Quincy's Snellenberger sets her future sights on Grand Valley State University

It is said that throwers, those who ply the trade of hurling the shot put and the discus into the late afternoon sky of high school track, well, they don’t have finish lines. That is true in more ways than one, you see, throwers don’t actually have finish lines, they don’t compete with other discus and shot put throwers, they compete with their own history, they compete against themselves.

For Quincy senior Sophia Snellenberger, that’s a tough competition, but one that has given her the chance to follow the sport she loves to the collegiate level as she recently signed her letter of intent to throw for the Grand Valley State University Track and Field team, where she will major in Dietetics and Nutrition.

“Grand Valley has everything I need both academically and athletically,” said Snellenberger. “Not only are they so good on the academics but they have one of the best Division Two programs around. When I went there and met the team I just clicked with all the girls instantly and I felt like I was already at home. I looked at Michigan State and Saginaw Valley State but in the end Grand Valley felt like home.”

In Snellenberger the Laker Track and Field program is getting one of the most prolific throwers in the state of Michigan and quite perhaps the best thrower to ever come through the Quincy system.

Snellenberger currently holds both the Quincy High School shot put and discus records, breaking both this last year, her junior season.

The first record to fall to the throwing machine known as Sophia was the 22 year old discus record set long ago by Quincy legend and Hall of Fame member Jessica Kochendorfer, a record set back in 2000 when Kochendorfer threw a mark of 132 feet, 1 inch. Snellenberger first broke the record on April 20 in a home double dual versus Bronson and Homer when she set the new mark of 141 feet, 1 inch. Since then Sophia has broken her own record three more times, with the current mark coming in a championship win at the Big 8 Conference meet on May 25 with a throw of 144 feet, 0 inches.

The second record to fall to Snellenberger came in the other throwing pit as she broke yet another record held by Kochendorfer, the previous shot put record of 39 feet, 7 inches which was also set in the year 2000. Snellenberger flirted with the mark at the Union City Invitational on April 29, missing the record by only a few inches. Snellenberger wasted little time after that setting the new mark as she went on to break the record in her next meet in a May 4 dual meet with Reading when she set the new distance of 40 feet, 3 inches.

Snellenberger went on to earn All State honors that season, joining her teammate Raigen Horsfall on the podium at the MHSAA State Meet with a third place finish in the shot put, after setting a mark of 39 feet, 3 inches, as well as taking second place in the discus with a throw of 140 feet, 4 inches.

Looking back at the newest set of records it’s safe to say that those marks did not happen on accident. They weren’t lucky throws aided by wind or just a fluke one off heave, those throws came about because of years and years of practice, hard work, and dedication, all of which started way back in middle school.

Snellenberger began this trek way back in the eighth grade when her father bought her her first rubber discus.

“We would just throw out in the front yard and we would compare those distances to other girls from around the state and we saw that I was just as good as them and it was my first time really throwing,” said Snellenberger. “I started to focus on throwing during my eighth grade year so that I would be good heading into high school and I really put in a lot of work and I’ve just never stopped. I decided early to just choose one sport, one thing to devote my time to and get good at, and here we are.”

For Snellenberger getting better is an all year venture, as rain, weather, temperature and the elements do little to slow her down. Quincy girls track and field coach Rob Evans spoke of how the Oriole football team would move their practices away from the throwing pits during the summer and falls months because Snellenberger was consistently out practicing, and in the winter months Snellenberger’s dad puts up a net in their barn that allows her to work on her technique.

“During the winter I throw into a net in the barn, my dad puts up the net once it gets cold outside and we get to work,” said Sophia. “For discus I just spin in a circle he painted on the concrete and for shot put we get out the wooden shot put circle he built.”

For Sophia her father, along with a bevy of other coaches, have helped shape and mold her into the thrower she is today, helping push her and motivate her every step of her record breaking career.

“I would not be where I am today without them (my coaches),” said Snellenberger. “My track coaches have helped and supported me the whole way. Coach Evans, Coach Crabbs, and Coach Turner have all had a huge impact on my training, they are always on the sidelines cheering me on and making sure I keep up the work in the offseason. As for my dad, he has helped and supported me in every step of the way and when I wanted to quit he would motivate me to keep going. He devoted so much of his time to me and helping coach the track team as well. I would not be anywhere close to where I am without all of them.”

They say it takes a village and for Sophia Snellenberger and her record breaking career that old adage holds true. Snellenberger’s trek is far from over and with all the hard work put in by the talented senior, combined with all the hard work put forth by her coaches, parents, and teammates, the sky continues to be the limit for perhaps the greatest thrower in Quincy High School history. And she still has one more season to go.

Congratulations to Quincy’s Sophia Snellenberger on her decision to further her academic and athletic career at Grand Valley State University.

Get to Know Your Recruit

Name: Sophia SnellenbergerSchool: Quincy High SchoolCollege: Grand Valley State UniversityMajor: Dietetics and NutritionFavorite Food: Biscuits and GravyFavore Dessert: DonutsFavorite TV Show: Hunter x HunterFavorite Movie: AvatarFavorite Book: Hollow Sight by Kristie PierceHobbies: I do a lot of homework and in my extra free time I like to journal, paint and craft, and got to the gym.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Quincy's Sophia Snellenberger signs letter of intent with Grand Valley State