By Sue Loudon
Five of the 26 graduating seniors from the Lutheran High School, 12400 Wornall Rd, will be starting college in the fall on athletic scholarships.
The only young man to receive a scholarship is Henry Hathhorn, who has been playing baseball since he was seven years old, and is a pitcher for the high school He will attend Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe. According to Hathhorn, the pitching coach and head baseball coach there were impressed with his skills. “My high school coach and summer team coach both played college baseball and encouraged me to do the same,” says Hathhorn. He will start on the varsity team when he joins Mid America Nazarene. His future goals are to play professional baseball.
Abigail Allred is also going to Mid- America Nazarene University. She will be attending on a cross country/track and field scholarship. Allred runs mid distances (400, 800, 1600 meters). “ I didn’t like running at first but my high school coach saw my potential and made the sport into something very meaningful to me,” she says. Allred was recruited by several schools based on her race times and placings, but chose Nazarene because she wanted to continue her education in a Christian environment.
Aleena Peterson is headed to Southwest Baptist University, in Bolivar, Missouri, to play volleyball, a sport she has played since she was six years old. She has also played soccer, basketball and ran track. When she visited Southwest Baptist to try out for their team, she got the opportunity to practice with the college team. Peterson’s volleyball position is the Libero/Defensive Specialist. “I play in the back row,” she explains. The scholarship not only allows her to play volleyball, but to attend a faith-based college and pursue a career as a physical therapist. “They have one of the best programs in the country,” she says.
Austyn Bruening will soon be a soccer goal keeper at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. Having played soccer since preschool, Bruening was encouraged by her coach to pursue a soccer scholarship. “My club coach was more confident in my abilities than I was, so he ensured I found a place to play,” says Bruening. Though only 5 feet tall, the university’s head soccer coach determined Bruening was a good fit for the team.
Zoey Schroeter will be attending Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, next year and cheering for all their teams. “I will be the tumbler and flyer for the cheerleading team,” says Schroeter, who has taken gymnastics since she was a child. Schroeter says she likes Baker’s small teacher to student ratio.