Jenna Stilwell put her stamp on three sports and at the very least, she can say she peaked in all three her senior year.
But Stilwell is seldom associated with the very least, and this past season's efforts will be something to remember.
"I had my best finishes that I could have in every sport," said Stilwell, who is doing track and field at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. "Volleyball placed pretty well. Placed at the state meet in gymnastics for the first time, and track couldn't have gone any better. I had a record-breaking throw (in the javelin) and had my best finishes in the jumps."
Stilwell has one more high school event to go. She joins teammate Julina Niemeier as participants in the Optimist All-Star Series, an East vs. West all-star volleyball match that runs Monday in Fargo and Tuesday in Bismarck.
Stilwell was named first-team all-state in volleyball, helping the Blue Jays to fifth place-the second-best finish in school history. Stilwell and Niemeier played important roles on Jamestown's state championship team as juniors.
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"At the beginning of the year, I was really nervous," Stilwell said. "We didn't have a lot of positions filled. We were trying to figure out what we were gonna do."
Jamestown's coaching staff elected to shift Stilwell from the outside to the middle, despite her being extremely undersized. at 5-foot-7.
"I knew we were gonna do well," Stilwell said. "We're really proud of getting the second-best finish in school history."
Stilwell placed 13th on the vault with a 9.2 during the state gymnastics meet. She was second in the javelin, fourth in the long jump and fifth in the triple jump at the state track and field meet.
"It was the best way I could have ended my sports career," she said.
Niemeier was a second-team all-state defensive specialist, serving as the team's libero the first half of the season. The 5-4 standout was instrumental in Jamestown's run the past two years, helping build a reputation as a strong defensive team.
Niemeier said winning a state championship won't soon be forgotten.
"That's a story I'll tell forever," she said. "I didn't think I'd ever be in a state championship or win it."
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Both players will be a part of the West team, which will be coached by Dickinson's Jay Schobinger and Our Redeemer's Kara Nunziato.
Niemeier said she wasn't familiar with the series until she watched teammates play in it last summer.
"It was pretty exciting-I was hoping I'd be on it," she said.
Optimist All-Star Volleyball Rosters
West
Alison Hasche, middle hitter, Bismarck Century; Jenna Stilwell, rightside hitter, Jamestown; Alison Fisher, setter, Bismarck; Elise Bauman, defensive specialist, Century; Brooks Suko, outside hitter, Minot; Julina Niemeier, DS, Jamestown; Sydney Bentz, middle hitter, Grant County; Justice Brown, libero, Kenmare; Jaime Murschel, OH, Beulah; Taylor Hewson, OH, New England; Callie Carlson, OH, Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood; Channa Clarin, MH, Beach.
Coaches: Jay Schobinger, Dickinson; Kara Nunziato, Minot Our Redeemer's.
East
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Alivia Fraase, MH, Fargo Shanley; Somer Bucholz, OH, Shanley; Arlana Prost, OH, Fargo Davies; Izzy Waite, MH, West Fargo; Clarissa Olson, MH, Valley City; Lauren Sandy, Setter/RH, Shanley; Alexandra Erickson, OH, Kindred; Macie Romsdal, MH, Central Cass; Lydia Hansen, OH, Oakes; Sarah Hagler, MH, North Star; Kirsten Bokinskie, S, Fargo Oak Grove; Annie Jorgenson, OH, Benson County.
Coaches: Curtis Johnson, Fargo Shanley, Tera Paulson, Hankinson.
