Seniors Daley Handy, Keiryn Swenson and Kale Reynolds have verbally committed to play for Division I colleges.
Handy said she will go to the University of Wyoming on a full ride to play basketball. Swenson will go to the University of Arkansas, also on a full ride, to compete in basketball and track. Reynolds said he will play golf at the University of Kansas on a partial scholarship.
Handy started playing basketball at the age of 6 and played for an AAU organization. During those times, she played with Swenson, who began her basketball career around 5 and started throwing the javelin throughout middle school. They both progressed during middle and high school and were soon sought out at showcase tournaments.
Handy was sought out by Wyoming, Northern Colorado and Southern Illinois. She decided on Wyoming during the summer. She felt at home at Wyoming and wanted to get away from Kansas to do something different.
“I really love the coaches,” she said of Wyoming. ” They were really great and they wanted me.”
Schools began to look at Swenson while participating at big camps. Arkansas’ new coach, former ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes, was looking forward to watching her. He later contacted Swenson, not knowing she had already committed, convincing her to play at Arkansas. Although she enjoyed the thought of playing at Tulsa, she didn’t enjoy the chemistry on the team and the new track coach worried her.
“Tulsa is a great school, but there was just some things I really didn’t like about it,” she said.
Her parents taught her how to throw javelin and excelled quickly.
“Genetically it just comes easy to me. I just have a very fast arm,” Swenson said.
Reynolds started playing golf with his father and brother. He said it felt easy for him to play. He played tournaments throughout elementary and middle school. He then realized he was good enough to play in high school. Although last year wasn’t his best in the beginning, he later set the state record of 63 shots in 18 holes.
“From that point on, I decided not to change my routine or practice any differently, to just keep doing what I was doing because it was working really well,” he said as he explained how he managed to make a state record.
He later won regional and state championships. After the state championship, he was contacted by the coach at KU. He was told he was going to be watched during the summer and the regular season. He called later on and committed. Although, he is only going on a partial scholarship, he still has the chance to eventually play on a full ride.
“I realized that it was pretty much just what I was looking for. Everything is really nice there, the coach is cool, and they have good practice facilities,” Reynolds said.
