Mavs’ Dietmeyer signs with Embry-Riddle
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 4 months AGO
Moses Lake High School Senior Jaedynn Dietmeyer sits with her parents Bruce and Donna who are all ready to start a new chapter of their lives in Florida.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
MLHS Senior Jaedynn Dietmeyer was joined by her family, friends and teammates to celebrate her signing to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
More teammates joined to congratulate Jaedynn Dietmeyer on her acceptance into Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Coaches and teammates gathered around in celebration of Jaedynn Dietmeyer’s accomplishments.
From left to right Christian O’Shea, Jodi O’Shea, middle left, Tiffany Quilter, upper middle, Jaedynn Dietmeyer, middle, Brad Tripp, upper right, Larry Dagnon, lower right.
MOSES LAKE –Moses Lake Senior Jaedynn Dietmeyer signed her letter of intent Friday in the Moses Lake High School gym to continue her track and field career with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“It’s going to be an amazing school,” said Dietmeyer. “I love the location; the coaches and the team are just amazing people.”
Jaedynn said she will be taking classes to pursue a degree in the medical field.
“I love understanding how the human body works and how to maximize human potential,” she said.
Her parents expressed how proud they were of the hard work and dedication she put into both her school and athletic career to get her to this point.
“She's a hardworking, good kid and is very motivated to do what she wants to get done,” said her father, Bruce Dietmeyer.
“We’re excited for her,” said her mother, Donna Dietmeyer
The family had decided to move to Florida and while they were searching for colleges in the state, Jaedynn discovered Embry-Riddle Aeronautical and immediately fell in love with the place, said her father.
“Florida’s a beautiful place,” said Jaedynn. “The school is about 10 minutes away from the ocean. I just love the atmosphere.”
Each of Dietmeyer’s coaches took a moment to tell her how proud they were and to recognize the talent that she brought to the team.
“You’re always going above and beyond and trying to make yourself better,” said Moses Lake track and field coach Tiffany Quilter. “I knew when you started working through the summer that you were all in and it was really fun to watch.”
Quilter also said how impressive it is to make it into Embry-Riddle since it is one of the more difficult schools to be accepted by. She said she’s only ever known one other athlete in her coaching career that has gone to the school.
“This is really a testimony for what hard work can get for you,” said assistant track and field coach Jodi O’Shea. “I just really appreciate everything you’ve done as far as staying committed and staying focused.”
Assistant cross country coach Brad Tripp recalled that Dietmeyer looked terrified when she showed up for her first week of summer practice. He said it took some time, but he could see her growing fonder of the sport every practice.
“Your first race you ran was 35 minutes, but then by the time you graduated you PR’d with 27 minutes, no one improves eight minutes,” said Tripp.
Tripp also said her hard work early on earned her a spot as the unofficial captain of the JV girls team as she became a natural leader to them.
“I really think the young freshman girls looked up so much to you that you really helped develop that group of kids to become better runners,” said Tripp.
Cross Country coach Larry Dagnon said he has always been impressed by Dietmeyer’s ability to balance school, sports and work at the same time.
“She sometimes was working like two jobs and managing school and a sport all at the same time which is insane,” said Dagnon.
Dagnon said that last year she was able to run in Hawaii for the school despite the fact that at the beginning of the season, it wasn’t looking like it was going to be an option for her.
“She had put her mind to it and put in a really hard summer and earned the opportunity to go and run for the cross country team in Hawaii,” said Dagnon. “That’s what we’ve seen throughout her whole career; she just really is methodical with her approach to how she trains and she’s just a really great person.”
Jaedynn will always have fond memories looking back at her time at Moses Lake High School, saying that the school always felt like a true hometown, with the people and coaches giving her the perfect environment to grow into her best self.
“Cross country and track, the coaches have taught me so much about myself and I just absolutely love them so much and I’ll always be grateful for that,” she said.
MLHS Senior Jaedynn Dietmeyer was joined by her family, friends and teammates to celebrate her signing to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
More teammates joined to congratulate Jaedynn Dietmeyer on her acceptance into Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Coaches and teammates gathered around in celebration of Jaedynn Dietmeyer’s accomplishments.
From left to right Christian O’Shea, Jodi O’Shea, middle left, Tiffany Quilter, upper middle, Jaedynn Dietmeyer, middle, Brad Tripp, upper right, Larry Dagnon, lower right.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Sushik comes full circle ahead of first season at BBCC
MOSES LAKE — The next step in Liana Sushik’s athletic journey has led her to play for the Big Bend Community College Vikings volleyball team this fall after a successful career with the Soap Lake Eagles. Joining the Vikings is something she feels has deepened her love for the sport, she said. “I fell in love with the fact that there’s more than just high school volleyball; there’s another level,” said Sushik. “It’s like a whole new chapter and I’m so excited to see what I have next because there’s a lot that I’ve been through to get here.” Despite her success on the court, Sushik said she didn’t initially start out as an athlete.
Building a community at Desert City Fitness
EPHRATA — The city of Ephrata welcomed its newest athletic club earlier this summer with Desert City Fitness setting up along Basin Street. Since their grand opening June 6, the club has worked to become a strong contributor to the community in Ephrata. “We just opened our doors and whoever comes in, that’s how we do it,” said Bryan Boney, owner of Desert City Fitness. Boney, who owns the club alongside his wife Tracy Fillion, decided to open Desert City Fitness to keep himself active after retiring six years ago. Boney said he has invested all his money from retirement into purchasing the property, remodeling and getting the equipment necessary to open his fitness center.
Grid Kids expands opportunities this season
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Grid Kids football program is gearing up for the start of its 26th football season this fall. This year, alongside their tackle football program, the Grid Kids have expanded their flag football options. “It’s one of those things that you just don’t really know how well it’s going to go, but right now we’re looking pretty strong,” said Brian Gwinn, the Gird Kids administrator and communications contact. The tackle opportunities remain the same for third through sixth grade with third and fourth graders playing together and fifth and sixth graders separately from the younger players. The format for third and fourth grade will remain at a regular 11-man game, but for fifth and sixth grade there is consideration for moving down to an eight-on-eight format.