When Ellsworth Community College volleyball is recruiting players, Head Coach Ashley Clark is looking for more than just skills on the court. She is looking for a student-athlete who can be successful both in the classroom and on game days. Clark found that winning combination in incoming freshman Allison Sheridan.
A graduate of Iowa Falls-Alden, Sheridan's list of accomplishments and activities is impressive and continues to grow. She has been in Student Council since 3rd grade and was Student Council President her senior year; Senior Leaders; Greenbelt Bank and Trust Junior Board of Directors; National Honor Society; Leo Club (logging 100 volunteer hours during high school); KIMT All-Stars/Golden Apple Award; Valedictorian; tennis and volleyball for four years; basketball and softball for one year; AAU volleyball for six years; Iowa Heart Club volleyball for three years; youth group; and working at Iowa Falls State Bank for one year.
Her involvement at ECC appears to be on the fast track as well … she's already a Student Ambassador and a member of the volleyball team. Sheridan was also awarded an Iowa Valley Community College (IVCCD) Director's Scholarship covering full tuition and fees for 2016-17. Recipients of a Director's Scholarship must graduate from an Iowa high school and be designated either valedictorian or salutatorian of their senior class.
"Allison is a positive and hard-working individual," says Head Coach Ashley Clark. "I had the pleasure of working with her this club season, which means she has a very good idea of my expectations for the teams that I coach. She improved a lot over the club season, and she will continue to improve and become a strong right side option for us this fall."
Sheridan will major in Graphic Arts while attending ECC. She has already set both academic and athletic goals for herself for the upcoming year. "My academic goal is to obtain a 4.0 grade point average, even though I know this will be challenging while trying to balance volleyball and my classes … but I believe that I can do it," says Sheridan. "My athletic goal is to be the best version of myself every day, inside and outside of the gym. I want to encourage my teammates and push them to get better, and I hope they do the same for me."
When asked why she chose ECC she said, "I wanted to attend a college where I could play volleyball. With the scholarship I received and because I live in town, that means that I can go to college basically for free and play the sport that I love."