EDWARDSVILLE – Seeing the athletes who represent the program advance to the next level is something the Edwardsville High School swimming program takes much pride in.
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The Tigers' girls team is sending two swimmers and a diver to the collegiate level as diver Taylor Seilheimer (Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.), swimmer Hope Roderick (Millikin University in Decatur) and swimmer Emily Webb (Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind.) all signed with their collegiate choices in a ceremony Wednesday afternoon at Edwardsville High.
Lindenwood is an NCAA Division II program in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Millikin is an NCAA Division III program in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin and Indiana State is an NCAA Division I program in the Missouri Valley Conference.
“We definitely how we feel about college athletics (in the swimming program),” said Tiger coach Christian Rhoten. “It's not for everybody, but if you have the opportunity to move on to that level, I think it's important to at least investigate what it can mean for you and what it can do for you as a person and a collegiate student.
“I'm really happy we have three fantastic athletes moving on from our program that are going to represent our school and our team very well across the Midwest here.”
Roderick is looking forward to becoming a member of the Big Blue program. “I'm really excited for the team,” Roderick said. “They were very welcoming whenever I was on my visit (to the campus in Decatur); the coaches just really wanted me there – they strived for me during the whole process of recruiting. I just really liked the learning environment; although it's a smaller school, I just really liked how they really focus on learning, with the team on the side of it – they're all just really connected.”
Roderick decided to head to Millikin about a month ago. “I was between Western Illinois (in Macomb) and Millikin and it came down to money,” Roderick said. “Millikin was a really expensive school for me and my parents just couldn't make the cut for it, and I was going to choose Western when I got a call from the coach and the school was offering more money and I actually received over $20,000 in scholarships (as a Division III school, Millikin does not offer athletic scholarships under NCAA rules) for the school, so I got over half my tuition paid for, which made my decision really easy.”
Roderick is leaning towards majoring in early childhood developmental therapy at Millikin. “I really like working with kids, specifically special-needs kids; I really have a passion for them – both my mom and my sister work with special-needs students and their teachers.”
“I'm super-excited” about heading to Terre Haute and Indiana State,” Webb said. “I went and met the team and loved the atmosphere – the teammates were great – and I felt I belonged there. I officially signed the paper a few weeks ago, but I verbally committed (to the Sycamore program) a few months ago.”
The ISU swim program is a newer program in the Valley, having started in the 2015-16 season. “They're growing rapidly,” Webb said. “They're moving up and breaking records at (the Valley swim meet), they broke multiple records and had a few girls place top three. I'm very excited to be swimming in (the Valley); I know a few swimmers I've swam with in the past who swim in that conference.”
Webb considered Saint Louis University, Loyola-Chicago and the University of Indianapolis before selecting the Sycamores. “I loved the campus atmosphere and how close everything was,” Webb said. “They're growing, renovating all their buildings – I just liked the size and how much they focused on academics and how much support they gave you.”
Webb will be majoring in nursing at ISU, though the way the program works there, she would not begin in the program until finishing her freshman year.
“They have a great facility,” Seilheimer said of Lindenwood, who swims and dives at the St. Peters Rec-Plex in St. Peters, Mo. “The team is awesome, they're super-nice and the coach is awesome – I'm super-excited.”
Seilheimer was going to go to another school, “but I wanted to branch out a little more and see what was out there,” she said. “I only decided about a month ago (to go to Lindenwood). I looked at McKendree and the University of Indianapolis.
“I won't be too far from my friends and family, but far enough to get the college experience. I loved the campus – everyone was so nice and I loved it.”
The Lions have had much success at the NCAA Division II level with their program. “I was used to the more smaller team here, so I'm excited I'm going to have a few more teammates than I'm used to having,” Seilheimer said.
Seilheimer started diving at eight years of age at the Paddlers swim club in Granite City and currently practices in Clayton, Mo. “I've was a cheerleader and gymnast; I've always been in more technical sports,” Seilheimer said. “I just love the feeling and the water; it's my favorite.”
Seilheimer plans on majoring in anthropology and archaeology at Lindenwood.
That the three are attending schools at all three NCAA levels is making Rhoten happy. “A lot of athletes come out of programs like ours and are really going to be looking at those Division II and III programs; there's some great swimming and great athletics at that level. We're excited that they chose really great schools for each of them respectively; their personalities kind of fit what I see the program as and the school as, so I think they're really going to be happy where they're at.”
