WHITEHALL — Three Whitehall athletes announced their college choices Wednesday morning at the high school, with two - Darnell Mack and Ryne Christensen - heading to nearby Muskegon Community College and Jenna Smolen choosing Division III Elmhurst (Illinois) University, located a half hour from Chicago.
Mack will be wrestling at MCC, Christensen is set to play baseball, and Smolen will run track.
Mack’s Whitehall career was the result of lots of hard work. A strong wrestler when he got to Whitehall, the senior worked his way up the ladder and became a cornerstone of the Vikings’ lineup by his final season, racking up over 100 career victories and a pair of all-state placements. He finished third this season at 150 pounds.
Mack, who said he may pursue a trade as his long-term career goal, is thankful for the chance to continue wrestling and may even pursue a spot at a four-year school if his time with the Jayhawks goes as well as he hopes.
“It took a lot of hard work and dedication to get to where I’m at right now,” Mack said. “I (couldn’t) always do the things I was able to do (at the end of my career). I always had to go and work hard at practice and even stay after and work harder.”
Mack credited the Whitehall program’s supportive atmosphere for his improvement both on the mat and in the classroom during his career.
“I used to not be good in school, but the coaches always picked me up and told me to do some schoolwork,” Mack said. “My teammates never let me fall back down to where I used to be and always pushed me to be (better).”
Christensen was Mack’s wrestling teammate for four years, but at MCC he’ll hit the diamond, playing the sport he truly loves. The Viking senior has been a key cog in the lineup throughout his career and is among the centerpieces of a team with a lot of experience and high hopes in 2024.
“I’m just looking forward to going out with the boys and competing every day,” Christensen said of his 2024 team. “I think we can make a splash. We’re definitely an under the radar team. I’m excited.”
Like Mack, Christensen is glad to be able to continue competing and do it near home. He said baseball “doesn’t feel like a job” and playing each day means a lot.
Christensen said he was grateful to Whitehall coach Warren Zweigle and his staff for helping develop him as a player, as well as to the community for being as supportive as it is. His long-term career goal is to become a teacher; once he has completed his general education courses at MCC, he’ll transfer to a four-year school to finish his bachelor’s degree.
“Not every player in high school gets to go on and compete at the next level, so I’m obviously really excited about being able to just keep on playing the game I love,” Christensen said.
Smolen won’t be quite as close by as she ships out for the Chicago area to run track at Elmhurst. She said the Bluejays see her as a 400-meter runner, but she could also potentially compete in the 200 and 800 meters.
“I’m really excited,” Smolen said. “I’ve already met my team, but I’m excited to grow with them and really be a part of that. It’s just something really special, and it’s a special opportunity to get to grow past high school and really compete at such a high level.”
Smolen noted she’ll be able to compete against some of the best; Elmhurst is a Division III school, but she said it does compete at meets along with Division I and II teams, so she’ll get some of the big-time feel from college track too.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do since I started track, ever since sixth and seventh grade,” Smolen said. “I’m excited for myself because I really want to see myself improve, and I think college coaching at a college program will really help me reach that next level.”
Smolen said she doesn’t have a specific major in mind yet, but it will likely involve political science or law. She may pursue law school, a Ph.D or become a government teacher.
