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Senior Student Athlete Profile: Teagan Nelson (West Central Area)

By Craig Olson, 05/03/20, 5:15PM CDT

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Cross Country, Basketball and Track and Field kept West Central Area senior Teagan Nelson busy throughout the school year.

As a three-sport athlete for the Knights, she has many great sports memories.  We asked her to narrow it down and she came up with this, “It definitely has to be when I was a freshman in cross country and my team qualified for the state meet for the first time.  The state experience is just electrifying!”

“Teagan Nelson has been on the cross country team for six years,” said Head Coach John Van Kempen.  “One of the things that stands about Teagan is that she improved each season, making it to state her senior season as an individual.  She was also part of three state meets with her team her ninth, tenth and eleventh grade seasons.   To be a successful runner, you really have to be "all in" with rest and nutrition and of course making all the practices and doing the workouts, Teagan has done that every fall for us and one of the core varsity runners we've had over the years, being instrumental of getting the girls team over the hump of just being an average team.  Teagan exemplifies the student/athlete competitor for our program and has left the cross country team in a much better spot than what it was when she arrived. Teagan, along with senior teammates Jacob Bright and Jack Van Kempen, have left their stamp on the team that will be looked up to for several years.”

Nelson says Math and Science are her favorite subjects, “since they keep my brain working.”

As for the impact being in sports has had on her, Teagan says this, “Sports have given me the greatest friendships I could ever imagine, while also teaching me how to work hard and hold myself accountable.  Life has been rather odd without a high school spring.  I have filled my time by working more at the Barrett Care Center to keep the residents from feeling lonely.  Beside that I still run, work out and read.  I try to finish my homework as early into the week as possible so I can be free to do whatever.”

“Teagan’s impact on the Knights basketball team goes far beyond statistics,” said Head Girls Basketball Coach Eric Schoenbauer.  “She is a leader that looks out for the best interest of the team. She's honest and trustworthy when it comes to anything she says or says she will do, she is very intelligent and you don't have to tell her things multiple times, she has an ability to translate things for others that helps them understand the point, and she has a positive attitude to where we were headed and how we can get there.”

Nelson will be attending Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the fall, “As of right now my plans are sort of undecided.  All I know is that I would like to pursue something in the medical field.  I have yet to make my decision to walk-on to the Augustana running teams or not.”

Her favorite quote is, “Get involved in as much as you can.  You will either love it or learn from it.”