Author: Ryan Williamson

More than 200 Americans competed in this year’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo. When Team USA’s contingency of athletes walked in the opening ceremony, they were led by one athlete with a direct tie to Eden Prairie. Melissa Stockwell is a 1998 graduate of Eden Prairie High School (EPHS). Her life has changed significantly since she walked the halls of EPHS. She’s now a mother, a retired soldier and a three-time Paralympian. Her latest appearance came at the Tokyo Games. Following her time in Eden Prairie, Stockwell attended college at the University of Colorado Boulder. She spent four years in the…

The summer of 2021 is coming to a close, whether you like it or not. Another sign of that came Aug. 16 on the bustling Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) campus. Eden Prairie teams and activities joined schools across Minnesota to celebrate the first day of fall practices. Football, soccer, dance team, color guard, volleyball and others began practicing in preparation for the beginning of the fall season, which begins before the end of August for most teams. With temperatures in the 80s and humidity rising, it was a warm day with a few needed water breaks. But after the…

For many, the sport of pickleball has become known as a sport for the older crowd. But the sport has grown amongst all ages, including the younger crowd in Eden Prairie. That includes 10-year-old Gavin Getchius. The Eden Prairie native has enjoyed playing so much he’s made it to the national stage where he recently competed at the Junior Pickleball Olympics in Houston. According to Gavin, he got involved with the sport after seeing it at Lifetime Fitness. There were a group of people playing and invited Gavin to play. As his mother, Jackie Getchius, said, “the rest was history.”…

During just about any EPHS girls’ volleyball home game, there is a group of male students standing and cheering on the girls as they play their games. For some, it just may be a fun chance to see some live sports. But for others, it was an inspiration to get out on the floor themselves. During the past three years, boys’ volleyball in both Eden Prairie and Minnesota has continued to grow. That has led to the Eagles starting a team and in 2021, taking second in the third-ever boys’ state volleyball tournament. Making it happen While girls’ volleyball has…

With the team finishing a win short of a state championship, it’s safe to say that the EP Junior Legion baseball team had an exciting finish to the 2021 season. EPLN was not on site snapping photos. We did however receive great photos of the team in action, courtesy of Melissa Hutchinson. As the team made its magical run, there were some great moments along the way. Thankfully for all of us, there were photographs to capture the moment. They are included here to commemorate a special time for the EP Junior Legion team. Below are additional memorable photos from…

From St. Cloud to Bloomington, Eden Prairie baseball was well represented this past weekend. In the Granite City, EP’s senior legion team qualified for the state tournament after an impressive run at the sub-state tournament in Chaska. Meanwhile, the EP junior legion squad also made its way to state. Both were in action over the weekend making an impact at these events. Senior legion Rolling through sub-state play, it appeared that EP may have been poised to make a run at this past week’s state tournament. However, that run was stopped before the team could get out of pool play…

Will Foster has racked up plenty of honors during his stint as an athlete at Eden Prairie High School. However, he recently reached the height of the boys’ lacrosse world. The Eagle star lacrosse player was named the 2021 Mr. Lacrosse award winner after a stellar season and exemplary career in high school athletics. The announcement of the award came on July 22 thanks to the Minnesota All Sports Alliance (MASA). He was one of seven finalists for the award. MASA, formerly the Minnesota Minutemen, has existed since 1954 to do good through sports. The award has been handing out…

Athletes see ups and downs of pandemic-stricken school year A high school sports season is broken up into three parts: fall, winter, and spring. This past school year, each one of these seasons proved to be much different. However, all of them manage to explain just how odd this past year was for sports, including at Eden Prairie High School. Fall It’s safe to say expectations are always high for the Eden Prairie football team these days. In 2019, EP suffered two losses in the regular season for the first time since 2012. Then, the Eagles failed to get past…

Through mask mandates, abrupt endings, limited crowds and all the rest, the 2020-21 high school sports year was one that will not be forgotten any time soon. Said season wrapped up this past week. For some, there was disappointment, but for others, there was plenty to celebrate. That included an EPHS athlete capturing a state championship on Saturday. Here’s the final postseason update for the 2020-21 school year. Girls’ Track and FieldAs previously reported at EPLN, Nia Holloway has made a name for herself as an athlete, earning a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Minnesota. As of…

A week ago, we covered all of the various high school sports playoffs taking place involving Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) teams. Seven days later, a lot has changed. For some teams, there has been the jubilation of success and advancing to state. On the other side of things, there is the disappointment and despair of defeat. Here is where things stand as we head into the final week of the 2020-21 high school sports season in Minnesota. Softball As the No. 6 seed in the Section 2-4A softball tournament, it certainly was going to be a tall task for…