By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Two-sport athletes at the collegiate level are becoming a rarity.
Avery McCorry
But for Washburn University freshman Avery McCorry, who is already a starter in soccer and will also play basketball for the Ichabods, it's just what she's always done.
"I used to play three,'' said McCorry, who also played volleyball at Wichita Bishop Carroll. "It's just kind of always been like everything that's going on. My sister (Ashton) played basketball and soccer in college her last year.''
McCorry received plenty of attention from college recuiters after earning All-State recognition in both soccer and basketball, but Washburn soccer coach Davy Phillips and Ichabod women's basketball coach Lora Westling were the only coaches that would allow McCorry to pursue her dream of playing both sports, which made her college choice relatively easy.
"This was the only school that was like, 'Do both,' McCorry said. "It was either play basketball or play soccer with the other ones. And it's close to home from Wichita and my family can come watch.''
McCorry said that Phillips and Westling have already been helpful as she gets used to college life and begins her juggling act between her two sports.
"They've been helping me out a lot, just being able to communicate with both of them,'' McCorry said.
Obviously, McCorry's main focus right now is on soccer, but she's also trying to gain familiarity with the WU basketball program.
"I have my whole schedule on my phone and I just have to go with it,'' McCorry said. "I just have to get there, be on time, don't be late and have everything you need basically.
"It's pretty fun. It keeps it challenging.''
Freshman forward Avery McCorry is the second-leading scorer for Washburn soccer with three goals. [File photo/TSN]
McCorry has already made an immediate impact for the 5-1-1 and No. 23-ranked Washburn soccer team, starting all seven games at forward and scoring three goals to rank No. 2 on the team behind fellow Bishop Carroll product Leah Henke.
McCorry scored the first goal of her collegiate career in Washburn's fifth game, a 2-0 win over Harding, before adding two more goals in a 6-1 win over Missouri Southern.
"It was very exciting,'' McCorry said about her first goal. "I had scored in the scrimmages and I was like, 'OK come on. Now I just have to score in the game.'
"I was nervous coming in because I really didn't know what to expect, but it's been really good.''
Phillips agreed.
"Avery has the right attitude about both sports and she knows it's going to be tough and it's going to be a lot for her, but her time management and I think just eagerness to do both helps a ton,'' he said.
"It's never a chore. She seems really excited to bounce from one to the other. It will be interesting to see when that crossover happens. Right now she's kind of fully invested in soccer and and just making sure she understands what's going on in basketball and staying involved.''
McCorry's plate will get more full next month once official basketball practice starts, but Phillips is confident she'll be able to handle it.
"It will be interesting to see how quickly she can make that adaptation from sport to sport, but I think she's up for it certainly and it something she's done her whole life, so I think she'll be really good,'' Phillips said.
"I think she has a terrific skill set, but she's got a terrific athlete's mind, too, and that helps her in basketball, soccer, all of it, just the way she competes.''
Washburn soccer will be in Yager Stadium for a pair of MIAA contest this weekend, hosting Missouri Western at 6 p.m. Friday and Northwest Missouri at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
