Senior Spotlight: West Muskingum has shaped Mariska McCune's path
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Times Recorder will highlight a senior from each of the seven Muskingum County schools. They were nominated for a Senior Spotlight by their school administration.
FALLS TOWNSHIP — Athletics have been an integral part of Mariska McCune's life since her youth.
The senior excelled as a four-year letter winner in softball and a three-year letter winner in soccer and basketball at West Muskingum.
Her time as a Tornado also influenced her career path, as she plans to attend Indiana University and major in athletic training.
She took advantage of College Credit Plus program to earn her associate degree in Science with Health Concentration from Zane State. She will receive an academic scholarship to attend Indiana.
"I thought I wanted to be a dietician, but I started to get drawn towards athletic training," McCune said. "I'm hoping to work with high school and college athletes. I've always been around sports so it felt like the right direction to go."
McCune, whose parents are Nathan and Tasha McCune, took the initiative to learn about the job by shadowing the school's athletic trainer A.J. Eppley. He was impressed with McCune's attitude and willingness to learn.
"She took it upon herself to set this up. She shadowed me during basketball, learning the pre-game and post-game responsibilities," remarked Eppley, also a West M grad. "She was very interested in learning what she could. It says a lot that she was willing to volunteer and give up her free time to do this."
Being able to start her college studies early has proved beneficial, said McCune. She chose that direction after COVID affected the spring of her sophomore year. It helped to have the support of high school teammates Ava Van Reeth and Brooke Pauley, who also went the CCP route.
"We were doing blended learning in high school so I thought I should go ahead, take college classes and get started," McCune said. "I didn't have a lot of classes with Ava and Brooke, but it was nice knowing other people going through the same thing. It was nice to have people to spend my free time with, and we could go work out at the rec center when we were on campus. It was nice to have that experience.
McCune's example is one principal Laura Tompkins hopes other Tornadoes will follow. Tompkins has been impressed with what McCune has accomplished despite a busy schedule and knows she will continue to excel in college.
"Mariska is a great all-around kid. She represents what we expect from a West Muskingum Tornado," Tompkins said. "She has a positive attitude and concentrates on performing well in the classroom and in sports. Even though she has not been on campus most of the past two years, she still stay connected with her involvement. It showed our school was important to her."
Pursuing her goals started with advice from her varsity basketball coach Todd Van Reeth. He told his players, "What you do when no one is watching is seen by everyone when the lights come on."
Those words are ones McCune will carry on to her next phase of life.
"He taught me how to be a leader and passed on his wisdom," McCune said. "He believed it was important to put forth your best effort no matter the situation. The things I learned in basketball are definitely things I can use in other areas."
Along with sports, McCune stayed connected through National Honor Society, Key Club and Student Council.
The memories on the hill will be remembered fondly by McCune.
"I know I wasn't here a lot my last year two years, but I was able to stay involved," she said. "West M means so much to me, and it means a lot to be honored by the staff here. My goal is to return to the area and start my career here because this is home."
bhannahs@gannett.com
Twitter: @brandonhannahs
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: West Muskingum has shaped Mariska McCune's path
