Four Republic athletes signed Wednesday to continue their careers in college: Reese Finley (Missouri State, beach volleyball), Jenna Smith (Drury, golf), Maddie Taylor (Missouri State-West Plains, softball), and Kate Mitchell (Rockhurst, volleyball). Here’s what each of them had to say.
Reese Finley — Missouri State, Beach Volleyball
Why Missouri State, and why beach volleyball?
Originally I wanted to move kind of far away for school. And then as time came on I realized I do want to stay close, and honestly Rilynn really helped me with that decision, because me and Rilynn are very close and she was the one that was like, “I think you should reach out to Ashley [Emery, MSU coach]… You’d be so good at beach [volleyball],” and that sparked a really big interest in me. Then through that I reached out, and it just kind of all went from there. I absolutely loved all the girls. I loved our coach, and I’m really excited to start something new and be close to family as well.
What are you looking forward to the most about competing in beach volleyball in college?
I’m ready for something different. It’s new and exciting, and I’ve always really been interested in beach, but I’ve always done indoor year-round, so I never had time to, and I’m making a lot more time this year before I go. So I’m just so excited, and I can’t wait to travel, too. Everyone says that every time you travel it’s like a little vacation everywhere you go, so I’m excited about that.
What do you take from your time here in Republic that you’re carrying with you?
Wow. I’m just going to miss it. I still remember me being a little baby freshman playing with my sister and all the seniors, and I had the best time. So it’s bittersweet. I’m going to miss all these girls and miss Coach Davis. I definitely grew a lot as a player and as a person these past four years. So I’m going to just take that confidence, almost, in the sense of going into college knowing, even though I’m coming in my freshman year, I still want to be able to work hard and earn my spot, and coming in as a freshman, working really hard to where I can be starting.
Jenna Smith — Drury University, Golf
Why Drury?
Well, my brother went to Drury, so I’ve always had a connection to it. And my dad’s best friend is the men’s Drury coach. I heard that they were getting a new women’s coach this year, and I heard great things about her through my dad’s best friend and through just the community. And ultimately I couldn’t leave home. I wanted to stay close to home. My other option was where I was born, Kirksville, at Truman. So it was a really tough decision, and it took me a little while to decide on what I wanted to do, but ultimately, between academics and athletics, I knew that Drury would challenge me more in both fields.
What are you looking forward to the most about college golf?
Definitely the practice schedule, because there’s two seasons plus offseason, and I feel like the high school golf season is just really short and I don’t get to enjoy it as much. So I’m really looking forward to having two different seasons plus offseason to really work and improve. But I’m also looking forward to the team as a whole and just having that connection, because it is college, it is a different school, and so I know that whenever I go to college, I’ll have a family that I’ll immediately be bonded with.
What do you take from your time competing in high school that you think you’ll carry with you?
There are so many things that I’ve learned from this program. That’s such a hard question. I’ve learned so much. The biggest thing, I feel like, is having a positive attitude, definitely in golf. I’ve had multiple coaches work with me with that, but especially Plotner. He’s taught me every round doesn’t have to go your way. And that’s something that I really want to carry into Drury, because it’s a fresh start, it’s a new four years, and I definitely have a lot of room to improve. Like Plotner said, actually, I feel like my best years are ahead of me. So I’m really excited to see what that looks like.
Maddie Taylor — Missouri State-West Plains, Softball
Why Missouri State-West Plains?
I went for a visit a couple months ago, and it checked all the boxes I wanted for my education and becoming a teacher, and also checked all the boxes in softball, with Coach Brooks being such an amazing coach. I just love the softball atmosphere that they have and the college atmosphere, how it’s so little, and that’s exactly what I wanted in a college.
What are you looking forward to the most about playing college softball?
I’m very excited for the new memories and the new experiences. I have my future teammate actually coming from Ozark, and I’m very excited to start new memories with her. There’s a player from Nixa that’s also there, and I’m very excited, like I said, for the memories and for the new experiences with the new rivalries.
What do you take with you that you learned with Republic softball?
My hard work and determination. I have always put goals in front of me my whole life. My freshman year especially, I was injured and had a torn meniscus, and my goal was to get better, and eventually I did. Just like with that goal, my goal was to play varsity and eventually play college ball. And with these two years coming up at JUCO, my next goal is to be playing Division I.
Kate Mitchell — Rockhurst University, Volleyball
Why Rockhurst?
Rockhurst was the first school that really stuck out to me. When I talked to the coach, he prioritized family and culture over skill, and he did really value skill, but it was just the relationships he had with the players and just the culture that’s built there. I really liked the campus itself. It’s really pretty, and I’ve always liked Kansas City.
What are you looking forward to the most about college volleyball?
I would definitely say being around my teammates all the time and building more relationships and finding my best friends in life, and just getting to be around the sport more, because I truly do love it.
What do you take from your time here in Republic that you’ll carry with you?
To balance everything and not procrastinate, because school season, it gets a lot with schoolwork, and if you procrastinate, then you just won’t get it done.
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