commitments made by senior Morgan Allison and junior Paige Striley. Morgan Allison
announced that she will be committing to Valparaiso University located in Indiana, as a Division
1 level. Paige Striley will be taking her talents to the University of Missouri, also under Division 1
athletics.
Amidst all of the recent hardships Coronavirus has brought to the recruiting process,
these two students found a way to overcome adversity and find the right school to continue their
sports career and education. Page Striley commented that “although the dead period [when
student-athletes are not allowed to make college visits or be contacted by coaching staff] made
it hard because I could not visit schools and meet the athletes, I was able to join zoom calls and
get a feel for the team environment.” Morgan Allison also added “ the most difficult thing was
traveling to the school and not being able to see the swimming pool….I wanted to get a feel for
the pool since I’d be spending so much time there.” Given the circumstances they both were
able to reach out to the team and as Morgan said “I felt like I had to do a lot of investigating on
my own to know what the school offers, and I had to reach out to swimmers on the team to get
a feel for the environment.” By doing so, both Paige and Morgan were able to find the perfect fit
and are excited for what the upcoming years will bring.
In their time here on the Lakota West swim team, they have both established some of
their greatest memories to date. Morgan’s favorite memory was “when one of the seniors
hosted a hair dying event right before the state tournament. It’s a team bonding event and gets
us hyped before our biggest meets.” This, along with a handful of other traditions, creates a
team bond, just like in many other sports. Just like anything in life, a support system is vital to
success; this is exactly the case for Lakota West’s swim team. Paige says “my high school
coaches have really done an amazing job of creating a fun and energetic atmosphere where I
am able to be myself. They also do a great job of instilling confidence in me and reassuring me
what I’m capable of.” For athletes this can be everything – having a supportive coach that is there every step of the way can really help shape someone to be the student-athlete they are today.
Morgan and Paige stated that if they could give any advice for upcoming high schoolers it would be “to savior the time and trust the process. Swimming is mentally and physically hard, so knowing that you’ll do great at the end of the season is what should motivate you.” Paige added that future swimmers should “be ready to cheer loud and be the best teammate you can be. Most importantly, enjoy the next four years because time really does fly.” Looking ahead these two ladies will kick off the start of their post-season campaign by competing at the GMC meet this upcoming weekend. Following that meet will be a long path to both of their end goals, the State Championship. Every year the Lakota West swim team leaves Canton with new PR’s and records but most importantly they will walk away with memories that will last a lifetime.
Morgan and Paige stated that if they could give any advice for upcoming high schoolers it would be “to savior the time and trust the process. Swimming is mentally and physically hard, so knowing that you’ll do great at the end of the season is what should motivate you.” Paige added that future swimmers should “be ready to cheer loud and be the best teammate you can be. Most importantly, enjoy the next four years because time really does fly.” Looking ahead these two ladies will kick off the start of their post-season campaign by competing at the GMC meet this upcoming weekend. Following that meet will be a long path to both of their end goals, the State Championship. Every year the Lakota West swim team leaves Canton with new PR’s and records but most importantly they will walk away with memories that will last a lifetime.
Whether it was swimming at a grandparent’s house or mentally preparing for a meet, they are both ready for whenever the next opportunity to swim came about. They both took full advantage of the opportunities at hand and all of their hard work is showing off — not only this season but in their recent commitments. Congratulations to Morgan and Paige!
