Central Catholic tri-sport standout named IHSA all-state academic honoree
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Central Catholic senior Ella Larson is ending her high school career on a high note. The 17-year-old is a tri-sport leader. “I play basketball, volleyball and track and field. I am a guard in basketball, a sprinter and jumper in track, and a setter for volleyball.” Her track events include the 100-meter hurdles, 4×100 relay, triple jump, and long jump.
With being involved in sports year-round, Ella has collected many fond memories. For example, “When I was a sophomore, our varsity basketball team won the State Farm Holiday Classic tournament, which was one of my most memorable basketball experiences. Another basketball memory is when we won the title of conference champions this year. I have been playing with most of the girls since kindergarten, so it was exciting to share one last big win with them. Additionally, sophomore year, the girls track team won our sectional track meet.” That track season, Ella participated in four events, qualifying for State in three of them, but the most exciting part for her was “hanging over the fence while cheering as loudly as we could for our team’s four by four hundred relay. They qualified for State and earned the last few points that guaranteed our team’s sectional win.”
Her achievements in sports and in the classroom earned her a spot on the IHSA All-State Academic Team, a co-ed honorary team—the only awardee from Bloomington-Normal. Ella credits her success to a steady, 100% effort in the gym, on the court, or on the track: “I feel honored to have received the prestigious award. I have worked hard these past four years of high school balancing my time as an athlete and a student, so I am thankful for the recognition. I’ve learned it is important to listen attentively to my coaches and to take advantage of every piece of feedback and advice they provide to be the best individual athlete and teammate I can be.“
Ella’s parents inspired her to start playing sports when she was very young—they stayed active growing up and learned valuable life skills from their years as athletes. Ella recounts, “I have been playing basketball since kindergarten and have participated in YMCA, Gametime Gym, and AYBT summer leagues, as well several summer camps. I have been playing volleyball since 7th grade and started track and field in 5th grade.”
Boasting a 4.1 GPA on a 4.0 scale, Ella plans to study neuroscience at the University of Notre Dame in the fall. She’s choosing to devote herself to academics in this next phase of her life: “I do not plan to play a sport in college, but I do plan to take part in my dorm’s competitive intramural sports. I am not sure where I see myself in five years, but I will probably be studying hard at graduate school somewhere. My goal is to stay academically focused, but I will always spend my free time either participating in or watching sports.”
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