No volleyball at all in 2020. Partial schedule, but no fans in 2021.
Just two seasons, but that can be an entire career when it comes to a junior college athlete. So Audrey Schultz is excited for the 2022 Kellogg Community College women’s volleyball season, because it will be her first time enjoying the entire experience.
“My first year, we didn’t do anything because of COVID, then last year wasn’t much better,” Schultz said. “So I came back this year because I wanted to play two years for Tom, he’s a great coach. We have a lot of good girls coming in, so I decided to stick around for another season and help the Bruins for another year.”
Just like his most experienced player, Tom VanWienen is excited to be putting behind him the ups-and-downs that came from COVID concerns the past two years. Schultz is the only player left from the 2020 roster, even though athletes were allowed another year of junior college eligibility if they wanted due to the lost pandemic-riddled season.
Schultz is joined by a group that is excited to compete in the Michigan Junior College Athletic Association. The season starts Friday at a weekend tournament in Illinois before the first home match on Sept. 15 at the Miller Physical Education Building on the campus of KCC.
“We are excited to be full-go again,” VanWienen said. “I think we are back to where we were before the whole COVID thing. Kids moved on because we weren’t playing, or they ran out of eligibility. Last two years, didn’t know when we would play, if we would play There were games when I couldn’t go, or half our team couldn’t go, we would travel with seven girls. Nobody was at the games, because we couldn’t have fans. It was different.
“Things weren’t very normal, but this year the kids are all committed to the program and are working hard to move things forward.”
Other key returners for KCC include sophomore setter Jenna Connors, who herself missed much of last season due to injury. The Bruins also feature sophomore Abby Herman from Coldwater, who earned all-league honors last year. The only other sophomores on the roster are Kiana Auton and Maddie Edwards, with freshmen filling out the rest of the ranks, including local standouts Madison Burke from Homer, Brianna Butler from Climax-Scotts and Morgan Keson of Bellevue.
“I’m super excited we have a fresh season to look forward to after what happened last year,” Connors said. “I think we have a lot of new players that will give us a good opportunity this year.”
With a change to the MCCAA lineup, KCC also feels good about its chances for the postseason. The Bruins were nationally ranked in 2020, but didn’t get to see how that team would fare.
“The conference is now being split up into three divisions. That takes Muskegon and Grand Rapids out of our division, where they have been at the top most of the time,” VanWienen said. “We have been in that 3, 4, 5 area, with some very good teams. Now we will be fighting for those 1, 2, 3 spots and I think, with this team, we will be right there.”
KCC Women’s Soccer
Levi Butcher, entering his second season as the Bruins coach, is excited for the group of women’s soccer players he has brought in this fall — both returners and newcomers.
Bringing experience to the pitch will be sophomore midfielder and Marshall product Chloe Leugers, who has been named team captain. Other key returners include Pennfield grad Allison Biergeder, who was KCC’s leading scorer last year. Other sophomores on the roster include Lillian Fulcher, Bryn Cairns, Maya Ruelas and Marshall graduate Natalia Egnatuk.
Local standouts getting ready for their freshmen year for the Bruins include Mackenzie Jordan of Harper Creek and Maya Walters of Pennfield.
“We’ll be a very tightly knit squad this season, and the benefits of that are already showing early in our preseason,” Butcher said. “The vibe is great with these ladies, and training sessions are energetic, productive and really enjoyable,” said Butcher. “Overall, we are extremely excited to begin the journey with this group and help them grow as students, people and players.”
KCC Cross Country
Longtime KCC Athletic Director Tom Shaw has stepped down from that role, but he didn’t go as far as he will now be the head coach of the Bruins cross country program.
“I am excited to get back into coaching,” says Shaw. “I started as a coach and will finish as a coach. Full circle is a fresh way to end my career.”
Shaw has several returners on the men’s and women’s teams.
Coming back to lead the men’s team is sophomore Reece Ratliff (Lakeview), who holds the fourth fastest time in KCC history and qualified for the NJCCA DII National Championship last year. Other sophomores are Colin McDowell (Marshall) and Carter Spring (Lakeview).
On the women’s team, sophomore Shayla Mejia (Lakeview) is the only season-long runner coming back. Marshall’s Egnatuck, who also plays soccer, will run for the Bruins.
Contact Bill Broderick at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick