Christopher Whittle

Christopher Whittle will be attending the University of South Dakota. Whittle was a big part in Westside’s golf state championship win last year with his six over par score. The future Coyote tied for 15th in the state tournament. Whittle says he loves the campus and coaches at South Dakota. 

“I chose South Dakota because I visited the campus and I loved everything about it,” Whittle said. “It’s pretty small, everything’s right there.  I met the coaches, Coach Green, and just love his coaching style. It really, really fits what I like and everyone I met on the team was super nice and just fun to be around. They seem close like a family, and that’s just really what I was looking for.” 

Trevor Gutschewski

Trevor Gutschewski is going down south to play golf at University of Florida. Gutschewski has been a star for years on the team with a second place finish at state in both 2023 and 2024. Florida is known as a great place for golf, which excites Gutschewski to play at the next level with the new team. 

“ They have a great team and  teammates,” Gutschewski said. Great coaches, tons of experience down there, and  different grass with tons of tons of fabulous courses.” 

Aidan Jackson

Aidan Jackson who specializes in the 200 IM as well as 100 breaststroke signed to South Dakota State University and explained why he chose that college and the people he wants to thank.

“I just want to thank everybody in my life for giving me this opportunity and pushing me in and out of the water so I will do my best,” Jackson said. “I picked South Dakota State University because they were welcoming and I just love it there.”

Jackson also shared how the recruiting process was like for him. 

“At the start the recruiting process was difficult finding schools I like and having them respond to me,” Jackson said. “But once I found SDSU the process became super easy and wasn’t just a one sided conversation and it felt like they wanted me to be there. Once I went on my first visit in May of 2024 I knew it was going to be my home for the next four years.”

Nick Weber

Nick Weber was a part of the state swimming team and specializes in the 100 fly. He signed to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and shared why he chose that college and the people he wants to thank.

“I chose University of Wisconsin-Whitewater because the team was very welcoming and the team staff was awesome,” Weber said. “I’d like to thank my parents for driving me to 500,000,000 swimming practices and going across the country for swim meets and I’d like to thank Eric and Dave who are here today and Westside in general.”

Weber explained how the recruiting process was like for him.

“The recruitment process was good when I went on the visit, and the team was very welcoming and the coach was very welcoming,” Weber said. “I was very happy when I went on the visit and the team acted like I was a part of the team already and the coach made it very easy to sign.”

Maggie Cecil

Maggie Cecil will be attending Peru State next fall to play softball. Along with this, she will be studying early education and continuing to work hard. 

“A reason I chose Peru State is because I fell in love with the campus and also the culture of the team,” Cecil said.

There are many people who got Cecil to the point she is at today including her family, coaches, teammates and friends.

“I want to thank them for always pushing me and making me better at my sport,” Cecil said

Grace Greenwald

Grace Greenwald will be continuing her Tennis Career at UNO. Greenwald was looking at many different schools but UNO stuck out to her in many different ways.

“I chose UNO because as soon as I got on campus I really felt at home,” Greenwald said

Many people helped Greenwald become the tennis player she is today including her family and coaches.

“I’d like to thank my dad especially for being my coach all of these years and also my mom and all the amazing coaching staff at Westside,” Greenwald said.

Conor Gross

Conor Gross has signed to Creighton University to run cross country and track. 

“I chose to run at Creighton University for the environment, the school, and the team I know will inspire me to succeed,” Gross said.

There are also many people who helped Gross become the runner he is today by their support.

“I’d like to thank my coaches, teammates and friends, without them I wouldn’t be the runner I am today,” Gross said.

Sienna Inbody 

Sienna Inbody is the lone signee in the sport of lacrosse, signing to the University of New Haven.  Inbody is part of the Westside club lacrosse team, making a push for the sport to soon be sanctioned by the NSAA. She is very excited to go to school in New Haven. 

“I picked New Haven because they have a great program for marine biology, which is what I’m majoring in,” Inbody said. “They have a really successful lacrosse program. Living in Nebraska, we don’t really get much ocean. So I’m really excited to be like, 10 minutes away from the ocean.”

Tre Savoie   

Tre Savoie is continuing his career at Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona. The catcher is one of four baseball players signing on this year’s signing day.

“I chose Paradise Valley because of the beautiful weather, skill development and coaching staff,” Savoie said. “My eventual goal is to get to division one and this is my best place to start.”

Savoie had many people to thank in his signing day speech. He also got to thank all of his teammates that got him to this point. 

“I just want to thank my family, teammates, coach Koch and everyone else that got me to this point.” Savoie said

Anthony Barone 

Pitcher Anthony Barone is heading off to Illinois where he signed to Sauk Valley Community College. He was a main piece in the pitching rotation last year and will most likely be the ace this year.

“The coaches and the players were super inviting,” Barone said. “They were like a family down there and it was something I wanted to be a part of.”

Barone looks to finish out his senior year with some more accomplishments to add onto his college resume before he embarks on his next chapter.

Nikola French 

Nikola French is heading north for some division one action signing with South Dakota State University. He is one of many Westside athletes that are continuing their athletic career at the highest level of athletics at the collegiate level.

“The culture was absolutely amazing and it felt like a new family up there,” French said. “I believe it’s my best opportunity to grow not only as a baseball player but as a person in general.”

French is going into his final season with big aspirations. He had a .310 batting average last season which was third on the team and will be a big piece in a puzzle Westside hopes to go to a state title. 

Reid Beberniss

Reid Beberniss is staying in state and continuing his career at Concordia University. The pitcher led the team with a 2.56 ERA last year and had three wins which was also the most on the team.

“I chose Concordia because of their culture and winning traditions,” Beberniss said. “The biggest thing I’m going to miss about Westside is playing with the boys.”

Beberniss looks to keep improving on a great campaign, last season he had seven appearances with those three wins. He should be a key part in a Westside rotation that looks to improve on throwing strikes and getting outs.

Catelyn Fonda

Catelyn Fonda, senior distance swimmer, who placed fourth in the 500 yard freestyle, and seventh in the 200 yard freestyle at the state championship last year, signed to continue her swimming career at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She explained why this was a good fit for her.

“I chose Milwaukee because I really loved the coaching environment and the team and the campus, everything just seemed so friendly and felt like the place I could call home for the next four years,” Fonda said.

Fonda had many people who helped her get to this point in her career. She got to thank these people and say why she will miss swimming at Westside.

“I’d really like to thank my parents and my grandparents, my amazing coaching staff and friends who really supported me through all of this,” Fonda said. “And I’m really going to miss all the friends, coaches and connections I made at Westside.”

Elena Pospishil

Elena Pospishil, senior breaststroke swimmer who placed third in the 100 breaststroke at the state championships, signed to Illinois State University to continue her academic and athletic career. She spoke about her long journey to this point.

“I’d like to thank my coaches, teachers, friends and family for their support and cheering me on. I couldn’t have done it without you,” Pospishil said. “I started swimming when I was five, and club team when I was eight and fell in love with it ever since.”

She explained why she made the choice to sign to this school.

“I chose this university because I know that I can accelerate the opportunities. I want to thank coach Riley for giving me this opportunity to swim in college,” Pospishil said.

Ashlyn Paymal

Ashlyn Paymal, captain outside hitter, has officially signed with the prestigious Creighton University volleyball program in wake of her team’s stellar 5th place season. Paymal has spearheaded the volleyball team over her illustrious career, leading the squad this past year in crucial stats such as kills per set, serving aces, aces per set, and even total kills. When faced with the decision of where to pursue the sport she loves, she claims the choice was obvious when offered to play in her home city for a top 5 team in the nation.

“I’m so excited to be a part of that big volleyball community, and honestly, being close to home and getting to stay close to friends and family was huge for me,” Paymal detailed.

Paymal is honored to continue her on-court excellence and off-court prowess at the University of Creighton, looking forward to continually raising the bar via the lessons she learned as a Westside Warrior. 

“I learned here that tough is good, you may be struggling now but with hard work, it’ll all come around for you in the end.”

Peyton Meyer

Senior setter, Peyton Meyer, has legitimized her commitment to Towson University in wake of her signing this past Wednesday. Her stellar career as a Warrior came to end this past fall, capping the season with accomplishments like being a two-time player of the match and eclipsing 615 assists to tack on to her monumental career total of over 1,000. Since transferring from Elkhorn North for her junior and senior seasons, she’s helped the team achieve continuous state-wide acclaim and assisted in their state semi-final run during her first season as a Warrior. Meyer spoke on what it meant to her to be adopted by the program. 

“I transferred here which was really hard, tore my ACL which was really hard, but they were there for me pushing me around in a wheelchair and supporting me every step of the way and that was really special to me,” Meyer reminisced. 

Her commitment to Towson came after a falling out with her original decision at the next level, as she decommitted and set her sights on the east coast. Meyer elaborated on what the difficult choice was like for her.

“My decision was difficult at first, I was originally committed somewhere else but decommitted and chose Towson. I chose them because the coaches were there for me despite never seeing me play because of my injury and they took that chance on me and it meant a lot,” Meyer detailed.

After a tumultuous and impressive journey in red and black, the captain setter’s legacy will officially trudge on for the Towson Tigers next fall.

Kathryn Gaughen

Kathryn Gaughen, a top ranked defensive specialist for the volleyball team and stellar shooting guard for the basketball team, has finalized her collegiate decision, choosing to continue her dual-sport dominance for the College of Saint Mary. The college had offered her the opportunity to continue her progression in both of the sports she loves, which she claims made the decision a no-brainer.

“The decision was pretty easy, right when I got there it was pretty much set in stone that I was going there,” Gaughen explained.

Being able to play both basketball and volleyball at a collegiate level is a feat no short of impressive. Gaughen has been a pivotal player on both rosters for her entire career, and looks forward to another season of greatness on the court. Although each sport comes easy to her, what doesn’t is choosing between the pair. 

“I think volleyball and basketball are pretty even for me, honestly it just depends on what season I’m in,” Gaughen detailed.

No matter what is next for Gaughen in the continuation of her career, she is sure to make the most of it with her Warrior blood running deep.

“Westside taught me to always believe in myself, because when you believe in yourself you can do some pretty amazing things.”

Tyson Odvody

Closing in on his senior season, center Tyson Odvody signed the official next step of his basketball career to take place at Morningside University. Odvody played a crucial role shifting between a starter and sixth man on the Warriors’ deep semi-final run last March, and looks to continue his success with the approaching season. When questioned on the topic of decision and why Morningside was the right fit for him, Odvody spoke with utter commitment in his tone.

“I chose Morningside because the coaches made me feel really wanted there, and they just have a great team culture,” Odvody told the crowd. 

With a decision carrying as much weight on a career as any, the most important factors for Odvody were that the coaches had his individual value in mind, and that the team possessed a winning outlook on the sport. When it came to Morningside, they swiftly checked all the boxes. The Mustangs currently sit at an undefeated 4-0 on the season, something that is sure to keep constant once Odvody hits the hardwood next winter.

“They got me really excited to play basketball at the next level,” Odvody said. 

Mason Allen

Before the start of his senior bowling season, senior Mason Allen signed to attend Midland University to continue his bowling career. He chose Midland for many reasons.

“I chose the college because it is very close to home,” Allen said. “ I really liked the coaching staff and the program they had there.”

Allen mentioned how his family and teammates really helped him get to where he is today.

“I want to thank my family, and my teammates who helped me these past four years,” Allen said.

After playing for Westside during his high school career he is looking forward to becoming a Midland Warrior.