Three West River athletes ink with Division I schools

By Journal staff | Thursday, November 13, 2008

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RAPID CITY — For four years Caitlin Templeton has focused on beating the cross-town rival that wears the blue and white on the other side of the volleyball net. Next fall, she will be wearing the blue and white colors — and she couldn’t be happier about it.

Templeton, a standout middle hitter for Rapid City Central, signed her letter of intent to play for Creighton University on Wednesday in Naasz Gymnasium.

“The coaches and players are awesome and when I visited there the campus was gorgeous and I felt very comfortable being there,” Templeton said of the decision. “I have always dreamed of playing Division I, and my club coach recommended Creighton because her daughter plays there. It is a great opportunity to play for a Division I team.”

Templeton wasn’t the only Rapid City athlete to sign on Wednesday.

Rapid City Stevens senior outside hitter Kelly Herrmann signed a letter-of-intent to play volleyball with the NCAA Div.1 South Dakota State University Jackrabbits next year.

Herrmann is the lone returning starter from last year’s Class AA state champions, and ranks seventh this season in Class AA in blocks per game, eighth in kills per game and 10th in hitting percentage.

Herrmann has helped the Raiders to a 29-6 record, the the District 4AA championship and an automatic berth to the Class AA state volleyball tournament.

“I really agreed with the coach’s philosophy and I liked the campus,” Herrmann said. “It’s my home-state school,” she said. “It’s far enough away from home that I can be on my own, but close enough so I can come home on long weekends.”

Stanley County senior Sam Ostarello signed a letter of intent to play basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers.

The 6-foot-3 Lady Buffalo has been verbally committed to the Division I school since her sophomore year.

Ostarello said she chose Purdue, not just because of its prestigious reputation in athletics, but also because of the wide range of strong academic programs as well.