Three-sport athletes: a breed of student which we don’t seem to see much anymore. Three-sport athletes have disappeared in recent years as children are choosing to specialize in one sport only. This is not the case for several of our Saint Joe Athletes- Kyle Tupper, Mia Naman, Hannah Tyler, and Sarah Hiestand. These four athletes are choosing to participate in sports all year round, challenging themselves throughout each season. Although some hope to participate in a specific varsity sport in college, they still put forth their best effort for every team.

Kyle Tupper is a captain and a goalie for both the soccer and hockey teams, as well as a pitcher for the baseball team. Although he devotes his time to each sport, he plans to play baseball at Purdue University Northwest in the Fall. The major challenge for Tupper has been balancing his schoolwork along with all of the practices, games, and training that come along with being a year-round high school athlete. Despite his struggles, Tupper expressed his feelings of gratitude when he said, “Actually, I’m really glad I did [play three sports] and I’m glad I’ve been able to keep my grades up because it looks really good on a college resume to play a lot of sports and still keep good grades. I feel really prepared for college.” Kyle can credit his preparation for college to his hard work and his drive to keep his grades up while putting his best foot forward in every sport.

Kyle’s just one of several three-sport athletes we have among us, including Hannah Tyler. Hannah is able to balance Volleyball, Basketball, and Lacrosse throughout the span of the school year. She smoothly transitions from one sport to the next with no break! Hannah’s care for her teammates is evident when she says, “I just try and stay close with everybody, no matter what season it is.” She always tries to bring everyone up, staying positive no matter what the situation is. It’s her goal to keep in touch with her teammates and to keep these friendships throughout college. Tyler’s thankful for all of the memories she has made with her teammates and coaches and can’t wait to see what’s in store for her next year. 

A basketball teammate of Hannah’s, Sarah Hiestand, is hoping to further her athletic career as a soccer midfielder. From soccer to basketball to track, Sarah is working all year round to achieve her personal and team goals. Sarah loves the competitive energy we have here at Saint Joe and can’t wait for her last two state tournaments in basketball and track. Sarah’s accomplishments have been large throughout her four years including a trip to State, a trip to Semi-State, a regional final, and several sectional tournaments. Hiestand continues to put in effort to better her team and herself.

Although three-sport athletes seem to be a dying breed, Saint Joe continues to produce several each year, bettering their athletic programs. These seniors will be missed next year, but it will be exciting to see what their futures have in store for them. Their hard work and dedication has clearly paid off throughout their high school career and will continue to throughout the rest of their lives.