Vinson named 2023 Emrick/Mielcarek Male Athlete of the Year

Simon Vinson is looking forward to his first football practice at Indiana Wesleyan University.

It will come later this summer in Marion, Ind., when Vinson, a recent graduate of Colon Junior/Senior High School, steps foot on campus. He’s already been there plenty of times as a recruit and eventual signee for the Wildcats.

Earlier this week, Vinson was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Corky Emrick/Tom Mielcarek Memorial Male Athlete of the Year. 

There were a handful of requirements for the award, which includes a plaque and a $1,000 scholarship. Each nominated student-athlete must be a decent student who played a sport for their high school in the fall, winter and spring seasons through the MHSAA. A panel of 13 members, including Journal Sports Editor Brandon Watson, each voted on their top three student-athlete nominees who fit the criteria for the award. The male and female student-athletes who finished with the highest point total were named as the award winners. 

Vinson competed for Colon in football, basketball, golf and track and field this past year. He earned All-State accolades in football, basketball and track and field, where he leaped to fourth place overall at better than 20-feet in the long jump.

“I’ll miss the community, honestly, it’s meant a lot to me,” Vinson said about what he will miss the most once he is done in Colon later this summer. “It’s always been a great atmosphere knowing everyone is behind you and supports you.”

Former Colon football coach Robbie Hattan said he has high praise for Vinson on and off the football field.

“Simon Vinson is hands down one of the most accomplished quarterbacks from our area,” Hattan said. “What he has done at Colon and the stuff he did are remarkable.”

Indiana Wesleyan finished with an 11-2 record last season, ultimately losing to Northwestern College (Iowa) in the football semifinals for NAIA. Prior to that, the Wildcats won seven games in 2021 as well.

Though he knew Indiana Wesleyan was where he wanted to be, Vinson wasn’t entirely sure he would end up with the Wildcats. The recruiting process can be a tough one, especially with football.

“There for a while I did not expect to end up here,” Vinson said of Indiana Wesleyan. “Coming out of the season, they weren’t showing me too much interest. But after I went on one of my visits there, they offered me and I was surprised and very excited about it.”

There is a lineage for Vinson as well. Both of Simon’s parents played basketball at Indiana Wesleyan. During his time at Colon, Vinson played basketball for his father Steve nearly his entire career.

Aside from four games on the junior varsity team during his freshman campaign, Vinson’s only basketball coach at Colon was his dad. He said when the Magi finally lost their last game in the MHSAA playoffs as a senior, it was difficult to overcome the fact he would never play for his dad again.

During his time at Colon, Vinson surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career. It's something only a handful of Magi have ever accomplished.

Vinson knows it won’t be easy to make the jump from small-town football to playing at a solid NAIA football team. The Wildcats offer a lot of good things for Vinson, who said he was recruited as a quarterback first and foremost.

But, he really wants to see the field. If that means a change of position, he’s more than willing to do that to help the team win.

“Going in as a quarterback, we’ll give it a shot and see what I can do,” Vinson said. “But if that doesn’t work out, if I can see the field faster at a different position, I’m happy to do that as well.”

Vinson said the Wildcats have mentioned him possibly playing the “J back” position, which is similar to a tight end. It would involve blocking and catching passes, something he was on the opposite side of for his high school career.

In the classroom, Vinson said he wants to explore pre-med once he steps on the IWU campus. He plans to attend chiropractic school. A handful of years ago, Vinson said he would often find himself watching chiropractic videos on YouTube. This resulted in him wanting to explore that realm and he’s excited to begin studying for it in the fall.

At Colon, he earned himself Valedictorian honors as a naturally gifted student.

The chapter of his life in Colon is now mostly done, at least as a student-athlete. Later this summer, Vinson will embark on a new journey, one where he has a little bit of nervousness, but also one he knows he is looking forward to. Indiana Wesleyan will be his new home for the next few years and he’s ready to get that portion of his life started.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Vinson named 2023 Emrick/Mielcarek Male Athlete of the Year