Five senior athletes have already signed with different colleges. Those five seniors are Katie Bourg, Moran Graves, Marissa Graves, Sam Wietlispach, and Jonathon Smith. Each of these students has earned a scholarship to schools for their athletic abilities. These five will continue Joliet West’s excellence in sports. Make sure to congratulate them on their wonderful achievements.
Katie Bourg signed with Robert Morris to play softball. According to Heather Suca, the Varsity coach of girls’ softball, described Katie Bourg as “being one of the hardest workers she [Suca] has ever coached before,” As a senior Katie was a great leader both on and off the field. Katie always puts the team before herself. This was demonstrated when Katie switched from being a second baseman, a position she played for the last five years, to play third base in order to make the team better. Katie was the one of the leading offensive players her junior year and hopes to continue that on during her senior year and her college career. Robert Morris offered to pay 75 percent of ?Katie’s tution. The offer came after about three months of communication between Robert Morris and Katie. The only other school Katie looked at was Eastern Illinois University.
Sam Wietlispach signed a full ride scholarship with Illinois Institute of Technology for his athletic and academic abilities. Sam runs cross country for Joliet West and has brought the team many great training ideas. Varsity coach of cross country Brian Newman said “Sam’s leadership and adaptation to the new system allowed for a strong start to the program.” The whole cross country team runs three miles. Sam reduced his time on this run a whole 30 seconds from his junior year. Coach Newman said this is due to the way he practices hard each and every practice. Newman also explained how the team could always count on Sam to give it his all. The expectations for Sam when he goes to IIT are very high considering he is “very teachable.” The expectations are not only in athletics but also in academics. Sam loves to learn and is expected to be a very successful engineer. Sam considered many different schools throughout the year but the combination of a full ride, a school that’s strong in engineering and the opportunity to run was way too much to say no to.
Morgan and Marissa Graves are twin sisters that are seniors here at Joliet West, also known as super twins. Both girls play on the Varsity soccer team, allowing the sister chemistry to flow onto the field. For their skills and teamwork, both sisters signed with St. Xavier to play soccer.
Jonathon Smith is the fifth senior to get a scholarship from a school at West. Jonathon was a very talented football player and West will miss not only his skills but him as a teammate. Jonathon signed with Bemidji University.