Maddie Depencier Headed Iowa Western

Local softball player Maddie Depencier will play college softball next year for Iowa Western after committing to the school.

Depencier felt Iowa was the best decision to continue her academic and athletic pathway next year.

“I chose Iowa Western because it felt like a family immediately, and after meeting the coaches in the summer I knew they would not only push me to become a better athlete and student but also a better person overall,” she explained. “Something that was really important to me was knowing that I would be valued as an athlete but also as a person and the coaches at Iowa Western do a great job of this.”

Depencier is an alumni of the Chatham Golden Eagles fastball organization, and getting to play the sport she loved at a higher level was an opportunity she could not pass up.

“Knowing I’ll get to continue playing fastball at a post secondary level is a very rewarding feeling. I’ve been thinking and working at getting a scholarship since I was about 10 years old so watching it all come together is a really exciting feeling.”

Depencier will study sport psychology while playing in the National Junior College Athletic Association with the Iowa Western Reivers, where she hopes to help her team to the highest level possible next season. As with any first year University student, and college athlete, who moves away from home, Depencier knows there will be challenges.

“Moving so far from home will definitely be an adjustment but I’m excited for a new chapter of my life. I also am looking forward to being able to learn in a new environment with people who will push me to reach the next level. This journey will allow me to travel and get many life experiences that I’ve always dreamed of so that makes it feel not so far away from home.”

Using the skills she learned in Chatham-Kent, Depencier will undoubtedly get off to a swinging start.