Stan Bonifacio Sports Photography: Ashlyn Thompson spikes the ball during a match last year. Ashlyn has announced her commitment to play volleyball and basketball for Concordia College in Minnesota.
Will play volleyball and basketball
By Jon Johnson
THATCHER – Thatcher’s dual-sport standout Ashlyn Thompson is doing a reverse LeBron and will be taking her talents from the heat to the frigid north as she heads up to Minnesota to play volleyball and basketball next season for Concordia College.
Ashlyn sent out a tweet announcing her commitment to becoming a Cobber.
“I am so excited to announce that I will be committing to play volleyball and basketball at Concordia College in Minnesota,” Ashlyn Thompson wrote in her tweet. “Thank you to all my coaches and who have gotten me to where I am and have always supported me and (the) coaches I have met. Also to my new coaches for an amazing recruiting experience.”
Concordia College is a four-year liberal arts college in Moorhead, Minnesota. The basketball, volleyball, and football teams all play in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The MIAC competes in NCAA Division III and all 13 member schools are private institutions located in Minnesota.
If the name is familiar to Thatcher football fans, that could be because Ashlyn’s older brother, Collin, is a standout defensive end on the team and has been for a couple of years since graduating from Thatcher High School. The Cobber football team is currently 3-3 and Collin is currently third in the conference for the most sacks with 3 solo and 1 assisted through six games.
The Cobber volleyball team is 7-13 as of Wednesday, Oct. 19, with their regular season ending Saturday, Oct. 29. The year prior, the Cobbers finished 9-17 and failed to win a game on the road.
Currently, the volleyball team consists exclusively of players hailing from either North Dakota or Minnesota, save for Lexie Lohman from Wisconsin and Hannah Keil from South Dakota.
Ashlyn is currently leading the hitting percentage board for the 3A South and is second in blocks (34) to her teammate (Marley Motes with 42).
The basketball team resembles the volleyball team with just one player, senior Taviahana Tanin, not hailing from either North Dakota or Minnesota.
The basketball team went 8-16 last season, winning just one game on the road.
Ashlyn was an All-Region 1st Team selection for the 3A South Central last year for basketball.
Ashlyn also took time to acknowledge her appreciation of the support she has received from her parents.
“Thank you to my parents for supporting my decision and doing everything they could to get me here,” Ashlyn wrote in her Tweet. “I can’t wait for what these next years hold and can’t wait to be a Cobber!”
