PLAYING ON: Five area athletes to continue athletic careers in college

Feb. 3—Five area athletes will continue their athletic ventures at the collegiate level.

Below is a rundown of where each athlete is attending.

LAUREN SCHWING

St. Anthony's Lauren Schwing will continue playing golf at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.

Schwing last played for the Bulldogs in the 2021 fall season, where she carded a 39.4 scoring average and finished 13th overall at the Class 1A State Final Tournament. She did not play in 2022 due to undisclosed reasons.

"Out of all of my choices — I've talked with many great coaches — Rhodes checked every box with the golf team, the coach, the facilities, and most importantly, the academics," Schwing said. "It's a smart school with everything I was looking for for my plans. I couldn't find anything wrong with it, plus the campus is beautiful."

Schwing added that she thanks her father, Gunner, for helping her get to this point.

"He was the one who got me into golf when I was five years old; he's been my biggest fan," Lauren said.

Rhodes College is an NCAA Divison III institution that competes in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA).

SARA SWINGLER

Teutopolis' Sara Swingler will continue playing volleyball at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill.

Swingler played heavy minutes for the Lady Shoes this past season as a setter, but what head coach Jim Dietz liked the most about her was her demeanor following an injury that held her back at the beginning of the year.

"When she was able to come back, she hit the ground running," Dietz said. "There was no tentativeness in it, and that's important; that's a confidence you don't see from a freshman or a sophomore; you only see from a senior."

Swingler said that her love for volleyball is why she wanted to continue playing at the next level.

"I've always loved volleyball, and I didn't want to end my career because it meant so much to me," Swingler said.

Lincoln Trail head coach Dana Goodwin added that Swingler would make a great addition to the team, mainly because of her leadership.

"I liked the leadership that she had on the court. I was also losing two of my sophomore setters, so I needed that coming in; she will do a good job transitioning onto the team," Goodwin said.

FAITH SHULL

Swingler won't be the only local athlete to make their home in Robinson, though.

Newton's Faith Shull will also join the Lincoln Trail roster in the fall.

Shull's path, however, is different.

Once her senior season was over at Newton, Shull had initially decided not to continue playing volleyball in college.

But, over time, her mind changed.

"At first, I was done, and then, I started helping the junior high and realized how much I missed it," Shull said. "I was going to try and find some rec leagues to play in, and then Dana reached out to me at one of the junior high volleyball games, and I decided, 'Why not.'"

Goodwin added that recruiting Shull came "naturally" to her.

"What I mean by that is I went to a couple of her games during the high school season, and then she decided she wasn't going to play volleyball after high school. A few weeks ago, I saw her at a junior high game; she was helping out, and I was reffing, and I talked to her again about what her plans were this next coming year, and that's when she decided to play more, and I still needed a middle hitter, so it worked itself out," Goodwin said.

Shull finished her senior season with 151 kills and 69 blocks. She helped the Lady Eagles win a regional championship and a Little Illini Conference regular season championship.

What head coach Jill Kistner will miss the most about Shull, though, is her dedication and love for volleyball.

"I coach because I want my athletes to love this sport, and I want to see the pure joy on their faces when they play, and she did that every time she stepped in the gym," Kistner said.

BRYANT WEBER

Cumberland's Bryant Weber will continue playing football at Quincy University in Quincy, Ill.

The 2022 Effingham Daily News Most Improved Football Player of the Year, Weber finished his senior season with the Pirates with 1,784 yards passing on 103-of-173 and 21 passing touchdowns. He helped lead his team to a berth in the IHSA Class 1A Playoffs and a Lincoln Prairie Conference championship.

To Weber, he'd be remiss if he didn't thank his coaches for their time with him over the years.

"I've had a lot of coaches over the years," Weber said. "My dad's been the main coach I've had throughout my whole life; the offensive coordinator I had when I started gaining my love for the game, Jeremy Morgan, instilled a quarterback mind into what it's like to read defenses. He introduced that to me at a young age. Then, moving here and having Coach (Kenny) Keyser in middle school, he was a great coach and taught me how to be a man and the real world and how much football has to relate with it. Then, bumping up to high school, Coach (Lucas) Watkins taught me a lot about how to read a defense thoroughly to the best I could.

"Overall, my coaches have been amazing, and I thank them for everything they've done for me."

Watkins added that Weber finally had his dream of playing college football realized.

"He's been groomed for this his entire life. He's been going to camps since he was four or five; it was his dream," Watkins said. "He's seen his dreams come to a realization today."

Quincy University is an NCAA Division III institution and competes in the Midwest Sprint Football League.

"Quincy stood out to me the first time I went," Weber said. "I went for a gameday visit, and I liked their stadium, locker room, and facilities. Everything there was nice. The big thing that was also really good was how much it felt like home; the coaches were all welcoming, real loving."

The Hawks finished last season 4-7.

JOSIE DREES

Teutopolis' Josie Drees will continue playing tennis at Kaskaskia College in Kaskaskia, Ill.

Drees and her partner Lauren Heuerman finished this past season as the Lady Shoes' No. 2 doubles team and had a record of 14-11. She also competed well in singles competition, going 10-4.

"Josie has been an honor to watch through the years," Teutopolis head coach Allison Deters said. "She decided to join us her sophomore year during COVID and has easily taken to it."

Drees said she is looking forward to continuing playing tennis in college and improving her game.

Overall, Drees is one of many Lady Shoe tennis players that head coach Joe Basch has recruited over the years, with Basch lamenting Teutopolis as a "big part" of his program's recruiting.

"Teutopolis has been a huge school for us," Basch said. "We've had close to 10 players over the years from there. They're a big part of our recruiting; she's a very strong student and a good athlete."

Contact EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner at 618-510-9231 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com.