Panthers on the Prowl: Softball Players Swing for the Fences in the Classroom and on the Field
Published: April 13, 2021
Student athletes represent Greenville College by getting the job done in the classroom before they get it done on the field or court. Panther athletics continues to be characterized by players that excel at both.
Panther softball , though recently transitioning through rebuilding years in the program, has begun to turn the corner on success. The year before Dr. Brian Reinhard took over the program in 2002, the team won a total of two games. Reinhard, after spending time improving the softball complex, committed himself to recruiting players that would elevate the program to another level. In 2004, Reinhard brought in a recruit class of 11 players, six of whom would remain at GC all four years. Within this class, Reinhard focused much of his efforts on "wooing" Talitha Englehardt (now Wiedman) to the Panther softball program. Wiedman, then a senior at Pinckneyville High School, provided the foundation from which the program grew.
"She was the prototype of the kind of student athlete we would like at GC," stated Reinhard. "She worked towards excellence in both areas, and would not compromise either one."
Wiedman attests her success, both in college and now on a professional level, to the atmosphere Greenville College provides for its athletes. At a school that understood her commitment to both academics and athletics, she was able to maintain a healthy balance between the two.
"The coaches were very supportive, especially when I was student teaching," recalls Wiedman. "They would adapt practice schedules, and allow me to get there whenever I could. And vice versa, the professors understood athletic demands."
Wiedman was clearly successful on the softball field, receiving 2nd Team All-Conference honors her Freshman and Sophomore years, as well as Honorable Mention All-Conference her Junior year. Her success was equally measured in the classroom, graduating with a cumulative grade point average of 3.99, and receiving an Excellence in Education Award. Wiedman now teaches Pre-Kindergarten at Brownstown Elementary in Brownstown, IL.
In the years since the addition of Wiedman and her classmates, Panther softball has continued to excel on the field and in the classroom. The team has maintained a consistent grade point average, with at least one player receiving Academic All-Conference honors every season. This past semester, fall 2009, Panther softball recorded one of the best overall team GPAs in the program's history. The team has also achieved a winning season every year, and looks to be competitive once again in the 2010 season .
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