Not many high school athletes can say that they played their sport all four years of high school, and then carry that on to then play in college, also. Most athletes in high school do play all four years, and most of the time, that comes from playing the sport before high school. Not too many though, continue onto college. The reason could be because they’ve been burnt out through their time playing in high school, or they just truly don’t want to go on to play in college. Two girls both played their sport all four years of high school and are now continuing in college, at the same school, too. A’rion Lonergan and Leah Kitterman have both been playing their sports since young ages. While they don’t play the same sport, they both fell in love with Augustana College, and made the decision to not only continue their academic career, but their athletic career there, as well.
A’rion said that she has been playing softball since she was 5 years old, which now adds up to her playing for a total of 13 years. She has been playing longer than she hasn’t been, and is now continuing that journey.
Leah has been playing tennis since she was 8, starting out with 2 years of only summer camps, and then consecutively for the past 8 years.
Now, both of them have such a deep love for their sport that they’re both going to play in college, and sure enough, at the same college, too. Of course they both have their reasons that drew them specifically to Augustana. A’rion said what specifically drew her to Augustana was, “Augustana caught my attention because of the school being local. I felt like it was a perfect fit for what I was comfortable with in terms of distance from my family. I plan to stay in the dorms, so I feel like it will be a good balance for me and my preferences”. Plus, if it’s to continue a sport that you love, you have the added bonus of staying close to home, too. Leah explained her reasoning for deciding on Augustana, stating, “My mom has worked at Augustana for 12 years now, and so I have grown up just being around the campus and my love for the school has just grown over the years. It became such a comfortable environment for me. Plus I knew I wanted to stay close to home. I always knew I wanted to go there.”
Both of them said that their coaches had a big influence on their decision, too. A’rion states that her coach made the recruiting process very comfortable and easy for her, and she is really looking forward to having him as a coach. Leah had said that she had a close relationship already with her coach, as she has already been working with him for the past 4 years of her high school career. She stated that he was a big reason she picked Augustana because he was all of the aspects that were important to her in a college coach.
They have a new school, new coaches, new teammates and a new lifestyle all to enjoy that will be here before they both know it.
