GREENVILLE – Greenville’s Emma Klosterman recently signed with the Otterbein University Lady Cardinals track and field program.
“Because of Covid-19 and not being able to have my senior year of track, I am really excited to go to college and compete in track there,” said Klosterman. “I am very passionate about track so I would like to continue my career and compete at the college level.”
“Emma will do great,” said Greenville track and field coach, Bill Plessinger. “Emma is a tremendous track athlete. She would fit in where ever she would go.”
“Her signing was so anticlimactic,” Plessinger continued. “She had worked so hard for so many years to get to this point and then did not have that opportunity. It was heart wrenching for both of us. It is just so sad for the seniors not getting the opportunities we worked so hard for. Seniors are peaking and it is so sad she never got the opportunity.”
Klosterman, the daughter of Shelly and Rob Klosterman plans to study Nursing while continuing her track and field career at the Westerville, Ohio school.
The 5’9” Lady Wave senior holds two Greenville track and field records following her junior season and was a certain bet to earn a third high school record her senior year, a year that was scrapped due to the Coronavirus epidemic.
“My senior year I was getting really close to breaking the high jump record,” Klosterman noted. “I was so close. I was really hoping to get that high jump record my senior year but because we didn’t have a senior year it kind of went away.”
“Emma has a freaky ability to jump and that is why she has the long jump record, the triple jump record and probably would have earned the high jump record this year,” said Plessinger. “She is a good runner, a good jumper.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that she would have broken the high jump record this year. We were working in the gym and Emma was just soaring. She was just picking it up and that was practicing on that back gym floor which is a horrible floor to jump on. There is no doubt that she would have gone 5’6” to 5’7” this year – I just know she would have.”
“Emma would have gone to state,” Plessinger added. “I think she would have podiumed – I don’t think there is any doubt.”
Klosterman chose the D-III Lady Cardinals over larger programs to focus on her studies while continuing her sport.
“I chose otterbein because I knew I didn’t want a big school,” Klosterman stated. “Otterbein is a D-III school and I am going into nursing and nursing can be very hard. I believe attending a D-III school and competing in track would be very good for me. D-I schools can very hard on you competing in sports so with a D-III I school I can really focus on my education.”
“Emma was very particular about what she wants to major in and though she had some scholarship opportunities with more money other places, Otterbein was the place that she felt comfortable with,” said Plessinger. “She wants to be a nurse and they have a good nursing program so I think she will do fantastic.”
“Whatever college was going to get her was lucky,” continued Coach Plessinger. “Otterbein will be a good fit, she will have success at Otterbein because it is D-III, a notch below D-I but I don’t think there is any doubt she could have competed at the D-I level also. I believe Emma is a Division-I athlete that a Division-III school is getting,”
Klosterman looked at the University of Dayton, the University of Findlay, Ohio Northern University as well as other colleges before deciding on Otterbein.
“I looked at a lot of colleges but I feel like Otterbein was my best pick for many reasons,” said Klosterman.” I have visited with the coaches and did a whole tour of Otterbein so I have got to know them pretty well which made me feel good about going to there.”
Klosterman believes Otterbein will use her primarily in the high jump, long jump and the triple jump.
“I like the jumps more and not as much running,” said Klosterman, “so that is what I am planning on doing.”
“I would like to thank my coaches; Coach P (Bill Plessinger), Coach Stephanie Lind and Coach Jennifer Stevens,” Klosterman concluded. “My parents really helped me through this and my grandparents always went to my meets.”
