Huntington North High School senior Megan Stephan made her college decision official on Monday, signing with Rockford University to continue her academic, softball and golf careers as a Regent.
While many student-athletes who play multiple sports in high school need to ultimately decide on a single sport to play in college, Stephan will not need to make that decision, as she will be competing in both of her sports at Rockford, a NCAA Division III institution.
“I’ve always wanted to keep playing both of them, no matter what I could do,” Stephan said at the signing. “It’s really just a new beginning for me. I’m super excited.”
On the softball field, Stephan has been a go-to player for the Lady Vikes since her freshman season.
While primarily a catcher, Stephan also has the ability to play in the field to take advantage of her strong defensive capabilities.
“Megan is a versatile player that can play multiple positions at a high standard,” said Huntington North softball head coach Pete Eckert. “On the defensive side, she has a great glove and an extremely strong arm. She hits with power and leverage on the offensive side of the game. She is a great teammate and leader for the Viking softball program.”
Stephan put together an impressive junior campaign in 2021 for the Vikings, posting a .397 batting average with 22 RBIs and three home runs while recording a sparkling .978 fielding percentage en route to Northeast 8 Conference First Team All-Conference honors at the catching position.
Eckert is excited to see what Stephan can accomplish during her senior season and knows the team will rely on her leadership both on and off the field to guide the Vikings in 2022.
On the golf course, Stephan earned a trio of varsity letters while helping the Lady Vikes to a pair of sectional titles.
Individually, Stephan’s senior season was highlighted by a second-place finish in the Concordia Invite and a third-place outcome in the Eastbrook Sectional. Stephan’s play garnered Northeast 8 Conference First Team All-Conference accolades.
“Megan is a very determined person,” said Huntington North girls golf head coach Ron Vinson. “She wants to be the best that she can be and has a winning attitude. I think those attributes alone with all the others she has will help her preform at a higher level. She’s a very kind person and wants to help whenever she can; I’ll miss all of that and just having her around to chat with. She was a very good player for us and of course we’ll miss her scores, but more importantly a good teammate.”
Stephan is excited to take the next step in her career at Rockford and feels the environment is the perfect fit for what she was hoping to find in a college.
“It’s the atmosphere,” Stephan said. “It’s great being there. Everybody’s a huge family. All the athletics are super tight; it’s just one big family, and that’s really what I wanted.”
Stephan plans to study biology at Rockford.