Often times, the best part of my job–both in my former life at The Gazette as a sports reporter and current life as a talk show host–is seeing area kids thrive on the playing field.
It always brings a smile to my face as I think back to their high school days and the strides they’ve made competing at the next level.
And boy, have we had a slew of area kids shine under the spotlight recently at the collegiate level.
At the top of the list is former Janesville Parker standout Ryann Porter.
Competing for one of the top Division 1 track and field programs in the country–the Oregon Ducks–Porter won the women’s long jump earlier this month at the Big Ten Conference outdoor meet.
Porter jumped a personal-best 44-feet, 5 inches to win her first Big Ten title after winning six previously in the Missouri Valley Conference while competing for Indiana State.
Porter’s jump is the third-best in Oregon history.
And two weeks ago, Milton High graduate Aedeon Sinclair finished second in both the US Open finals along with the US World Team trials.
Sinclair, who will be a redshirt freshman at the University of Missouri, finished runner-up to Penn State recruit Joshua Barr at the World Team Trials, losing 7-5 in the championship match.
Another Milton graduate, Gavin Kilen, was recently named to the Southeastern Conference’s first team as a second baseman.
Kilen has 15 home runs on the season and 41 RBI despite missing more than a month with a hamstring injury.
Many mock drafts have Kilen as a top 20 pick in the upcoming MLB Draft in July.
And speaking of tearing it up, that’s what 2023 Janesville Craig graduate Jake Schaffner is doing for the North Dakota State baseball team.
Schaffner is hitting .390 on the season for the Bison, who qualified for the NCAA Division 1 tournament by winning the Summit Conference.
Schaffner, who was named first-team all-conference for the second year in a row and was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, will play in the Cape Cod League this summer.
It’s always great to see good kids do good things.
And these three are a classic example.
