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Sidney's Rosenbaum signs to high jump at Hastings

As a starter on the top-seeded girls' basketball team at the upcoming B-6 district tournament, Savanna Rosenbaum still has a few more high bar's to clear before she can start thinking about track.

Still, Rosenbaum managed to take time out of her busy schedule last week to sign with the Hastings College Broncos, where she will study biology with an eye toward becoming a physician assistant and participate in track.

Rosenbaum, an honor student and three-sport standout at Sidney High School, will continue her passion for the high jump at the next level beginning next summer. She joins fellow Red Raiders' high jumper, Nick Conger, who began his college career at Hastings last summer. Conger has already exceeded his personal best on multiple occasions since his arrival at Hastings.

"Looking through our data base, she was really on the volleyball coaches' radar and he and I work really well together and share some athletes," said Broncos second-year head track coach Ryan Mahoney. "We saw that she was a good student, and in a sport like track, you have to understand the value of hard work and delayed rewards.

"It's been my experience that those athletes that are good students really understand that you have to work at an event and it takes time to get it down," Mahoney added.

Rosenbaum, a three-year varsity letter winner in volleyball and basketball, will shortly begin her fourth season as a varsity track athlete for the Raiders. She originally went to a volleyball camp last summer at Hastings that gave her the opportunity meet one of the track coaches.

"For me track is a more fun sport and so I've always been more interested in track," Rosenbaum said. "I'm really excited now that I'm going to Hastings."

In addition to the high jump, Rosenbaum has also run the 400 meters and 4x400-meter relay.

"She runs a very strong leg in the 4x400 and we need her to run 400's to gain strength and build endurance for the high jump," said Raiders' head track coach John Ganser. "Pat Welch is her high jump coach and Savanna is always willing to do whatever Pat asks. She's very coachable."

While Rosenbaum is a three-time state qualifier, she has set her sights on medaling at state this season. Considering her personal best is 5-4, that goal is well within her capabilities. Despite gunning for a fourth straight trip to state, the road hasn't always been easy.

During her freshman basketball season, Rosenbaum sustained an injury which required surgery. Despite the set back, she persevered through the track season.

"I tore my labrum in my hip and I had surgery the the following summer," she said. "It took me a while to get back, but I've been able to recover fully."

Rosenbaum established her personal best in the high jump during in the second event of her freshman season. Though she managed to qualify for state, her debut track season at Sidney High was often a struggle.

Partly because the injury kept her from running enough, she wasn't able to keep up with her conditioning. As the season wore on, Rosenbaum struggled to regain the form that got her over the bar at 5-4. Now fully recovered, Rosenbaum can look forward to finishing her final season at SHS without any physical concerns.

Besides sports, Rosenbaum keeps herself busy with a myriad of other activites. She is not only the vice president of the National Honor Society, she is also a member of the Science Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Business Leaders of America and has been a member of the S Club since she was a sophomore.

Rosenbaum is the daughter of David and Janet Rosenbaum. Her brother, Lucas, twice broke the Raiders' record in the pole vault last season. Lucas, a freshman on the Missouri S&T track team, cleared a personal best 15 feet in the pole vault last week. She also has an older sister, Shaton.

Though there are still more memories to come, Rosenbaum has been fortunate enough to share some special moments during her Raiders' athletic career. As a sophomore she was a member of a district champion volleyball team that qualified for state. She was also a key player on the basketball team that earned a place at state last year.

"My favorite sports memory was at the end of the basketball season last year after our state tournament," Rosenbaum said. "We just lost the game to Grand Island Northwest and we were all sad because we were losing some incredible seniors that we all loved.

"Coach (Tyler) Shaw stood up in front of everyone and said, 'Don't cry that it's over, smile that it happened.' "

 

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