Amanda Young '16 Recruiting Profile

My name is Amanda Young, and I am a 5'8" sophomore at Gretna High School near Omaha, NE. Volleyball has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have been a member of the varsity team at Gretna for two years now and have been a part of some amazing experiences. My freshman year I contributed to my team by being a defensive specialist, and we had the privilege of making it all the way to the state championship game. Although we fell short and lost the match in a five set battle, I learned a lot from the experience. Being so close made me realize how much I want a state title, and has pushed me to work as hard as I can to achieve that goal. During my second year of varsity, I earned a starting position as a Right Side, and played in all six rotations. As the end of our season approached, I became the starting Outside Hitter. Outside has been my primary position most of my volleyball career, and is what I will be playing my final two years of high school. I have also been a part of the Nebraska Juniors Volleyball club for two years now. I am an outside hitter for the 16-2's Open team. During my first year at the club I was coached by Gwen Egbert, and I am now coached by Jessica Fauss and Alyssa LeGrand. Playing at Nebraska Juniors has taught me many things including leadership, hard work, and attention to detail. I have improved so much since I became a member of this club, and many people rely on me as a leader on the team. 

Along with volleyball, I also participate on the varsity track and field team. My freshman year I qualified for state in the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, and 4x400 relay. I placed 7th in the 100 with a time of 12.59, 2nd in class B and 3rd all-class in the 200 with a time of 25.2, and 2nd in the 4x400 with a team time of 4:02. To close out my sophomore year, all my hard work paid off and I achieved my dream of becoming a state champion. I won the 200 meter dash with an official time of 25.17, which also put me 2nd All-Class. I also finished the state meet with a 2nd place medal in the 100, a 3rd place finish in the 4x400, and a 5th place medal in the 4x100. Although athletics are a huge part of my life, academics are also very important to me. I have been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA so far, and am ranked first in my class of 198. I was also inducted into the National Honor Society because of my grades. I will be taking my first ACT test this coming summer in June. 

I have thought a lot about what I would like to accomplish moving forward into my college years. My goal is to become a Division 1 volleyball player, and major in Dietetics and Nutrition. I have taken an interest in Nutrition due to the fact that I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes two years ago. I have played almost every position during my time as a volleyball player, and that versatility has been a vital point of emphasis from my coaches; but because of my height, I will most likely be a Libero or Defensive Specialist in college. My quickness and knowledge of the game has made defense and back row presence my strongest assets. I believe I would make an excellent leader and teammate on a college team, and would contribute with my competitiveness, all-out defense, hard work, and passion for the game.