Photo by Jordan Schachterle – Four Berthoud High School baseball players (left to right) Colin DeVore, Hunter Pearce, Chris DeSousa, Brent Fowler, were part of a group of nine Spartan athletes who signed their National Letters of Intent Wednesday March 28 at BHS.

By Jordan Schachterle

The Surveyor

On Wednesday, March 28, nine Berthoud High School (BHS) athletes signed their National Letters of Intent to continue their athletic careers in college.

Some of the athletes signed because it has been their dream to play in college, others signed because they want to continue their careers through their whole lives. Each athlete has their own unique story as to where they have been and where they are going.

Colin DeVore will further his baseball career at Hastings College in Nebraska as an outfielder. DeVore is a three-year starter for the Spartans and is currently the team’s centerfielder. He received All-Conference honors for his performance last season. DeVore picked Hastings because, “The baseball program is one of the top programs in its conference, and I wanted to see what I can do to help the team get wins any way I can.”

Brent Fowler will continue his baseball career at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minn. Fowler will be a third baseman as well as a utility player for the Vikings, as he did for BHS. “I hope that someday I can make baseball my job; however, I hope it continues to pay for college and help me get my degree in mechanical engineering,” said Fowler about what he is hoping his baseball career turns out to be.

Another Spartan baseball player Hunter Pearce will be playing alongside Fowler next year at Bethany. Pearce was a four-year varsity player for the Spartans, catching and playing second base. He will continue at those positions in college. Pearce said he is looking forward to, “studying things I’m interested in and playing a lot of games with a lot of guys who are passionate and talented.”

Berthoud’s Sam Mulder was all smiles last Wednesday at BHS as she signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her track and field career at Hastings College in Nebraska.

Spartans baseball starting pitcher Chris DeSousa will play next year at Lamar Junior College. DeSousa has been a three-year starter for BHS and will continue at that position next year. He said Lamar is just a start for him, “Hopefully, after two years other opportunities will present themselves so that I may pitch at the highest level possible.”

Sam Mulder will be joining DeVore at Hastings College, but she will be furthering her track-and-field career. Mulder runs in hurdle events for the Spartan track team and will focus on that when she becomes a Bronco. “I am excited for the tough competition and the skills I will learn,” said Mulder, “I think it will be a great change of pace.”

Cross-country runner Kevin Sethre will continue running at Augsburg in Minneapolis, Minn. Sethre ran all four years in high school on the varsity team. “Having a lot of new experiences and getting to know more people,” he said regarding what he was looking forward to. “I’m excited to see what college is like and to set myself up for a career after school.”

Defensive end Derek Sandstedt will further his football career at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. He was a captain of the Spartan football team and was a part of the program through his entire high school career. “I felt that it was a perfect fit for me as a student studying computer science and as an athlete playing football,” Sandstedt said on why he chose Augustana College.

Brock Voth will be attending Chadron State College in Kansas to further his track-and-field career. Voth is a triple jumper for the BHS team and will continue the event through his college career. He hopes during his college career he will, “be a top jumper in college and to be known for being a hard worker.” Last season Voth broke the BHS record in the triple jump, a record that had stood since 1972.

Tyler Markell will join Sandsted at Augustana College to continue his soccer career. In Markel’s last three seasons at Berthoud he led the team in goals and points and hopes he can do the same in his college career. “I’m looking forward to being able to play and score goals for a new team and enjoy the competitiveness of college,” said Markell about what he is most excited for.

These nine Spartan athletes have excelled during their time at BHS and hope to continue that on into college.