2-sport star and record-breaking swimmer amongst Alaska highschool senior signing highlights

Playing a number of sports activities in highschool isn’t unusual, nevertheless it’s uncommon to see a pupil athlete dominate the best way senior Mary Jo Landon has at Chugiak in each soccer and tennis.

After she and her accomplice accomplished a profitable protection of their women doubles state tennis title through the fall semester, the Central Washington ladies’s soccer commit leads the whole state, amongst girls and boys, with 33 objectives heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale towards Dimond.

“It’s so cool and it was kind of unexpected,” Landon mentioned. “My goal obviously was trying to get a lot of goals, but just doubling my goals from last season, too, was just insane to me. So I’m very proud of it myself.”

Her 5 hat tips this 12 months by 17 video games are essentially the most she has had in her highschool profession, with nonetheless extra alternatives to doubtlessly add to that complete.

Committing to Central Washington was a multifaceted resolution that began together with her older sister, who used to dwell in that a part of Washington.

“I was familiar with the area when I was younger and I used to go down to her house in the summertime,” Landon mentioned.

Last fall through the tennis season, her dad requested if she wished to attend a expertise ID camp this system was placing on, and he or she was decided to take advantage of it.

“I did really good and coach John (Hawks) scouted me out, and he was like, ‘Hey, I’d like you on the team,’ and it was like, an immediate choice for me,” Landon mentioned.

She formally signed in November and by no means severely thought-about every other colleges.

“I just fell in love with the school itself, and the team environment was really nice,” Landon mentioned. “I went down for another visit to meet the team, and they were all so kind. So, it was a really easy choice.”

She plans to main in enterprise administration, and whereas she doesn’t know what her focus will likely be simply but, she’s assured that it’ll result in success.

“I’m just trying to be really rich, I guess,” Landon mentioned with amusing.

Sticking together with her old flame and looking out forward

Landon solely began taking part in tennis in highschool as an exercise to do within the fall semester. Despite having the ability to play the game at an elite stage, she hadn’t beforehand thought-about pursuing it after highschool.

“It was always soccer for me, because tennis was just a sport I did for fun, and I just immediately hooked up onto it,” Landon mentioned. “Soccer’s been my one passion, so it wasn’t hard to choose between them.”

She didn’t even trouble placing herself on the market to be recruited for tennis.

“I did not expect to excel in it, but I did,” Landon mentioned.

She began taking part in soccer at 4 years outdated, after which picked up tennis as a sophomore. She and her doubles accomplice, Timber Fleischhacker, did greater than excel, they dominated.

“It was definitely a lot of hard work,” Landon mentioned. “We just kind of trained our butts off, we’d stay after practice or meet other days and just play with each other and just try to up our game, and ended up winning it all.”

Her abilities and expertise as a soccer participant helped her far more with tennis than vice versa.

“Because of the agility and the endurance,” Landon mentioned. “Tennis focuses more on hand-eye coordination and so, but with soccer … getting to the goal first helps so easily with tennis.”

While taking part in soccer, she not often comes off the pitch and all the time stays upbeat irrespective of how a lot they may be up or down on the scoreboard.

“Keeping that positive mentality and keeping that determination is very valuable to me,” Landon mentioned. “Just working hard for the win to help my teammates out is how I keep that mentality up.”

One of her prime objectives heading into her closing highschool soccer season was to be named Gatorade Player of the Year, with honorees introduced within the coming weeks.

That honor acknowledges athletes for not solely stellar performances of their respective arenas however takes into consideration educational excellence and exemplary character, each of which Landon has labored towards. She completed her senior 12 months with a cumulative 4.0 GPA and does volunteer work by the National Honor Society.

“I was trying to be a good student,” Landon mentioned.

If chosen, she’d be the fourth participant to obtain the award in program historical past and first since Holly Brehmer in 2014.

Another prime purpose was to assist the Mustangs finest one of many powerhouse packages within the Cook Inlet Conference and state total. They completed that feat late final month by beating Dimond 3-2 on the highway, marking their first victory over the Lynx in over a decade and a half.

“It was insane,” Landon mentioned.

With the state championship match lower than every week away, her and the Mustangs’ focus is on benefiting from their final trip.

“We are practicing our butts off,” Landon mentioned. “(We’re) coming into practices with 110% effort and just seeing what we can learn from our mistakes, and going into the state with a really good mentality, and that mentality and drive to win.”

[Previously: Junior Olympian in riflery highlights first round of college commitments by Alaska high school seniors]

Adding to a household legacy

Nearly three a long time after her dad and mom roamed the halls on the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Eagle River’s Reese Woodward will likely be doing the identical after not too long ago committing to compete in swimming for the Midshipmen.

“It’s really exciting and it was definitely a very tough decision for me,” Woodward mentioned. “I looked at a lot of schools, but the Naval Academy felt like such a unique opportunity.”

Both of her dad and mom graduated from the academy in 1999, making her a second-generation midshipman. They met on the annual Army vs. Navy soccer sport as seniors, and her mother was on the soccer workforce.

“I grew up hearing their experiences and seeing the impact it had on their lives, which made it even more meaningful to me,” Woodward mentioned. “I also just love that it’s about more than just women or academics. It’s about leadership, discipline and being part of something bigger than yourself.”

She knew committing to a service academy would problem her in each space of her life, so she didn’t wish to move up that type of alternative.

“While it took me a while to get to that decision, I’m definitely happy where I’m going, and excited for this challenge,” Woodward mentioned.

Several colleges reached out and have been involved in recruiting her, however ultimately, it got here all the way down to the Naval Academy or the University of California at Santa Barbara, who made a compelling case.

“I just loved everything about the school and the academics there and the team environment, and I really fell in love with the coach there as well,” Woodward mentioned. “That made it very difficult.”

She is proud to be following in her dad and mom’ footsteps.

“I’m so excited to carry on the legacy and be a part of something bigger than myself,” Woodward mentioned. “I think that’s always been a really big thing for me.”

While she plans on majoring in economics, she has but to determine on a focus.

Reflecting on constructing a powerhouse

During her time competing for Eagle River High School, Woodward and her older sister Lola helped lead this system to its best stretch of success in class historical past.

Eagle River tied for fifth on the state championships when Reese Woodward was a freshman, then got here in third her sophomore 12 months, when she claimed her first particular person state title and was on a first-place freestyle relay workforce as nicely.

The Wolves have been a dominant power in every of the previous two years, claiming back-to-back workforce state titles whereas Woodward accomplished two extra profitable title defenses within the 100-yard butterfly and picked up consecutive championships within the 200 particular person medley.

“It’s been really cool just to watch the older swimmers and see them kind of lead the way I was swimming, and then just see the team grow over the years,” Woodward mentioned. “I think that really is a testament to not just my work ethic, but the entire team and our coaches.”

She doesn’t consider that she’d be the swimmer, competitor or total well-rounded person that she has grow to be with out all of the experiences and influences that formed her throughout highschool.

“(They) believed in me even during moments when I doubted myself, and I think that’s been really important for the success that we’ve had at Eagle River,” Woodward mentioned. “I’m really grateful to have grown up on a team like (Chugiak Aquatics Club).”

If somebody would’ve advised her when she was 6 years outdated and shivering whereas holding onto the wall when she first began swimming that she’d someday fall in love with the game, and meet among the most vital individuals in her life, she would’ve dismissed the notion.

“I think it’s really cool to look back on these past four years and see everything that we’ve been able to accomplish,” Woodward mentioned.

As an bold freshman, she posted sheets with a number of state file instances for the 15-19 age group in her room with the hopes of someday surpassing them.

After years of arduous work and dedication, she lastly made her dream come true by swimming to state file instances of 25.06 seconds within the 50-meter butterfly and 58.39 seconds within the 100-meter particular person medley at her membership season state championships late final month. The 50-meter time is the brand new open state file as nicely.

“That was really exciting and very full circle too,” Woodward mentioned.

Now she is primed to be the following elite Alaska swimmer to indicate the remainder of the nation what the forty ninth state has to supply in the case of aggressive aquatic sports activities.

“It means a lot to represent Alaska, and I think Alaska has shaped me in a big way, and the work ethic, the toughness, and the way athletes here really have to make the most of every single opportunity,” Woodward mentioned. “I’m really proud to come from here, and it’s an honor to represent Alaska at the Naval Academy, and show that athletes from here can compete at that level and what they’re capable of accomplishing.”

The Anchorage Daily News requested coaches, dad and mom and pupil athletes to report particular person faculty commitments. The following checklist is a compilation of these responses together with reporting from ADN sports activities reporter Josh Reed. If you understand of a neighborhood pupil athlete who ought to be included on this article on faculty commitments, e mail jreed@adn.com or sports activities@adn.com.

Chugiak

Mary Jo Landon will compete in soccer at Central Washington University in Kittitas County, Washington.

Taylor Deschamps will compete in soccer at College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.

Blake Fazio will compete in swimming at Seattle University in Seattle, Washington.

Matthew Varney will compete in monitor and subject at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.

Eagle River

Reese Woodward will compete in swimming on the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Service

Sage Phimmasone will compete in soccer at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Emilia Zych will compete in monitor and subject on the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Tahtiani Keliikipi will compete in volleyball at Vernon College in Vernon, Texas.

Jase Emerson will compete in monitor and subject on the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Cullen Goodwin will compete in soccer at Doane University in Crete, Nebraska.

Cameron Hickman will compete in soccer at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Lily Ruiz will compete in volleyball at Cal Poly-Humboldt in Arcata, California.

Takumi Kosaka will compete in baseball at Bryant Stratton College in Buffalo, New York.

Connor Monahan will compete in baseball at Allen Community College in Iola, Kansas.

West Valley

Kieran Kaufman will compete in Nordic snowboarding on the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Zen Schaetzle will compete in swimming at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Colony

Gabe Black will compete in Nordic snowboarding on the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Iver Gates will compete in swimming at Davenport University in Kent County, Michigan.

Hayden Vanderpool will compete in wrestling at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.

Emily Bishop will compete on the dance workforce on the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana.

Tristen Mayer will compete in wrestling at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dimond

Amelio Ambrosio will compete in basketball on the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Clint Kopp will compete in swimming at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri.

Bettye Davis East

Kenya Bruno will compete in wrestling at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas.

Ketchikan

Evan Dash will compete in swimming on the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Nassau County, New York.

Gavin Harold will compete in swimming on the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine.

South

Brianna Bailey will compete in soccer at Regis University in Denver, Colorado.

Addison Bailey will compete in soccer at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.

Zoe Zipsir will compete in swimming at Lewis and Clark College in Lewiston, Idaho.

Addy Gasser will compete in soccer at Regis University in Denver, Colorado.

Anna Green will compete in monitor and subject at Minnesota State University-Moorhead in Moorhead, Minnesota.

Samantha Stoehner will compete in soccer at Central Christian College of Kansas in McPherson, Kansas.

Dara Stull will compete in soccer at Bellevue College in Bellevue, Washington.

Kinsey Dufour will compete in soccer at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.

David Feigner will compete in baseball at Arkansas State University Three Rivers in Malvern, Arkansas.

Jillian Preston will compete in flag soccer at Saginaw Valley State University in University Center, Michigan.

Jack Williams will compete in hockey at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan.

Audrina Rae Brown will compete in cheer at University of Central Florida in University, Florida.

Clayton McGuire will compete in wrestling at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota.

Sitka

Mia Von Turner will compete in swimming at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

Kenai Central

Abigail Price will compete in swimming at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona

West Anchorage

Payton Curtis will compete in swimming at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

Mat-Su Central

Kylie Benner will compete in swimming at Western Colorado University in Gunnison, Colorado.

Jade Bamford will compete in swimming at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Interior Distance Education of Alaska

Hannah Cooper will compete in swimming at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Juneau Douglas

Valerie Peimann will compete in swimming at Pomona College in Claremont, California.

Revilla

JP Robbins will compete in swimming at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia.

Mat-Su Middle College

Chloe Blackburn will compete in swimming at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Virginia.

North Star College

Shaye Persinger will compete in swimming at Lewis and Clark College in Lewiston, Idaho.