April 24, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State head swimming coach Steve Paska continued his pursuit for the deepest possible team for the upcoming 2006-07 season with the signing Clarendon Hills, Ill. native, Amy Werkema.
The senior from Hinsdale Central High School will contribute to the team in middle-to-distance freestyle swimming
events such as the 200, 500 and 1000-yard freestyle. Coach Paska is looking forward to the reliability
Werkema will be adding to the freestyle events.
"Amy will be playing a big role," said Paska. "All of the distance swimmers will be coming back next year and with her contributions it should make for a good season. She will help bring depth to the middle-to- distant freestyle events."
Werkema qualified for state in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. She has also been awarded with Hinsdale Central Scholar Athlete award for her outstanding academics and performance as a swimmer, soccer player and water polo player.
Along with competitive swimming, Werkema also spends time volunteering in the community with charities such as Habitat for Humanity. In addition, Werkema is also a youth group and Sunday school teacher, peer leader and volunteer at Community Presbyterian Church.
"Amy is the type of quality student-athlete we try to recruit each and every year," said Paska. "She is very passionate about the sport, comes from a prestigious program and is a solid student. Any coach would love to have a student-athlete with such passion for the sport and I am looking forward to working with her."
