Freeman keeps shining on tennis court

Castle View grad gets two awards at Iowa college

BY ALEX K.W. SCHULTZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

More than 700 miles away from her native Castle Rock, Katelyn Freeman is still shining on the tennis court.

e 2022 Castle View graduate, a two-year varsity player on the Sabercats girls team, is now playing tennis at Central College in Pella, Iowa, where she recently received the team’s Bogaard Most Improved Performer Award and was a co-recipient of the Hardest Worker Award.

At Castle View, Freeman received the Sabercat Award as both a junior and senior. e Sabercat Award is voted on by the team and given to the player who “represents dedication, competition, sportsmanship and leadership.” Freeman was also recognized for her grades in the classroom in her last two years at Castle View.

“It meant a lot to be recognized, especially because I don’t have as much experience as a lot of the other players,” the 18-year-old Freeman, one of only four freshmen in Central’s lineup, said of the two awards she hauled in. “I didn’t play a ton of ranked matches this year; I did a lot of exhibition matches. Even though I’m not in the top 3, it’s cool that I can be recognized at any level.”

On receiving the Most Improved Performer Award, Freeman said she noticed a “huge improvement” in her game, even from the start of the fall season in August to the end of the season just two months later. Freeman continued to re ne her game during the spring season, which ran from early March to late April.

She credited the rise in her game to the drills that head coach Ryun Ferrell has the team do on a regular basis and Central’s overall team culture.

“ ose things helped improve both my consistency and con dence as a player,” Freeman said. “ ey helped me not just from a physical standpoint but also from a mental standpoint.”

After hearing what her days are like at the small, private college in western Iowa, it’s no wonder one of the two Hardest Worker Awards was bestowed upon Freeman.

She said a typical day for her consists of waking up and going to at least three classes, working at the school’s athletics complex, going to tennis practice, having dinner with her teammates in the dining hall, going back to her dorm to spend time with her non-tennis friends and doing homework, then “going to sleep and doing it all again the next day.”

“I do enjoy the busy schedule. Always having something to do gives me a sense of motivation and direction,” Freeman said. “ e energy I get from going to classes translates to work mode and then to practice mode. Staying busy throughout the day helps keep my energy up and helps me do what I need to do.”

Knowing how to navigate a full schedule like the one she has now will certainly come in handy when the time comes for her to take on the professional world.

Freeman, who is studying economics at Central, said she wants to go into the investing eld — she loves all things hedge funds, stocks and portfolios.

Of course, Freeman isn’t ready to tackle Wall Street just yet. She still has three years of classes and homework and team dinners and tennis matches to tackle at Central.

And if the teenager continues to work hard and builds on the improvements she’s already made to her game, who knows how much more hardware she can add to her shelf while she’s in the Hawkeye State?

“I de nitely want to work on taking my game to the next level next year. I’d like to go from an exhibition player to maybe the lower end of the starting lineup,” Freeman said. “Now that

I know what I’m doing, I’d also like to take on more of a leadership role and show incoming freshmen that I made it through my freshman year and they can make it through theirs, too.”

Let’s talk steaks. Steaks that are tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Perfectly aged, hand-trimmed, one-of-a-kind steaks that are GUARANTEED to be perfect, every single time. These aren’t just steaks. These are Omaha Steaks.