Notre Dame High School's Josie Bentz to compete in track and field for Grand Valley State

Josie Bentz accomplished everything she ever dreamed of on the volleyball court, helping Notre Dame High School win back-to-back Class 1A state championships the last two seasons.

So Bentz is ready to move on to her next challenge.

On Friday, the Notre Dame High School senior signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in track and field at Grand Valley State University, an NCAA Division II school located in Allendale, Michigan.

Bentz will compete in the high jump, an event in which has has only just begun to scratch the surface of her potential.

For Bentz, it just seemed like the perfect fit.

“It’s kind of exciting to do it. It’s nice knowing where I am going to go, sealing off that plan where I have to go. I’m glad a lot of people came in and wanted to support. That makes me feel good," Bentz said. “I visited this summer and I fell in love with it the second I got on campus. Their jumps coach (Steve Jones) is one of the best. He’s a really good guy and I really liked the way he was coaching the athlete. I also like the school a lot. Obviously I chose the school first because that’s what I’m trying to focus on. This school has a really good pre-physical therapy training program, so that’s what really boosted me toward it and the coach being so good was just a cherry on top for me.”

“I’m really excited for Josie," West Burlington-Notre Dame girls track and field coach Mike Gurius said. "She’s a very talented athlete, a very good person. It sounds like she is going to a very good school. She’s going to a place where she’ll be competitive right away. I think she found a home. That’s most important.”

“Josie improved a lot last year," WB-ND jumps coach Corey Lamm said. "She had a great season last year and she’s going to a great school, a great program with great coaches. They’ve won a lot of national championships. She’ll compete right away for a conference championship right away. She’s made all the right decisions academically.”

Bentz, an outside hitter on the Nikes' volleyball team, is ready to put that sport behind her and pursue track and field.

“I’ve been thinking about it since the summer, just transitioning," Bentz said. "I thought, ‘I don’t think I want to do volleyball anymore. I don’t think I want to pursue that after high school.’ I’m kind of over it. High jump was the next best thing for me because this past track season I realized I was upset because I couldn’t high jump because I was injured. I think that’s what really flipped the switch for me.”

Bentz, after missing her sophomore track and field season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, came back strong last year before a late-season leg injury slowed her progress. She finished tied for ninth in Class 3A at the state meet with a jump of 5 feet, 2 inches, was eighth at the Drake Relays with a leap of 5-1 1/2 and had the eighth-best jump overall in the state and fifth-best in Class 3A at 5-5.

Bentz will be joining a Lakers team which has four NCAA Division II national championships, 20 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles and 21 conference indoor championships.

Jones has produced 26 All-Americans and 37 national qualifiers in his time at Grand Valley State. His athletes have set 11 school records.

“It feels really good, but I know I have to work to be that high profile," Bentz said. "I want to be toward the top. I want to compete for a national championship or even a conference championship and get to that level. I think this is a school that I can achieve that at.”

With another year of training with Lamm, Bentz feels the sky is the limit in the high jump.

“I’ve been high jumping since sixth grade, but I haven’t really had the facilities to do anything. So West Burlington is the best place to do it because they have really nice facilities," Bentz said. “Working with Mr. Lamm this year is going to be a really big thing for me because I’ve only had one year under my belt with him. I think even that one year did a lot of things for me. Another year with him and then four years with my next coach at Grand Valley State is really going to boost me and get me to where I want to be.”

“I think we’ve just scratched the surface. I think the season in front of her will be a fun one. I think she’ll have a chance to compete with the best in the state," Gurius said. “I can’t wait to have another season with her. She joined us last year and it was pretty evident that she was a good jumper. But I’m not sure we were expecting how well she would jump. She really started taking off. She is a very good jumper. It’s exciting where she’s at and what’s in front of her.”

“Our eyes are on this year, for sure," Lamm said. "We’re excited for what’s going to happen for her this year in the high jump. Hopefully she can go a little higher this year.”

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Notre Dame High School senior to high jump at NCAA Division II school