just trying to stay positive about the future.”

• Kelli Romero, Clarke University softball, freshman, Murray

Clarke University was only 2-0 in softball when the season was cancelled. Romero was a freshman outfielder hoping to gain some opportunities on an upcoming trip to Florida.

“We were getting ready to go to Florida and on the morning we were going to take off (March 13) they called a meeting and they said they worried about us going,” Romero said. “We had only played two games inside in Austin, Minnesota against Waldorf. We were all really excited about the season. It was the biggest shock for the seniors, because that was it for them.”

Romero is majoring in psychology with a plan to get into military psychology. She said she’s working out at home trying to prepare for what she hopes is a “normal” season next year.

• SWCC baseball

While there are no local players on the Southwestern Community College baseball team, coach Jordan Camp has been busy communicating with his players about opportunities to return next year with no lost eligibility, as well as recruiting the best he can through text messages, phone calls and video chats.

The Spartans were 5-12 with no conference games played yet when the season was cancelled.

“Right now everyone could come back if they want to, and many of our sophomores as well as our freshmen have indicated an interest in doing so,” Camp said. “It sets us up slightly better off as a team with more veteran leadership than we’ve had, along with the recruits we have coming in. The flexibility is good. Our main concern when it was happening was getting all of our guys home. We had guys from Puerto Rico and international players who had to work out flights, or guys from Canada worried about getting through the border. It all worked out and now we’re just trying to make the best of each day.”