Seniors Connor Watson, Cole Baumgartner, Ty Deterding, Ryan Bretthauer, Maddy Arnold, Samantha Claire, Cooper Born, Jackson Smith and Caden Stedry will all play their sport at the college level next year.
Editor’s Note: This story is part of a three-part series examining local students moving on to college athletics.
Cardinals athletes in winter and spring sports said they’re excited to embrace new people and challenges as they look ahead to playing college sports next year.
The commits talked about the challenge of finding a good sports program while also wanting to find schools that align with their other academic and life goals.
Maddy Arnold, Wrestling, Baker
Senior Maddy Arnold will wrestle at Baker next year after winning a state medal this season.
Arnold battled back from a leg injury this year to help lead the Cardinals girls wrestling team and was the only Cardinal to win a round in the main draw at state. She will join the only other Cardinals girl wrestler to medal at state, Harper Andrews, on the Baker roster.
“Coming back and medaling was a very big success for me and overall was a very great goal to accomplish,” she said in March.
You can read more about Arnold’s state medal in this story.
Ty Deterding, Golf, Park
Senior Ty Deterding will tee off at Park University this fall, continuing both his golf career and his education in construction management.
It was a former high school coach, Susan DeVoe, who helped get the ball rolling.
“The Park golf coach is good friends with our previous high school coach, Coach DeVoe,” he said. “They play together in summer tournaments. So Coach DeVoe gave her my contact and then my stats for my high school and summer golf tournaments. And she was like, ‘Well, he fits what we’re looking for in incoming freshmen.’”
After a campus visit and a tour of the program, Deterding knew Park was the right place.
“Their golf program is really good, and they’re having a lot of success,” he said. “They practice at The National, which is one of the nicest courses in the Kansas City area. That was a big draw, getting to play there every day.”
He was also impressed by the school’s construction management program.
“Park University has a great program for that,” he said. “So that was also a big point on why I went there.”
Connor Watson, Swim, Barton Community College
For years, Connor Watson’s love of swimming flew under the radar.
Without a high school team at Eudora, many didn’t realize he was a competitive swimmer, or that he’d been racing since age 6. But this fall, Watson will get the chance to compete on a college team at Barton Community College.
Initially, Watson wasn’t planning to swim in college. But as his final summer season wrapped up, the idea of stepping away from the pool didn’t sit right.
“The coach was super nice and really understood what it was like not to have a high school team,” Watson said. “She gave me a chance, and I took it.”
Now, Watson is looking forward to training year-round and focusing on his growth in the sport.
“I’ve never really had that kind of structured coaching or consistent practice,” he said. “So I’m excited to finally get that and see how far I can go.”
Watson also sees college as a chance to prove what he’s capable of.
“This is an opportunity I didn’t think I’d get,” he said. “And I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”
Ryan Bretthauer, Wrestling, Ottawa
Ryan Bretthauer wasn’t planning to wrestle in college — until she started thinking about giving the sport up.
“At the start of this year, I realized I wasn’t ready to be done,” she said.
That change of heart led her to reach out to Ottawa University, where she’ll continue her wrestling career this fall. Encouragement from a familiar face helped spark the move. Bretthauer’s former Eudora teammate, Jordan Dempsey, is already on the Ottawa roster.
“If Jordan weren’t there, I don’t know if I would’ve reached out,” Bretthauer said. “She really gave me the confidence to go for it.”
Once she visited campus and met the coaching staff, her decision came into focus. With separate coaches for different weight classes, Bretthauer said the program offers a personalized experience for every wrestler.
She plans to major in mechanical engineering and has already taken college-level calculus and engineering courses to prepare for the demanding workload.
“I’ve been working on time management,” she said. “I know it’s going to be a challenge, but wrestling has taught me mental toughness.”
Cole Baumgartner, Pole Vault, Nebraska Wesleyan
Senior Cole Baumgartner is headed to Nebraska Wesleyan University to compete in pole vault — a sport he picked up just a few years ago but quickly grew to love.
He said academics were a big part of his decision. Nebraska Wesleyan offered a full-ride scholarship and stood out with strong programs both on and off the field.
“They have one of the top 10 business schools in the nation,” he said. “And I was like, OK, well, this is kind of amazing, because that’s what I’m going into, business administration.”
He said the personal attention he got from the track coach made all the difference in the recruiting process.
“His texts were obviously not robotic at all,” he said. “He was just trying to get to know me, instead of just treating me as an asset.”
After visiting the Lincoln, Nebraska, campus, he said the choice became clear. Though he first fell in love with sports thanks to football and triple jump, pole vault sparked a new kind of excitement.
“That was the first time in any of my sports history where I was like, I’m actually super excited to go to track practice now,” he said. “If I like it this much, I mean, it’d be awesome to do this in college.”
Cooper Born, Baseball, Ottawa
A lifelong dream will come true for senior Cooper Born next year, as he heads to Ottawa University to play college baseball.
“I got offers from six different schools, but when I visited Ottawa in February, it just felt right,” Born said. “I liked the coaches, the campus and I’ve got a couple friends playing there already. It seemed like the perfect fit.”
Born committed in February, and said the university’s strong baseball program — currently one of the top NAIA teams — and top-tier facilities helped seal the deal, including their nice weight room.
“That was a big selling point for me since I’m really into the gym,” he said.
He plans to major in business administration. Born said he’s excited to get back on the field and reconnect with old teammates like Eudora grad Dakota Pringle.
“I just want to keep playing baseball, hang out with some friends, and enjoy that next chapter,” he said.
Caden Stedry, Baseball, Highland Community College
Caden Stedry said he was drawn by the opportunity for early playing time and a welcoming environment in committing to Highland Community College.
“I’m really excited because it’s close to home, and I’ll probably get playing time as a freshman,” he said. “The coaches were so friendly. It didn’t even feel like I was meeting them for the first time.”
Stedry has already connected with future roommates and teammates, helping him feel at home on campus. He said he’s bringing lessons from Eudora with him to a program that is similar in a lot of ways. He wants to bring a strong mentality and motivation, he said.
As he looks ahead to college life, Stedry said he’s most excited for the next big step.
“Really just the freedom,” he said. “I’m so ready to be on my own.”
Jackson Smith, Baseball, Friends
Senior Jackson Smith is headed to Friends University to play baseball and pursue dual degrees in business and ministry.
“I chose Friends because it’s just another opportunity to keep playing baseball,” he said. “It’s a Christian private school, so I can study ministries along with getting my business degree.”
He was drawn to the program’s culture and coaching staff.
“They got a good squad of coaches up there,” Smith said. “Good team, good positivity. A good group of guys.”
He’ll also have some familiar faces on campus, with former Eudora students he knows already there. Though he’s leaving his longtime teammates behind, Smith said he’s ready to start fresh.
“It’s kind of sad. I want to be able to play with them,” he said. “But I’m starting my own chapter.”
Samantha Claire, Jaiden Burris, Alexia Born, Reese Pattison and Katie Courter, Softball
Five members of the softball team will play at the collegiate level next year.
Read more about their commitments in this story.
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]