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OTTUMWA — From Oskaloosa to El Paso.
From commitments that ranged from years earlier to hours earlier.
From state champions to somewhat somewhat newcomers.
The biggest signing day ever hosted by Ottumwa High School featured five senior athletes all of whom had their own unique stories. State and Drake Relays discus champion Delilah Subsin, all-state baseball standout Tucker Long, top singles tennis player Jordan Lee, two-year cross-country standout Joselyn Alonzo and three-sport standout Brannon Flattery all signed letters of intent with four-year colleges this past Wednesday in the first signing day held inside the Ottumwa's new high school competition gymnasium.
"The biggest part is that it's less about the athletes and more about the people they are," Long said of his fellow OHS signees. "Everyone that signed letters are really nice. They all come in, get their school work done and are respectful not only to the faculty but also the student around them."
Many of the students and faculty were on hand for the National Signing Day event. Long officially signed to play baseball at the University of Mississippi after originally committing to the Rebels over a year ago.
"For me, it was just a matter of time before I put pin to paper," Long said. "The way they treated me down there during my visit and the times I visited after I went down there, it kind of felt like a home away from home. It was kind of surreal, but my family and I are very thankful for it."
Long, one of Ottumwa's top all-around baseball talents shining both on the mound as a pitcher as well in the field and at the plate, will be joining one of the top programs in the nation's top baseball conference. Mississippi played for the Southeastern Conference title this past year, earning a top-20 national ranking and hosted one of the 16 regionals in the NCAA Tournament, giving Long the hope of ultimately getting a chance to return to a diamond in the Midwest as a member of the Rebels.
"Getting to pitch in Omaha is something that every kid dreams of," Long said. "Playing in the College World Series and getting their chance to play in Omaha in front of a bunch of people is a big part of why I chose (Mississippi)."
While Long had his decision made for over a year, Subsin signed her letter just hours after making her decision to attend the University of Texas-El Paso to throw for the track and field program of the Miners. Subsin made her choice after the hiring of former Indian Hills thrower and coach Elijah Barnes was hired to the staff being put together by first-year head women's track and field coach Francesca Green.
"My plan at first was to go to Indian Hills and then transfer to a four-year in-state school," Subsin said. "I've worked a lot with Coach Barnes. When he signed with UTEP, I wanted to follow him. We work well together, so I think it was a good opportunity for me to try something new and be a part of something new."
Working with Barnes has helped lift Subsin to becoming one of Iowa High School's best female throwers. This past spring, Subsin completed the impressive sweep of winning both the Drake Relays championship and a second straight Class 4A girls high school state title in the discus, ending her junior season setting the 4A meet's all-time record with a throw of 158-8, the sixth-longest throw any athlete in any class has ever thrown in the history of the girls state track and field meet.
"I was talking to Iowa State after the state meet. I went on a visit, but better option financially was at UTEP," Subsin said. "You get that feeling when you go to college. I didn't think it was real, but when I went down to UTEP, I got the feeling that this is where I want to be.
"It's crazy to think this is where I've ended up. I wasn't even sure a few years ago I wanted to go to college. Just seeing where all my achievements have led me along with my friends and family, it's definitely amazing to be able to reach an opportunity like this."
Subsin was not the only Ottumwa athlete that will have a personal tie to their collegiate program. Alonzo signed to run both cross-country and track and field at William Penn University, reuniting with former OHS boys distance running standout Waulfret Morales who has been one of Alonzo's biggest supporters.
"It feels pretty nice to have his support," Alonzo said. "I wasn't prepared to run collegiately anywhere before last year. He's the one who convinced me to get into cross-country. I'm very grateful for that."
Fittingly, Alonzo will get to call Oskaloosa home as a member of the William Penn cross-country team. It was at Oskaloosa's home invitational cross-country meet last season that Alonzo had a breakout run, crossing the finish line at Edmundson Park in 22:43.4 making a two-plus minute improvement from her first cross-country run just two weeks earlier at Wildwood Park.
"There was a moment where I didn't feel like I was the best runner, but I was just starting out," Alonzo said. "This year, the biggest difference for me was that I knew I wanted to run cross-country in college. I didn't feel quite as much pressure as I did last year."
Flattery, meanwhile, will be focusing on running much shorter distances at Wartburg College. The Ottumwa senior ended a successful junior season on the track posting a personal-best time of 11.21 seconds in the 100-meter dash at last year's state qualifying meet in Marshalltown, nearly qualifying for the Class 4A boys state and field championships.
"It feels good to see all this work that I've put in actually paying off," Flattery said. "When I went into last season, I though I'd be done running track after high school. I had a pretty big breakout season. There were definitely a lot more opportunities. All that effort in the weight room, all the muscle I've put on, and the work with our new sprint coach (Rich Mayson) helped me drop a lot of time during the season."
Wartburg also showed faith in Flattery's resiliency. The Ottumwa senior saw his senior season of football cut short due to a torn PCL ligament.
"I'm definitely healing up," Flattery said. "It's taking some time, but everyone I've talked to said I should be back at full go by the new year. I want to get to the state track meet this year in multiple events and I want to qualify for the Drake Relays really bad."
Jordan Lee will also be joining the American Rivers Conference as the Ottumwa senior signed her letter of intent to play tennis next season at Simpson College. Lee spent last season as Ottumwa's top singles player, helping the Bulldogs post an 11-2 record advancing all the way to the Class 2A regional team tennis finals.
"I definitely knew I wanted to play tennis in college," Lee said. "It's a pretty good opportunity. I'm really excited to start this new journey."
Before becoming the top singles player this past fall, Lee gained a reputation for being one of the toughest Bulldog tennis players playing in nearly 20 tiebreakers over the past two years. As a sophomore, Lee played in three different tiebreakers during a regional team tennis win over Burlington on the opening day of competition at Dan Staggs Family Courts on a day that the Ottumwa senior still credits as a day that helped change the trajectory of her tennis career.
"That entire season when I was playing doubles with Nellie Morgan and picking up those opportunities against the top six varsity players was a huge eye-opener," Lee said. "It was after that season that I really felt like tennis was something I really wanted to do. I knew this was going to be my future."
Continue reading...
From commitments that ranged from years earlier to hours earlier.
From state champions to somewhat somewhat newcomers.
The biggest signing day ever hosted by Ottumwa High School featured five senior athletes all of whom had their own unique stories. State and Drake Relays discus champion Delilah Subsin, all-state baseball standout Tucker Long, top singles tennis player Jordan Lee, two-year cross-country standout Joselyn Alonzo and three-sport standout Brannon Flattery all signed letters of intent with four-year colleges this past Wednesday in the first signing day held inside the Ottumwa's new high school competition gymnasium.
"The biggest part is that it's less about the athletes and more about the people they are," Long said of his fellow OHS signees. "Everyone that signed letters are really nice. They all come in, get their school work done and are respectful not only to the faculty but also the student around them."
Many of the students and faculty were on hand for the National Signing Day event. Long officially signed to play baseball at the University of Mississippi after originally committing to the Rebels over a year ago.
"For me, it was just a matter of time before I put pin to paper," Long said. "The way they treated me down there during my visit and the times I visited after I went down there, it kind of felt like a home away from home. It was kind of surreal, but my family and I are very thankful for it."
Long, one of Ottumwa's top all-around baseball talents shining both on the mound as a pitcher as well in the field and at the plate, will be joining one of the top programs in the nation's top baseball conference. Mississippi played for the Southeastern Conference title this past year, earning a top-20 national ranking and hosted one of the 16 regionals in the NCAA Tournament, giving Long the hope of ultimately getting a chance to return to a diamond in the Midwest as a member of the Rebels.
"Getting to pitch in Omaha is something that every kid dreams of," Long said. "Playing in the College World Series and getting their chance to play in Omaha in front of a bunch of people is a big part of why I chose (Mississippi)."
While Long had his decision made for over a year, Subsin signed her letter just hours after making her decision to attend the University of Texas-El Paso to throw for the track and field program of the Miners. Subsin made her choice after the hiring of former Indian Hills thrower and coach Elijah Barnes was hired to the staff being put together by first-year head women's track and field coach Francesca Green.
"My plan at first was to go to Indian Hills and then transfer to a four-year in-state school," Subsin said. "I've worked a lot with Coach Barnes. When he signed with UTEP, I wanted to follow him. We work well together, so I think it was a good opportunity for me to try something new and be a part of something new."
Working with Barnes has helped lift Subsin to becoming one of Iowa High School's best female throwers. This past spring, Subsin completed the impressive sweep of winning both the Drake Relays championship and a second straight Class 4A girls high school state title in the discus, ending her junior season setting the 4A meet's all-time record with a throw of 158-8, the sixth-longest throw any athlete in any class has ever thrown in the history of the girls state track and field meet.
"I was talking to Iowa State after the state meet. I went on a visit, but better option financially was at UTEP," Subsin said. "You get that feeling when you go to college. I didn't think it was real, but when I went down to UTEP, I got the feeling that this is where I want to be.
"It's crazy to think this is where I've ended up. I wasn't even sure a few years ago I wanted to go to college. Just seeing where all my achievements have led me along with my friends and family, it's definitely amazing to be able to reach an opportunity like this."
Subsin was not the only Ottumwa athlete that will have a personal tie to their collegiate program. Alonzo signed to run both cross-country and track and field at William Penn University, reuniting with former OHS boys distance running standout Waulfret Morales who has been one of Alonzo's biggest supporters.
"It feels pretty nice to have his support," Alonzo said. "I wasn't prepared to run collegiately anywhere before last year. He's the one who convinced me to get into cross-country. I'm very grateful for that."
Fittingly, Alonzo will get to call Oskaloosa home as a member of the William Penn cross-country team. It was at Oskaloosa's home invitational cross-country meet last season that Alonzo had a breakout run, crossing the finish line at Edmundson Park in 22:43.4 making a two-plus minute improvement from her first cross-country run just two weeks earlier at Wildwood Park.
"There was a moment where I didn't feel like I was the best runner, but I was just starting out," Alonzo said. "This year, the biggest difference for me was that I knew I wanted to run cross-country in college. I didn't feel quite as much pressure as I did last year."
Flattery, meanwhile, will be focusing on running much shorter distances at Wartburg College. The Ottumwa senior ended a successful junior season on the track posting a personal-best time of 11.21 seconds in the 100-meter dash at last year's state qualifying meet in Marshalltown, nearly qualifying for the Class 4A boys state and field championships.
"It feels good to see all this work that I've put in actually paying off," Flattery said. "When I went into last season, I though I'd be done running track after high school. I had a pretty big breakout season. There were definitely a lot more opportunities. All that effort in the weight room, all the muscle I've put on, and the work with our new sprint coach (Rich Mayson) helped me drop a lot of time during the season."
Wartburg also showed faith in Flattery's resiliency. The Ottumwa senior saw his senior season of football cut short due to a torn PCL ligament.
"I'm definitely healing up," Flattery said. "It's taking some time, but everyone I've talked to said I should be back at full go by the new year. I want to get to the state track meet this year in multiple events and I want to qualify for the Drake Relays really bad."
Jordan Lee will also be joining the American Rivers Conference as the Ottumwa senior signed her letter of intent to play tennis next season at Simpson College. Lee spent last season as Ottumwa's top singles player, helping the Bulldogs post an 11-2 record advancing all the way to the Class 2A regional team tennis finals.
"I definitely knew I wanted to play tennis in college," Lee said. "It's a pretty good opportunity. I'm really excited to start this new journey."
Before becoming the top singles player this past fall, Lee gained a reputation for being one of the toughest Bulldog tennis players playing in nearly 20 tiebreakers over the past two years. As a sophomore, Lee played in three different tiebreakers during a regional team tennis win over Burlington on the opening day of competition at Dan Staggs Family Courts on a day that the Ottumwa senior still credits as a day that helped change the trajectory of her tennis career.
"That entire season when I was playing doubles with Nellie Morgan and picking up those opportunities against the top six varsity players was a huge eye-opener," Lee said. "It was after that season that I really felt like tennis was something I really wanted to do. I knew this was going to be my future."
Continue reading...
