NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho seniors Lili Graue and Kaden Cole put the pen to paper on Tuesday, committing to compete in their respective sports at the collegiate level.
Graue, an outfielder on the softball team, committed to play for Labette Community College, while Cole, a distance runner, committed to Missouri Southern for cross country.
“It means a lot to me because I am very competitive myself, so to join a competitive program such as Labette, it is just really rewarding,” Graue said of her commitment. “I know I am going to fit in well there.”
“It is an amazing feeling,” Cole said. “I have been dreaming about this for the last four years at, just to be able to continue my athletic career at the next level. This is awesome.”
Cole capped his senior cross country season in style, finishing in sixth place in the Class 5 state run in a time of 15 minutes, 33 seconds. Cole also won the Central Ozark Conference meet and finished sixth in the district run to earn all-conference, district and state honors.
“It’s amazing to me,” Cole said when asked about being able to stay in the area while running for a powerhouse program. “Being local was one of my main things. And the team there is pretty cool. … (The coaching staff) was just really welcoming to my family.””
Graue hit .489 at the plate and finished with a .550 on-base percentage for the Wildcats her senior season. She finished with 43 hits, eight doubles, 12 stolen bases and one home run, driving in 23 and scoring 32 runs. In her final season at Neosho, she garnered first-team all-conference, region and state recognition.
“It means everything to me to be able to play at the collegiate level because all of the hard work and dedication I have put into softball has paid off, and it is so rewarding,” Graue said. “It is a huge opportunity that not everyone gets, and I’m very fortunate to be able to continue the journey. I have wanted to play college ball my entire life. Knowing that I get to do that is very exciting.”
