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In the ultra-connected community that is Hesston College, it’s quite normal for graduates to send their children off to the place they attended years earlier. Moms and dads, sons and daughters…it’s sort of a family thing.
In the early and mid-1980’s three young men from three different communities came to Kansas to study and play baseball. And as so often happens a generation later, those same three men, now fathers, sent their daughters to Hesston to play Softball for the Larks.
This spring, pitcher Erin Albrecht, Sebewaing, Mich., and infielders Ashlyn Knepp, Millersburg, Ind., and Olivia Miller, Newton, Kan., daughters of Barry Albrecht ’85, Terry Knepp ’82 and Forrest Miller ’85, will be lacing up their spikes as freshman for the Hesston College softball team.
Aside from her father, Knepp also has an uncle, Daryl Haarer ’89, who played baseball for the Larks and encouraged her to start her college career at Hesston.
“When I committed to Hesston, my dad and uncle were excited for me,” Knepp said. “I think it’s been fun for my dad and uncle to see me follow in their footsteps.”
“I grew up hearing stories about this place,” said Albrecht, whose parents, along with an older sister, all attended Hesston. “It’s been fun to see my own story develop as I’m walking around the same campus as my family did. I’ve felt a lot of support from them in coming here.”
Both of Miller’s parents work on the Hesston campus, with her dad also serving as assistant softball coach. Still, Miller sees herself carving out her own path as she balances softball with the rigors of the Hesston nursing program.
“It’s been fun to be on a campus that my family has so much history with,” Miller said. “At the same time I feel like it’s been a new adventure for me — something uniquely my own.”
“It’s gratifying to see the Hesston College softball story mirror that of the broader college story,” said Hesston softball coach Andrew Sharp. “Erin, Olivia and Ashlyn have already made a big impact on our program and have been tremendous contributors on campus.”
In the ultra-connected community that is Hesston College, it’s quite normal for graduates to send their children off to the place they attended years earlier. Moms and dads, sons and daughters…it’s sort of a family thing.
In the early and mid-1980’s three young men from three different communities came to Kansas to study and play baseball. And as so often happens a generation later, those same three men, now fathers, sent their daughters to Hesston to play Softball for the Larks.This spring, pitcher Erin Albrecht, Sebewaing, Mich., and infielders Ashlyn Knepp, Millersburg, Ind., and Olivia Miller, Newton, Kan., daughters of Barry Albrecht ’85, Terry Knepp ’82 and Forrest Miller ’85, will be lacing up their spikes as freshman for the Hesston College softball team. Aside from her father, Knepp also has an uncle, Daryl Haarer ’89, who played baseball for the Larks and encouraged her to start her college career at Hesston.“When I committed to Hesston, my dad and uncle were excited for me,” Knepp said. “I think it’s been fun for my dad and uncle to see me follow in their footsteps.”“I grew up hearing stories about this place,” said Albrecht, whose parents, along with an older sister, all attended Hesston. “It’s been fun to see my own story develop as I’m walking around the same campus as my family did. I’ve felt a lot of support from them in coming here.”Both of Miller’s parents work on the Hesston campus, with her dad also serving as assistant softball coach. Still, Miller sees herself carving out her own path as she balances softball with the rigors of the Hesston nursing program.“It’s been fun to be on a campus that my family has so much history with,” Miller said. “At the same time I feel like it’s been a new adventure for me — something uniquely my own.”“It’s gratifying to see the Hesston College softball story mirror that of the broader college story,” said Hesston softball coach Andrew Sharp. “Erin, Olivia and Ashlyn have already made a big impact on our program and have been tremendous contributors on campus.”
