Two steady presences during Park Hill’s rejuvenation signed last week to continue their college careers.
Madison Michaelis and Kai Welsh were honored during a joint ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 8 at Park Hill High School. Michaelis signed with Pittsburg State while Welsh plans to play for Gustavus Adolphus College — a liberal arts school in St. Peter, Minn.
A three-year starter, Michaelis developed into a standout defensive specialist for Park Hill. She upped her production each season going from 105 digs as a sophomore to 388 as a junior and a team-high 420 this past season despite missing some time due to a concussion.
Michaelis also recorded a career-high 18 service aces for Park Hill as a senior.
Also a three-year starter, Welsh played mostly in the middle during her career providing and solid defensive and offensive skillset. She led Park Hill in blocks and kills each of the past two seasons.
Welsh recorded a career-high 119 blocks this past season, while her kill total went down from 221 as a junior to 181 in her final season for Park Hill, which advanced to the Class 4 District 16 title match for a second straight season. The Trojans won just 11 matches in 2015 but won 20 in 2016 before finishing 21-13-3 this past season.
Park Hill finished as district runner-up to Park Hill South in both 2016 and 2017.