Karlei Conard, Unity Nelson and MaKayla Dickinson / Photo by Doug Donnelly

By DOUG DONNELLY

OTTAWA LAKE – A trio of Whiteford seniors signed to continue their careers in college at a special ceremony held Tuesday afternoon at the high school.

MaKayla Dickinson signed for competitive cheerleading at Concordia University in Ann Arbor while Karlei Conard (Lourdes University) and Unity Nelson (University of North Dakota) signed to play softball at the next level.

“Signing days is a remarkable milestone,” Whiteford Supt. Scott Huard said. “It culminates years of effort, practice and passion.”

Dickinson called Concordia amazing and said she plans to go into nursing with her future plan to become a brain surgeon.

Dickinson has been a cheerleader for four years.

“She is an amazing athlete, student and young lady,” said Competitive Cheer coach Kim DeSilvis. “As an athlete, she does it all – beautiful tumbling, she’s a flyer and a base for us. She has perfect jumps and an excellent floor presence.

“She truly loves competing and everything about cheer.  She has devoted countless hours to developing her skills.”

Conard was recruited to pitch and play the infield at Lourdes, which is located in nearby Sylvania, Ohio. She is a two-time all-conference player who won 14 games in the circle for the Bobcats last year and batted .320. She has a career batting average of .340 in three varsity seasons and is a veteran of travel softball.

“I’ve been thinking about (Lourdes) for a long time,” Conard said. “They have been my No. 1 for a while. It is really close to home, and I can come home and see my family whenever I need to. It’s really a family-based place.”

Conard went to a couple of camps at Lourdes and enjoyed working with the Lourdes coaching staff.

“It felt natural there,” she said. “It wasn’t forced or anything.”

Lourdes is coached by Caitlin Blanchard, a Summerfield graduate and former Whiteford assistant coach.

“I’m ready to have the best season I can,” Conard said. “I’m going to go out and play relaxed.”

University of North Dakota coaches first got acquainted with Nelson at a summer travel tournament. They reached out to her, and she went on a visit to the school.

“I went there on a visit last year and the school was everything I was looking for,” Nelson said. “I really clicked with the coaches and girls on the team. It is a good fit for me.”

Nelson is a three-time All-State performer at Whiteford who already holds a host of Whiteford records. Last season she went 23-1 with a record-317 strikeouts and 0.51 ERA. Her career record is 64-6 and she has 858 career strikeouts.

Nelson feels she will be even better this season.

“It was a good summer,” she said. “I’d like to think I’ve improved a great deal. I feel I’m more mentally mature on the mound and I have my pitching a little more controlled.”

Whiteford reached the state championship game last season in Division 3.

“We are tremendously proud of what they have done so far in high school, and we know they are going to do great things in college,” said Whiteford softball coach Matt VanBrandt. “They are going to go play a sport they love and get a degree. I’m very proud and happy for them.”

Family, coaches, friends, teammates and school officials were on hand for the signing ceremony.

Huard called the three players “who exemplify values of sportsmanship, teamwork and perseverance.”