Mueller to play basketball for Doane College

Three-sport standout and honor-roll student at Creek Valley Summer Mueller, of Lodgepole, made a verbal commitment to study and play basketball at Doane College this fall.

"There were a lot of things I liked about Doane," said Mueller. "But when I saw how beautiful the campus was that was really the clincher. I knew this is where I wanted to go."

While Mueller is already committed to playing basketball at Doane she also had a tryout with Tigers volleyball coach Gwen Egbert. The Doane coach was holding a spring workout last Monday and Mueller was invited to join in.

Egbert hopes to get another look at Mueller at the end of May.

"She said if I qualify for state (in track) to drop by so I could practice with the team again," said Mueller.

Should Mueller stay healthy, it's nearly a forgone conclusion that she will make another trip to NSAA State Track & Field Championships May 23-24, in Omaha. She has qualified in pole vault and the 1,600-meter run at the big show every year since she was a freshman.

This season, however, she has dropped the mile and taken up the 300-meter hurdles. Despite the change, Mueller already looks like a good bet to be running the hurdles at state this year. At the recent Storm Invite in Chappell, she won the event by a wide margin.

Mueller will certainly not have any trouble finding a place to stay at Doane on her next visit. Her sister, Whitney Sorenson, a senior at Doane, has an apartment near the campus. Mueller, the youngest of three, also has another sister Brooklyn Sorenson. Her parents are Amanda Sorenson and Lee Mueller.

Should Mueller end up playing two sports, those who know her best don't see a problem.

"She's one of those kids that knows she has to work to get what she wants," said Creek Valley Activities Director and Assistant Track Coach Todd Westover. "She's a straight-A student who's involved in just about everything you can be involved in. She knows how to budget her time."

As for basketball, Doane Head Coach Tracee Fairbanks has had her eye on Mueller for more than a year. Fairbanks first came across her on Huskerland Preps and soon became interested in recruiting the Storm's star guard.

Once Mueller met the coach, the admiration became mutual.

"I really enjoyed meeting the coaches," Mueller said. "It was such a great atmosphere there I know I'm really going to like going there."

From a statistical point of view it's easy to see how Fairbanks would have taken notice. Mueller led the Storm basketball team in scoring average (18.4), steals (85), assists (70) and points scored (331). She also had a habit of following up her own shots, as she was second on the team in corralling 62 offensive rebounds.

Aside from the purely statistical, Mueller has also shown a knack for coolness under pressure. In a game against Sedgwick County in December Mueller sank a three-point shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. The Storm parlayed that clutch shot into a win.

As the possibility still exists that Mueller will play two sports at Doane, her volleyball resume is equally impressive. She was also a strong force on her team in several categories in that sport as well. She led the Storm in kills (171) and was among the leaders in digs (285) and serve percentage (89.1).

Considering how good she is at all sports, Mueller is fortunate to be able to compete at the college level in her favorite sport. Or two of her favorite sports.

"My favorite sport is usually the one I'm doing at the time," she said.

Beyond playing sports and appearing regularly on Creek Valley's Honor Roll, Mueller is also a leader in a number of other school and local activities. She is president of the student council, vice president of Future Farmers of America (FFA), president of the Tornado Alley Spirit Council (TASC), president of the National Honor Society and president of the Future Business Leaders of America.

She is also involved with Family Career and Community Leaders of America.

Because of her leadership skills, Doane has also accepted Mueller into the Hansen Leadership Program (HLP). The HLP is a program designed to give students the tools they need to become good leaders throughout the campus, skills which will continue to serve them their entire lives.

As for her major, Mueller will wait a year before declaring next year. Until then she will do what she has always done. Work hard, play hard and be involved. And she'll be enjoying every minute of it.

"She's just a joy to be around," said Westover.