R-PHS now boasts five former students who have gone on to win a national championship at the college level! Our first national champion was Mark Hughes, a 1989 national champion for the University of Michigan’s basketball team.
We now add Abby Collinge, Olivia Morey, Kaia Swain and Nicole Suchy to our growing list of national champions who recently won the national championship in softball as members of Muskegon Community College’s women’s team.
Olivia was injured during the regular season and was unable to compete in the national tournament but was a valued member of the team and a national champion nonetheless. Kaia was listed as a red-shirt member of the team.
Picture below are Abby and Nicole with highlights of their great run to the national title.
Abby played third base all season and Nicole was DH and catcher for the Jayhawks. Their team went on to beat top ranked Kankakee Community College in the championship game by the score of 2-0.
Their best memory of the season came at the end when they received a police escort into town to be greeted by family and friends. Both girls had great things to say about their team, especially their coach, Matt Houseman. Abby remarked, “Coach gets more out of you than you think you have inside you.” Nicole, who stated that he’s an “in-your-face” type coach is also the most loving coach a player could hope for.
I asked each former Rocket star to share a quote about their great ride to a school record 59-9 season, here’s what they had to share:
“Softball is more than just a sport to me, it’s a way of life. It has taught me how to be a young woman. My faith has grown and I have learned all I need to know.” – Abby
“You learn so much from one another, you become a family and you mature into young women through this simple game. You win and lose together and that’s what playing sports is all about.” – Nicole