The Next Level: Former Panthers who still compete in college


Becca Burmahl, University of Dubuque women's track and field. (Photos submitted)

Rachel Gadient, Mount Mercy University women's track and field.

Leah Koppes, Iowa State University dance team.

Kelli Jo Welter, Drake University dance team.
Second in a series. This week: women's track and field, dance team
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     The second installment of The Next Level features a pair of women’s track athletes and two dance team members who graduated from Monticello High School and went on to compete in college.

     A look at this week’s athletes:

 

Becca Burmahl

Women’s Track and Field, sophomore,

University of Dubuque

Hammer throw, discus

     Q: What made you decide to continue your athletic career in college?

     A: In high school, track became a huge part of my life. It was something I shared with my best friends, and Coach (Darren) Reade became a mentor in my life both on and off the track because of it. Track helped me mature and played a huge role in who I am today, but when I first started getting recruited, I really wasn’t sure if collegiate sports were something I wanted. However, on my first visit at UD, I fell in love with the campus. And when I met my current coach for the first time, I knew that he would work just as hard to help me succeed as Reade did, and I was sold.

     Q: How has it gone for you so far? What have been your biggest achievements (highest placings, etc.)?

     A: It’s going really well. I finished off outdoor season last year ranked in the top 50 in the nation in both of my outdoor events and top freshman in the nation in the hammer throw with a 48.49 m throw. My top placing came at our home meet where I won discus with a lifetime PR of 42.34 meters. (Translates to about 139 feet, a 20 foot PR).

     Q: What events are you competing in this season?

     A: During indoor season, which we just wrapped up, I throw the weight. It’s essentially an indoor version of the hammer, just a 20-pound ball on a handle. Not my best or favorite event, but it gets you ready for hammer once outdoor rolls around. During outdoor I throw the hammer, which is an 8.8-pound ball on a super long wire and handle, and also the discus.

     Q: How does competing at the college level compare with high school?

     A: It’s a really interesting transition. In high school, especially at a school our size, a lot of people do a variety of events. I mean, my junior year I went to state in a sprint relay, 100 hurdles, and a throwing event. So there’s not really any true specialization. In college, though, you specialize. Aside from multis, you really have to choose one thing to focus on or you’ll get left in the dust because the level of competition is that much higher. My coaches were willing to let me try if it was what I really wanted, but I couldn’t be a thrower and a hurdler anymore. Because at some point, I’d be splitting my time too much between the two that both of them would suffer.

     Another huge shock in collegiate track is the length of the season. In high school it’s 3½ months. In college, since we have an indoor and outdoor season, our regular practices start in mid-October and go straight through till the very end of May. So our season is eight months. And then there are two months of summer training, and then a month of preseason. So essentially collegiate track takes up 11 months of your year. It’s tough to get used to.

     Q: What goals do you have for your collegiate career?

     A: I’m hoping to get to Nationals. I think I could do it this year. Last year I was kind of on the brink but still learning a new event and new techniques in my old event so there’s lots of improvement to be made, and that’s exciting. If I can add a couple meters to both events this season I can make a run at it, so that’s what I’m looking towards.

     Q: What other activities are you involved in at UD?

     A: My main involvement comes through music. I’m a member of the wind, jazz, and chamber ensembles on a multitude of different instruments, and I’m student president of bands. Other than that I’m in the honors program. 

 

Rachel Gadient

Freshman, Women’s Track and Field,

Mount Mercy University

High jump, sprints, javelin

     Q: What made you decide to continue your athletic career in college?

     A: I decided to continue my track career in college because it is a sport I am passionate about. Track has not always been my favorite sport, but when it ended my senior year of high school, I knew it was something I wanted to continue.

     Q: How has it gone for you so far? What have been your biggest achievements (highest placings, etc.)?

     A: Running track in college has been a great experience. The competition is a lot harder, and it motivates me to perform to the best of my ability. My biggest achievements so far have been in high jump. I have recently jumped 5-foot-3 inches, which put me in first at the Grinnell meet. I jumped 5-2 at the Heart of America Indoor Conference Meet and placed second, which made me a part of the All-Heart second team. I was also part of the 4-by-200 indoor relay team that broke the school record.

     Q: What events are you competing in this season?

     A: This season I have been competing in high jump and sprints including 100, 200 and 400 meters. I have also been learning new events such as javelin, which I will be competing in during outdoor season.

     Coach wanted me to try javelin because he said sprinters can be successful with it. He has also talked about me trying the heptathlon next year so he wanted to get me familiar with some of the other events. Throwing the javelin is a lot harder than it looks; I am still learning the approach.

     Q: How does competing at the college level compare with high school?

     A: It’s a lot different. I have encountered many athletes that have been national qualifiers and All-Americans. The competition is tough, and it is more difficult to stand out because the times, and heights are a lot closer. Knowing that the level of competition is tougher pushes me to work harder than ever in practice. College meets are different than high school meets also in that there is different events to participate in than in high school, and I only have meets once a week, which are usually on Saturdays.

     Q: What goals do you have for your collegiate career?

     A: I have several. During indoor season I was 2 centimeters from qualifying for nationals in high jump. In outdoor season or in the next three years I have made a goal of  making it to nationals in high jump. Each year I want to better myself, whether it be in high jump or sprints. I have enjoyed being a college athlete, and I am grateful for the experiences I have encountered. I am excited to see where I will be in the next three years as an athlete.

     Q: What other activities are you involved in?

     A: As of now I am a part of MMUANS (Mount Mercy University Association of Nursing Students). In this organization I volunteer and help with blood drives and attend monthly meetings. This club also introduces its members to different job opportunities within the healthcare field and allows them to create connections for future careers. Being a full-time athlete from September through May and being a nursing major takes up all of my time!

 

Leah Koppes

Freshman, Dance team,

Iowa State University

     Q: What made you decide to continue your athletic/performing career in college?

     A: A lot of different factors had to be considered in my decision to further my dance career, but I’d say that the biggest one was that I could not see my life without dance. Dance is who I am, and I was not ready to let that enormous part of myself go yet.

     Q: How did the ISU opportunity come about?

     A: I’ve known since seventh or eighth grade that my dream was to dance for Iowa State. The ISU opportunity came when I tried out for the team In April of last year. I found out about tryouts on the Iowa State dance team Facebook page. Tryouts are a three-day process. Friday and Saturday you are learning routines and working on technique, and Sunday is the day of cuts and callbacks. That weekend 75-plus dancers were all trying out. Walking in knowing nobody was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. After callbacks on Sunday, every dancer has a break for makeup touchups, then we go see if our number was listed. If your number was on the sheet, then you made the team and had to be at the football field in 30 minutes.

     Q: What kinds of events do you perform in?

     A: The ISUDT does basketball games and football games. We have two competitions a year; state dance and NDA nationals. This year at state dance we got two second place trophies and a first place trophy. Nationals haven’t happened yet, but last year we were the NDA Collegiate pom national champions. We have very high expectations for nationals this year as well.

     Q: How has it gone for you so far? What do like most about it?

     A: Dance team has been amazing. I get to experience things that only 37 other girls get to, and I find that incredible. I feel very blessed to be part of it! My favorite thing about DT would have to be cheering on the Cyclones because Cyclone Nation is one of the best fan bases in the country. It’s surreal to be down on the court and field with a front row seat throughout the sport seasons.

     Q: What events are coming up for the team?

     A: Dance team has NDA nationals coming up in April. So we are all excited for that, and we also have tryouts coming up.

     Q: What goals do you have for your collegiate career, both in dance and academically?

     A: I hope to continue dancing for as long as I can because dance is the best stress reliever, and I love it. Academically, I want to be able to graduate in four years and go to grad school for physical therapy. Because being a student athlete is so time-consuming, a lot of us do not graduate in four years, but I have set my mind, and am taking full semesters to get to that goal. I do hope that even after my four years at Iowa State that I am still involved with dance in some way, whether I am teaching it on the side, or still getting to dance myself.

     Dance will forever be a part of me, and I am beyond grateful for the dance teachers I’ve had in the past and my family for getting me to where I am today and supporting me while I live out my dreams of dancing for Iowa State.

 

Kelli Jo Welter

Junior, Dance team,

Drake University

     Q: What made you decide to continue your athletic/performing career in college?

     A: Dance and cheer brought me so much joy that I decided to continue both after graduating high school. I am a member of the Drake Dance Team, and I am also a Universal Dance Association (UDA) instructor. 

     Q: How did the Drake opportunity come about?

     A: I auditioned for the Drake Dance Team in the spring of 2014, before I graduated high school. It was so exciting to know that I was going to be able to continue my dance career at Drake University. For UDA, I was selected at dance camp to audition to be a camp instructor the summer before my senior year began. This summer will be my third year teaching dance camps in the Midwest.

     Q: What kinds of events do you perform in?

     A: As a member of the Drake Dance Team, I dance and cheer at football and men’s and women’s basketball games. We don’t compete in UDA, but I teach dance camps all around the Midwest during the summer to high school dance teams. During the winter and spring, I travel to work at regional and national competitions.

     Q: How has it gone for you so far? What do like most about it?

     A: Continuing my dance career in college has been amazing for me. I have met some of my best friends here through the Drake Dance Team. I love that I can continue my passion for dance past high school while also pursuing a career.

     Q: What events are coming up for the team?

     A: We have tryouts on April 23rd for our 2017-2018 season.

     Q: What goals do you have for your collegiate career, both in dance and academically?

     A: I will complete my doctor of pharmacy degree in May of 2020, after which I will become a licensed pharmacist. I hope to keep dance in my life, whether it is being on the Drake Dance Team or continuing to teach younger dancers.

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