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GODFREY – Jewel Wagner has made many contributions to the Alton girls basketball and track programs in her time as part of the Redbirds.
Wagner, in a Wednesday morning ceremony, became the second Redbird track athlete to sign with a NCAA Division I school, announcing her intention to enroll at Murray State University in Murray, Ky., beginning this fall as a part of the Racer women's track program. The Racers are part of the Ohio Valley Conference, which includes both SIU-Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois, where the IHSA state track meets are held.
“It's a great feeling,” Wagner said, “that I can go beyond Illinois and take my talent to the next level. I liked the campus and it's beautiful.”
Wagner also was looking at Wayne State University in Detroit (an NCAA Division II school) and Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. (a member of the Mid-American Conference) and Illinois College in Jacksonville before settling on Murray State. Wagner plans on majoring in either biology or athletic training at Murray State.
That both Wagner and LaJariva Brown (going to Texas A&M) are going to Division I schools is a big achievement for the program, feels Redbird coach Terry Wagner. “That's quite an achievement,” Mitchell said. “I'm proud of the girls; they've done what they set out to do in their high school career. Both of them are just class-act people. They work hard, they're proud of themselves and their families are proud of them and they're dedicated athletes.
“I think they'll do both of those universities well. These two girls have nothing to be ashamed of; they've done all they could for our Alton High School program and Alton High is proud of them.”
Mitchell believes Wagner will do the shot put and the hammer throw for the Racers (the hammer throw is an event on the college track and field program, but not offered in high school programs nationwide).
Both Wagner and Brown have been, as Mitchell put it, “two rocks that I've depended on for the last three years, for sure. They've stepped up time and again to do what was necessary for them to do. They've been consistent, they worked hard and I've seen improvement out of them every year.'
Despite their soft-spoken nature, both are fierce competitors. “(Wagner) and LaJarvia, if you didn't know they were in the room, you wouldn't know. They're both low-key people; they're just good people. Their character is impeccable; everyone in school like them.”
