Wheaton, Ill. – Wheaton College head volleyball coach
Stephanie Schmidt has announced the addition of six freshmen that have submitted their deposit to attend Wheaton College, with the intent to join the Thunder volleyball team beginning with the 2021 season this fall.
Coach Schmidt says of the group, "I'm incredibly excited about this incoming class. All six of them will bring something a little different in terms of personality, gifts, and experiences, but all of them are impressive volleyball players and great fits for the mission of the College. I'm excited to see how this group meshes into our program and keeps pushing us forward. They will be so fun to watch on and off the court over the next few years!"
The six newcomers for 2021 are:
Caroline Capps – outside hitter (Middletown, Del. / Red Lion Christian Academy): Caroline was an outside hitter at Red Lion Academy. She was a three-time First Team All-Conference awardee, two-time All-State Team selection, was named to the State Senior All-Star Team this fall, was a team captain for the Lions, and holds the school record for kills. Also at Red Lion, Caroline was on the Principal's Honor Roll, a member of the National Honor Society, and was class vice president.
Caroline played club through Premier Volleyball Club of Delaware, Delaware Juniors, and East Coast Power, and her teams received USAV Nationals bids every year.
At Wheaton, Caroline plans to major in business. She says of her decision: "I chose Wheaton because I love the community atmosphere of the school, the beautiful campus, and the opportunity to play for such a great program with amazing people!"
Tabitha Clark – opposite/outside hitter (Hemet, Calif./Hemet): Tabitha was an opposite and outside hitter for the Hemet High School Bulldogs, who won a conference championship in 2019. Also at Hemet, she was on the Principal's Honor Roll, earned the Scholar Athlete Award three times (2017-2019), and received the Academic Excellence Award in Math and Science. She played club for Temecula Viper Volleyball where she was been selected Team Captain and was also chosen as team MVP.
At Wheaton, she intends to study business and economics. She says of her decision to join the Thunder: "I chose Wheaton because I could see a future there. When I visited I knew I would be supported and challenged by those around me and given the best chance to grow into the young woman I want to be. Getting to interact with the team more was an opportunity I just couldn't pass up."
Bree Gilbert – opposite/outside hitter (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian): Bree was an opposite and outside hitter for the Trojans and will bring a wealth of championship experience to the Thunder. She was a member of two high school indoor volleyball State Runner-Up teams (junior and senior seasons), a high school beach volleyball State Runner-Up team (senior season), and was awarded All-State First-Team honors for beach this season. In club, Bree has played for SoCal Juniors, New Wave Volleyball Club, Long Beach Volleyball Club, Aspire, and most recently Club One, where her team placed fifth in 18 Open at their Regional Championship and earned a bid for 18 National at USAV where they finished 21st.
Additionally, Bree was on the Principal Honor Roll all four years of high school, won the Student-Athlete award for at Valley Christian for both indoor and beach, and won the Christian Character Award for beach volleyball.
At Wheaton, she intends to study business and economics. She says of her decision to join the Thunder: "I chose Wheaton because it is a great place for me to grow spiritually, the high-level academics, and the great Christ-Centered volleyball program."
Ashton Major – middle blocker (Edmond, Okla./Oklahoma Christian School): Ashton was a highly decorated middle blocker for the Saints in her four-year career. Her accolades include being named to the Chisholm Trail Conference Second Team in 2017, Honorable Mention in 2018, and First Team and Conference MVP in 2019, all before she finished with an impressive senior season: Ashton was named the 2020 Edmond Area Pre-Season MVP, 2020 Best of OKC All-City Preps 2nd team, and was on the 2020 'The Oklahoman' List of Athletes to Watch. At the conclusion of the season, she was awarded with Chisholm Trail Conference First Team and All-Tournament Team honors, and was also named Player of the Year for her conference for the second consecutive season. Ashton played club for Oklahoma Peak Performance for several years, played basketball, track and tennis at OCS, and was in the National Honors Society and on the Principals Honor Roll.
Ashton is undecided on a major but is considering studying biology. She says of her decision to join the Thunder: "I chose Wheaton because I loved the atmosphere and the girls on the team."
Katie Stotts – defensive specialist (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Eastern): Katie was a three-year varsity starter as a DS/Libero. She was named OK Gold All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2019, and All-Conference First Team this past fall as the Hawks also celebrated a conference championship. In addition, Katie was a member of the Academic All-State team, FHE's National Honor Society, was a four-year honor roll student, and she created and implemented a mentor program for new students to build relationships.
Katie played club at Michigan Volleyball Academy and was on the Elite and National teams starting in 7th grade. She received the core values Grit Award in 2018 and 2019, and was also an AAU Academic All-American in 2018 and 2019.
At Wheaton, Katie is thinking of pursuing a degree in psychology. She says of her decision to join the Thunder: "What drew me to Wheaton volleyball is the fact that the team is centered around Christ and for Christ, and that is rare to find even at other Christian schools. In an atmosphere where God is always at the center, I think I'll be able to make deeper connections with my teammates than I ever have had before. What drew me to Wheaton is the fact that you can see pure joy and excitement on everyone's face who talks about experiences there. The connections I'll get to make with people that will be faith based will help me grow in ways I never would imagine. It really is the best opportunity I've ever had."
Emerson Traweek – outside hitter (Centerton, Ark./Shiloh Christian School): Emerson was an outside hitter at Shiloh, earning All-Conference, All-State, All-State Tournament Team and team MVP honors in her senior season with the Saints. She also maintained a 4.0 GPA through her academic career and was a member of the National Honors Society. Emerson played club for Ozark Juniors Volleyball.
When she arrives at Wheaton, Emerson plans to study applied health science. She says of her decision to join the Thunder: "What drew me to Wheaton was just the community aspect of the school. From the beginning, Coach Stephanie invested in me not just an athlete, but also for who I was as a person. The more I learned about Wheaton the more I knew how much it would challenge me spiritually, academically, and athletically, and I knew it was exactly where I wanted to go!"
