Wilson, Meitzler to play sports in college

The list of Ramona High School seniors who will be playing college sports next year now includes Morgann Wilson and Lauren Meitzler.

Wilson will attend New England College in Henniker, N.H., and play volleyball for the Pilgrims while also possibly participate on the track and field team.

Meitzler will play softball for Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tenn. She signed a letter of intent for an athletic scholarship at the Division I university.

“I look at it as a blessing from God. It was nice to get signed as a D-I pitcher this late in the game,” she said.

Although Meitzler was recruited as a pitcher for Austin Peay, she also plays second base and outfield.

“If they need me at second or outfield I can definitely play there,” she said.

“Lauren has been awesome. She’s been a pleasure to work with,” Wright said. “She stays positive. She’s always looking to better herself.”

She made the varsity as a freshman and was a field player as a sophomore, when the Bulldogs had current Harvard pitcher Alissa Hiener as well as current Ramona senior Hanah Bowen, who is expected to pitch for the University of Arizona next year.

A hip injury limited Meitzler’s playing time as a junior.

“I had been dealing with injuries all of last year,” she said. “It put a dent in my recruiting process.”

Austin Peay offered her a scholarship.

“That was a blessing for my family since I don’t have to pay much for college,” Meitzler said.

Many college programs use a designated hitter to bat for the pitcher, but that won’t be the case with Meitzler and the Governors.

“They’re still going to let me hit,” she said. “Basically it was just a real perfect fit for me.”

Meitzler’s favorite Ramona High School moment was hitting a grand slam against Otay Ranch in the 2015 CIF playoffs.

“She has done a great job of leading the team,” said Wright.

Meitzler started her club softball career with Ramona Girls Softball when she was 7. Her first travel club was the So Cal Blaze, which she joined when she was 11. Her current club team is the Orange County Batbusters.

“I just appreciate the work that my parents have done to get me to where I am,” said the daughter of Brian and Michelle Meitzler.

Meitzler was 6 when her family moved from Mira Mesa to Ramona. She attended Barnett Elementary School from first through sixth grade prior to her time at Olive Peirce Middle School and Ramona High School.

She is leaning towards a nursing or biology major and noted that some schools were encouraging her to choose a major that would fit into the team’s schedule, but Austin Peay did not limit her decision.

“They definitely made me the best offer,” she said. “This one, it checked all the boxes.”

If she does not choose a career in nursing, Meitzler desires employment in the marine biology field.

Wilson will attend New England College on an academic scholarship and has been told that she will be in the fall 2017 volleyball roster. As a Division III school of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, New England College does not offer athletic scholarships.

“It was super exciting to be able to play,” she said.

“I think she’s going to be an amazing asset to any team that she goes to because of her versatility,” Ramona volleyball coach Connie Halfaker said.

“She could run track in college. She has a lot of talent,” added Ramona track and field head coach Sherri Edwards.

Among schools Wilson was considering were Cal State University San Marcos, which offered her a scholarship, and San Diego State University, where she would have played with the club program. The opportunity to play early in her collegiate career was a factor in Wilson’s decision to select New England College.

“I had a better chance of starting as a freshman,” she said. “I have a better opportunity of playing a lot.”

Wilson was primarily a middle blocker in high school but primarily a right side hitter during club season.

“Morgann’s versatility is what Morgann brings to a team,” Halfaker said.

“She was the player who no matter what we needed to have done she was able to do it. She went in at any time in any position and made us better. She worked as hard as anybody else,” said Halfaker. “She had to work so hard because she had to know everything at a moment’s notice. She was able to apply her skill.”

Wilson has been on the varsity volleyball team for three years and was on the junior varsity squad as a freshman.

“They had a bunch of hitters my freshman year,” she said.

Ramona won the 2014 CIF Division II volleyball championship, which is Wilson’s favorite high school memory.

“She considered the team and her teammates above herself, which is what made her such a strong asset,” Halfaker said. “She wasn’t concerned about what she was getting for herself.”

Wilson received her first all-league volleyball honor as a senior when the Valley League coaches made her an honorable mention selection on the 2016 all-league contingent.

Track and field plans aren’t definite for Wilson, but that is her desire. “I’m going to try to run in college also,” she said.

That decision has the support of New England volleyball coach Mark Thomas. “My coach, he knows that I run track,” she added.

Wilson has been on Ramona High’s varsity track and field team all four years. Earlier this year she broke Emily Sojourner’s 2016 school record in the 100-meter hurdles. Wilson’s mother, who was Jayme Ray when she graduated from Ramona High School in 1995, holds the 300-meter hurdles record. Wilson’s father played football at El Capitan High School.

Wilson is leaning toward a criminal justice major. A lifelong Ramona resident, she attended what was called both Hanson Lane Elementary School and Hanson Elementary School before Olive Pierce and Ramona High. Wilson began her club volleyball career in eighth grade with the Coast North team based in Escondido, and as a senior she joined the original Coast program based in the Sorrento Valley area of San Diego.