Szymanski to throw for Madonna University
Keyara Szymanski, recent graduate of Mendon High School, is looking forward to what comes next in her academic and athletic careers. She believes she has them both figured out and will start later this summer at Madonna University in Livonia.
Szymanski will continue her throwing careers with the Crusaders. The school competes in the NAIA and is part of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. Fellow schools in the league include Aquinas College, Concordia University and even Cornerstone University, to name a few.
“Originally it was because of my cousins, because a lot of them live over there,” Szymanski said on why she decided to attend Madonna. “A lot of them went to Madonna as well, so that’s what originally struck my interest. Once I got there and met the coach and some of the throwers, I knew it was where I wanted to go.”
Szymanski is a thrower. In the track and field world, that means she competes in both the discus and shot put events. She’s pretty good, as evident by her being able to continue her career at the college level.
This past year, she finished First Team All-State in both events. At the Division 4 state finals, Szymanski was fifth overall in the discus and sixth in the shot put. The discus saw her finish with a distance of 112-7 feet. Getting to 100-feet in the event was something Szymanski routinely wanted to accomplish. She said throwing the discus is more enjoyable of the two and she enjoys the technique involved.
“It was always the goal to throw in college,” Szymanski said. “In meeting the coach (Nia Henderson), I liked her the best of the coaches that were recruiting me. She seemed really chill and I liked that.”
Henderson is the throwing coach for Madonna. She’s been there for a handful of years now and works under head coach Stacy Latnie — he led the Crusader men’s program to a national championship victory in 2021.
For Szymanski, there will be some nervous moments. Like most student-athletes headed off to college where they will also compete regularly, there’s a bit of an unknown. For many, it will be the first time they are out on their own.
“I’m nervous about going somewhere else a little bit because I’ve been in Mendon my whole life for school,” Szymanski said.
She will miss the small-town atmosphere and her times in high school. Szymanski was always seen at Mendon football games, helping lead the cheers for the student section during those contests. Those memories will always be some of her highlights.
When it comes to the classroom, Szymanski said she plans to study elementary education. She spent time during her high school years helping out in kindergarten classes and has come to embrace time spent with the youngsters. Szymanski aspires to be a teacher at that level, she said ideally it would be kindergarten up to second grade, if she had her choice.
As she continues to prepare for the move, she’s excited for the upcoming competition in her next steps. Madonna has a handful of throwers and Szymanski said there will be at least one more freshman coming in with her to join the Crusader program.
“We should have a good throwing squad,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the competition and being on a college team.”
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Szymanski to throw for Madonna University
