Magrum tops 6 East signees

Font Size

Email

Bookmark

Black Text

White Text

FRANKFORT -- Kersten Magrum has a couple of really good reasons to be very excited right now.

First of all, the Lincoln-Way East High School senior is the leader of a girls basketball team that is ranked among the best in the Chicago area.

And, on Wednesday, she was officially announced as one of the six recruits signed by the University of Illinois. Some rankings have coach Jolette Law's signees as high as second nationally, signaling great times ahead for the Illini.

Magrum was one of six athletes recognized at East who signed national letters of intent. The others were baseball players Brandon Hohl and Dietrich Enns, softball players Nellie Kosola and Melissa Gunderson and swimmer Laura Cempel.

Magrum, an all-stater last year in averaging 17.6 points and 6.9 rebounds, is a three-time all-conference selection for coach Jim Martin's Griffins. The 6-1 senior forward already owns five school records.

"It's very exciting," Magrum said. "The competitive atmosphere there will be high and I'm excited to be playing for coach Law and her staff. With her attitude and enthusiasm, something special is going to happen there.

"We've got a good team at East and we're looking to end on a high note. You have to like working hard in order to get something like this. My sister Shawn is just ending up at Creighton, so she left the footprints for me to follow."

But Magrum won't be the only Griffin athlete who will be headed to Illinois next season since Hohl committed to join the coach Dan Hartleb's Illini baseball program.

The third baseman helped coach Paul Babcock's Griffins advance to the sectional a year ago and then played a key role in them winning the summer state championship.

"I'm excited to play at the college level," Hohl said. "Playing in high school has been great and being here at East has prepared me well. I feel very lucky to be able to get this chance, since not many guys do.

"I don't want to look past my last season at East, but I should be able to fit in well there and it's close to home. The U of I is a great school without baseball, so if it doesn't work out after college, I can fall back on my education."

Hohl and Enns are teammates on the Illinois Sparks travel team. And it was a Sparks connection that helped lead Enns to Central Michigan, where he will join his Sparks pitching coach, Jeff Opalewski, who is an assistant for the Chippewas.

"Central Michigan has a great campus, a great baseball program with one of the best fields that I've seen," Enns said. "I already know one of the coaches personally.

"With Brandon and myself and a couple of other returning guys, we should be able to make a good run at state this year. It's a good feeling to know I've signed early and I'm very blessed and thank everyone for having this opportunity."

Kosola will join Magrum on this year's basketball team at East, but she will be playing softball in college at Grand Valley State.

The leadoff hitter and outfielder hopes to follow up on a successful junior season for Griffin coach Katie Meader.

"I like the atmosphere of the campus and I know some people who are there, so that helps," Kosola said. "Basketball should be pretty exciting, and I'm excited about softball since we've been with each other for so many years."

Gunderson and Kosola are teammates on the Stone City Sharks travel team Their coach, Jack Podlesny, attended the signing ceremony. Gunderson's new coach at Bethel College in Indiana, Anna Welsh, also was on hand.

"I'm really excited about going to Bethel," said Gunderson, who is a DH for the Griffins. "I visited there a couple of times and I really liked it there. It's more family-oriented and that's what I really like."

The other Griffin signee, Cempel, will be continue at New Orleans. Cempel, a former all-stater and holder of five Griffin school records, wasn't available for comment since she had to leave early to practice for this Saturday's sectional meet.