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Alison Benz Signs on to Play Softball at Gannon University
by cnewman

It's never an easy decision on where you want to spend the next four years of your life after graduating from high school.
Many
factors play in to a decision like what kind of academic programs do
the colleges have? It is close to home? How are their athletics
programs?
Mt. Mercy Academy senior softball player Alison Benz
factored in all those questions and when it was all said and done choose
Gannon University to continue her education and softball career.
Gannon
had everything Benz wanted. It has a solid softball program and a great
academic program. She chose Gannon over 12 others schools.
"I
applied to about 12 schools," stated Benz. "But, I really like the
school. And, I kept on going back there for pitching clinics."
In
a process that took a very long time, Benz is happy that it's over and
she can now just focus on this season, which as off press time the Magic
are off to a 2-0 start.
"It has been a really long process
trying to decide on a college," stated Benz, after the school held a
signing day for her and Kayla Larson. "I am glad I signed and hopefully
this will enable me to reach all my potential and goals."
Benz
has been a sold player for Mt. Mercy since her freshman year. But, last
season was extra special as the Magic won the Monsignor Martin Athletic
Association title.
The win put the spotlight on Benz and the team. And, because of it, more college started to take notice of her accomplishments.
"It
(the title) definitely added to my profile as a pitcher and a player,"
she said. "And, I am really proud of the team for coming that far."
Another thing she is proud of is the way Mt. Mercy has prepared her for the next chapter of her life.
Mt.
Mercy puts a lot of emphasis on athletic, academics and community
service, as they want their students to be well rounded when it comes
times to head of to college.
Because of this, Benz feels she is better prepared to meet and deal with the challenges that lie ahead.
"It's
definitely harder here than at public schools," she said. "It
definitely got me more prepared for college and I sat on a couple of
classes [at Gannon] and it didn't seem to bad."
As for this
season, Benz knows it will be harder for this team to repeat its magical
run from last season. But, that still doesn't stop her from believing
this team has what it takes to win over title.
"I don't know how
we are going to do this year," she said. "But, I hope to win the title
again. We did lose a lot of players from last year, so it is going to be
a little tough."