Eastview Softball Captains Earn 4.0 GPAs
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Eastview's softball team is a conference champion, but that's not what makes the team so special.
"Coaching isn't about winning," coach Trevor Monroe said. "I will trade wins for good kids.
At the heart of the team are the captains, Kara Sjostrom and Julia Luciano, teammates and good friends.
"We've been friends for a really long time," Luciano said. "It's really awesome to have her around."
On Wednesday, their careers reached a pinnacle. In the 8th inning against Shakopee, Sjostrom came through with a game-winning RBI to win the conference title. There was a fitting celebration on the field, but there was more to come.
"We looked at the clock and it was 6:58 and the academic ceremony's supposed to start at 7," Luciano said.
Both valedictorians with 4.0 GPAs, they arrived at the graduation ceremony in uniform.
"Our principal was addressing the audience when we walked in," Luciano said. "We snuck around back and we sat in our seats, and he's announcing, 'There's two more valedictorians who are on their way,' and the crowd started laughing because we were waving in our uniforms."
It's been part of a spring filled with fun.
"It's been really fun to see all our work pay off as a team," Sjostrom said. "We've had a lot of fun together."
It seems that the way this team rolls, filled with athletes who are students first.
"We've got a 3.92 GPA," Monroe said. "The leadership has to come from somewhere. It comes from them, but the followers are pretty solid too."