FIU Freshman Volleyball Player Jessica Gehrke Named Press-Citizen's Female Athlete of Year
FIU freshman excels in volleyball and track & field at
Iowa’s West
High School before heading to
Miami to begin her collegiate career MIAMI – Freshman
Jessica Gehrke has been named Press Citizen’s Female Athlete of the Year, as was announced on the
Iowa newspaper’s website this week.
A
two-sport athlete, Gehrke excelled in both volleyball and track &
field at
West High School in
Iowa City,
Iowa, and is now on the FIU campus, ready to jumpstart her collegiate
career. The Coralville, Iowa, native will begin her Panther career this
fall as she is one of five newcomers joining the reigning Sun Belt
Conference Regular Season
Champion FIU volleyball squad. Gehrke will then look to continue her
freshman year with the FIU track & field team this spring. Gehrke
is coming off a senior campaign in which she led the Trojan volleyball
team to a 39-3 season and a Class 4A State Championship runner-up
finish. The outside
hitter earned numerous accolades for her on-court performance, as she
was a three-time all-state selection, a second team Under Armour
All-American, and an Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year candidate. During
her high school track & field career, Gehrke set numerous state and
school records and she most recently led the West High girls track team
to the Class
4A Iowa state title, winning four events in the championship meet to
become the first West High girl to do so in a single state meet. On May
10, Gehrke gained some national recognition as she was featured in
Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd after successfully
defending her long jump title at the Drake Relays. To read the Press-Citizen’s full article on Gehrke,
click here.
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